Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser versus COSRX AC Collection Calming Foam Cleanser .
Last updated on December 27, 2023. Published on February 26, 2021
Overview
What they are
These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe face cleansers. They have a total of 10 ingredients in common
Cool Features
They both contain BHA
Suited For
They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, dry skin, brightening skin, oily skin, reducing pores and scar healing
Free From
They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, parabens, silicones or sulfates
What's Inside
They both contain fragrances and oils
We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that need an update? Let us know.
Face Cleanser
Face cleansers are used to remove makeup, dead skin cells, pollutants, oil, dirt, and/or clean out pores on the skin. Face cleansers may specialize in having one function (exa. just removing makeup) or may have multiple functions (exa. Removing makeup and cleaning pores).
Face Cleanser
Face cleansers are used to remove makeup, dead skin cells, pollutants, oil, dirt, and/or clean out pores on the skin. Face cleansers may specialize in having one function (exa. just removing makeup) or may have multiple functions (exa. Removing makeup and cleaning pores).
Price
Ingredient Info
COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser 23 ingredients
COSRX AC Collection Calming Foam Cleanser 24 ingredients
Alcohol Free
This product is free of harsh alcohols 🎉
Silicon Free
This product is free of silicons 🎉
Contains Fragrance
Ingredients in this product that are forms of fragrance:
Sulfate Free
This product is free of sulfates 🎉
Paraben Free
This product is free of parabens 🎉
Contains Oils
Ingredients in this product that are types of oil:
Not Malassezia Safe
Ingredients in this product that are not malassezia safe:
Reef Safe
This product is free of ingredients that damage reefs 🎉
EU Allergen Free
This product is free of EU allergens 🎉
Non Vegan
This product is not vegan 😥
Cruelty Free
This product is cruelty-free 🎉
Alcohol Free
This product is free of harsh alcohols 🎉
Silicon Free
This product is free of silicons 🎉
Sulfate Free
This product is free of sulfates 🎉
Paraben Free
This product is free of parabens 🎉
Contains Oils
Ingredients in this product that are types of oil:
Not Malassezia Safe
Ingredients in this product that are not malassezia safe:
Reef Safe
This product is free of ingredients that damage reefs 🎉
Contains EU Allergens
Ingredients in this product that are EU allergens:
Non Vegan
This product is not vegan 😥
Cruelty Free
This product is cruelty-free 🎉
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser 23 ingredients
COSRX AC Collection Calming Foam Cleanser 24 ingredients
Notable Ingredients
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Benefits
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Concerns
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Notable Ingredients
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Benefits
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
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Concerns
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
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Join SkinSortIngredients Compared
Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.
COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser 23 ingredients
COSRX AC Collection Calming Foam Cleanser 24 ingredients
Water • Myristic Acid • Sodium Chloride • Ethyl Hexanediol • Cocamidopropyl Betaine • Citrus Limon Fruit Oil • Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate • Ethylhexylglycerin • Stearic Acid • Peg-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil • Polysorbate 80 • Caprylyl Glycol • Glycerin • Potassium Hydroxide • Salicylic Acid • Lauric Acid • Butylene Glycol • Salix Alba Bark Water • 1,2-Hexanediol • Disodium EDTA • Glycol Distearate • Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil • Citric Acid
Water • Glycerin • Stearic Acid • Myristic Acid • Peg-32 • Potassium Hydroxide • Palmitic Acid • Lauric Acid • Glyceryl Stearate • Peg-100 Stearate • Lauramide Dea • Cocamidopropyl Betaine • Potassium Cocoate • Salicylic Acid • Sodium Chloride • Arachidic Acid • Lavandula Hybrida Oil • Linalool • Disodium EDTA • Oleic Acid • Limonene • Asiaticoside • Asiatic Acid • Madecassic Acid
Ingredients Side-by-side
Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.
Learn more about what what Com. / Irr. ratings are
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.
So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.
You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. Talk about multi-purpose! If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!
Learn more about WaterCOSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.
COSRX AC Collection Calming Foam Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.
Myristic Acid is a saturated fatty acid. It is naturally found in milk fat. Other sources include palm oil, coconut oil, and butter fat.
Myristic Acid is an emulsifer and cleanser. As an emulsifer, it stabilizes a product by preventing ingredients from separating. Myristic Acid helps clean your skin by acting as a surfactant. It tends to gather oil and dirt on your skin to be easily rinsed away.
One study from 2021 found Myristic Acid to have anti-inflammatory properties.
Learn more about Myristic AcidCOSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 2.
COSRX AC Collection Calming Foam Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 4.
Chances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt.
This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
There is much debate on whether this ingredient is comedogenic. The short answer - comedogenic ratings don't tell the whole story. Learn more about comegodenic ratings here.
The concensus about this ingredient causing acne seems to be divided. Research is needed to understand if this ingredient does cause acne.
Scrubs may use salt as the primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideCOSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 3.
COSRX AC Collection Calming Foam Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 15.
Cocamidopropyl Betaine is a fatty acid created by mixing similar compounds in coconut oil and dimethylaminopropylamine. Dimethylaminopropylamine is a diamine, an amine with two amino groups.
