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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of COSRX The Retinol 0.1 Cream versus Creamy Ácido Glicólico .

Published on January 02, 2023

Overview

What they are

These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe facial treatments. They have a total of 6 ingredients in common

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, anti aging, dry skin, brightening skin, sensitive skin, oily skin, reducing pores, scar healing, dark spots and better texture

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, fragrances, parabens or sulfates

What's Inside

They both contain oils and silicones

We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that need an update? Let us know.

Facial Treatment South Korean Brand South Korea
Facial Treatment Brazilian Brand Brazil

Facial Treatment

Facial treatments are specially designed to treat a skin concern. Acne treatments and anti-aging products are common examples of facial treatments.

Facial Treatment

Facial treatments are specially designed to treat a skin concern. Acne treatments and anti-aging products are common examples of facial treatments.

Price

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Buy The Retinol 0.1 Cream

Starts at $17.55
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Buy Ácido Glicólico

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant ingredients.

COSRX The Retinol 0.1 Cream 51 ingredients

Creamy Ácido Glicólico 18 ingredients

alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free
ph level
6.8
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

COSRX The Retinol 0.1 Cream 51 ingredients

Creamy Ácido Glicólico 18 ingredients

Notable Ingredients

Retinoid
Vitamin C (2)
Vitamin E (2)
Hyaluronic Acid (5)

Benefits

Hydrating (4)
Good For Oily Skin
Redness Reducing (3)
Reduces Irritation (2)
Skin Texture (3)
Reduces Large Pores
Anti-Aging (5)
Dark Spots (3)
Scar Healing (6)
Acne Fighting
Brightening (6)

Concerns

Drying
May Worsen Oily Skin (6)
Acne Trigger (3)
Irritating (2)
Eczema

Notable Ingredients

AHA
Niacinamide

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin (2)
Redness Reducing
Reduces Irritation
Skin Texture
Reduces Large Pores (2)
Anti-Aging
Dark Spots (2)
Scar Healing
Acne Fighting
Brightening (3)

Concerns

May Worsen Oily Skin (2)
Acne Trigger
Irritating
Rosacea
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Ingredients Compared

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

COSRX The Retinol 0.1 Cream 51 ingredients

Creamy Ácido Glicólico 18 ingredients

Ingredients Side-by-side

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

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Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

1
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

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 Water

COSRX The Retinol 0.1 Cream contains this as ingredient number 1.

Creamy Ácido Glicólico contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

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 Glycerin

COSRX The Retinol 0.1 Cream contains this as ingredient number 4.

Creamy Ácido Glicólico contains this as ingredient number 6.

3
What it does: Emollient, Emulsifying, Emulsion Stabilising
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Cetearyl alcohol is a mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is mainly used as an emulsifier. Emulsifiers help prevent the separation of oils and products. Due to its composition, it can also be used to thicken a product or help create foam.

Cetearyl alcohol is an emollient. Emollients help soothe and hydrate the skin by trapping moisture.

Studies show Cetearyl alcohol is non-toxic and non-irritating. The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.

This ingredient is usually derived from plant oils such as palm, vegetable, or coconut oils. There is debate on whether this ingredient will cause acne.

Due to the fatty acid base, this ingredient may not be Malassezia folliculitis safe.

Learn more about Cetearyl Alcohol

COSRX The Retinol 0.1 Cream contains this as ingredient number 6.

Creamy Ácido Glicólico contains this as ingredient number 16.

4
What it does: Cleansing, Emulsifying, Emulsion Stabilising, Masking
Community Rating: Very Disliked

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 Acid

COSRX The Retinol 0.1 Cream contains this as ingredient number 30.

Creamy Ácido Glicólico contains this as ingredient number 3.

5
What it does:
Community Rating: Disliked

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 EDTA

COSRX The Retinol 0.1 Cream contains this as ingredient number 33.

Creamy Ácido Glicólico contains this as ingredient number 18.

6
What it does: Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Mixed

Ethylhexylglycerin (we can't pronounce this either) is commonly used as a preservative and skin softener. It is