Cocamidopropyl Betaine is a surfactant and cleanser. It helps gather the dirt, pollutants, and other impurities in your skin to be washed away. It also helps thicken a product and make the texture more creamy.
Being created from coconut oil means Cocamidopropyl Betaine is hydrating for the skin.
While Cocamidopropyl Betaine was believed to be an allergen, a study from 2012 disproved this. It found two compounds in unpure Cocamidopropyl Betaine to be the irritants: aminoamide and 3-dimethylaminopropylamine. High-grade and pure Cocamidopropyl Betaine did not induce allergic reactions during this study.
Learn more about Cocamidopropyl BetaineCOSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 5.
COSRX AC Collection Calming Foam Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 12.
Stearic Acid is a fatty acid. It is an emollient, emulsifier, and texture enhancer.
As an emollient, stearic acid helps soften skin. It aids the skin's protective barrier by preventing water loss. It also provides a gentle cleansing effect without stripping away natural oils.
Stearic acid may also be used to enhance the texture of products. It can add volume and stabilize ingredients such as water and oil. This can help water and oil ingredients from separating.
Sources of stearic acid include animal or vegetable fats/oils such as coconut or shea. It can be naturally found in butter, cocoa butter, shea butter, vegetable fats, and animal tallow.
This ingredient may not be Malassezia folliculitis, or fungal-acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidCOSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 9.
COSRX AC Collection Calming Foam Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 3.
Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.
A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.
As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.
Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.
Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.
In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.
This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinCOSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 13.
COSRX AC Collection Calming Foam Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 2.
Potassium hydroxide is commonly known as caustic potash. It is used to fix the pH of a product or as a cleaning agent in soap. In cleansers, it is used for the saponification of oils.
Sapnification is the process of creating fatty acid metal salts from triglycerides and a strong base. During this process, Potassium Hydroxide is used up and is not present in the final product.
Using high concentrations of Potassium Hydroxide have shown to irritate the skin.
Learn more about Potassium HydroxideCOSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 14.
COSRX AC Collection Calming Foam Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 6.
Salicylic Acid (also known as beta hydroxy acid or BHA) is one of the most well-known ingredients for treating skin that struggles with blackheads and acne. It helps to exfoliate both the skin's surface and pores, and also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent.
This multitasking property makes it a great ingredient for cleaning out pores, controlling oil production, and reducing inflammation.
Unlike AHAs which are water soluble, Salicylic Acid is oil soluble. This means that it's able to exfoliate the inside of pores and reduce blackheads.
Concentrations of 0.5-2% are recognized by the U.S. FDA as an over-the-counter topical acne product.
It can cause irritation and/or dryness if one's skin already has a compromised moisture barrier, so it's best to focus on repairing that before introducing a Salicylic Acid into your routine.
In general, Salicylic Acid is a great ingredient for oily acne-prone skin.
While salicylic acid does not increase sun-sensitivity, we still recommend wearing SPF.
If you are looking for the ingredient called BHA or Butylated Hydroxyanisole, click here.
Learn more about Salicylic AcidCOSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 15.
COSRX AC Collection Calming Foam Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 14.
Lauric Acid is a fatty acid or lipid. About half of fatty acids in coconut oil is lauric acid.
This ingredient helps hydrate and sooth skin. As a humectant, it helps trap moisture. It also aids in cleaning and enhancing the texture of products.
Emerging studies show Lauric Acid to have antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. The antimicrobial property helps strengthen the skin barrier by fighting off bad bacteria.
Lauric acid may not be Malassezia folliculitis, or fungal acne, safe.
Learn more about Lauric AcidCOSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 16.
COSRX AC Collection Calming Foam Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 8.
Disodium EDTA plays a role in making products more stable by aiding other preservatives.
It is a chelating agent, meaning it neutralizes metal ions that may be found in a product.
Disodium EDTA is a salt of edetic acid and is found to be safe in cosmetic ingredients.
Learn more about Disodium EDTACOSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 20.
COSRX AC Collection Calming Foam Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 19.
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser 23 ingredients
COSRX AC Collection Calming Foam Cleanser 24 ingredients
Usage
Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.
When to use
COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser 23 ingredients
COSRX AC Collection Calming Foam Cleanser 24 ingredients
Reviews
Here's what our community thinks
COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser 23 ingredients
skinogre
I used to think it was good because of how it really goes DEEP into cleaning your skin, it feels like it’s been scraped out. It’s good if you...
I used to think it was good because of how it really goes DEEP into cleaning your skin, it feels like it’s been scraped out. It’s good if you haven’t washed your face in a week, other than that it’s really bad. And that’s coming from someone who has oily skin and uses Paula’s choice BHA every other day. There are so many better cleansing products than this, I highly advise getting the Etude house foam 6.5 whip cleaner instead and using an exfoliant alongside it. One thing I do like about this cleanser is its consistency, I always loved how it would squirt out but on the downside was it’s drying out of skin. It never “ruined” my skin per se, but there are a lot better products than this for daily cleansing. If you want your skin to feel EXTREMELY scraped of all oils and its essence, sure use this.
COSRX AC Collection Calming Foam Cleanser 24 ingredients
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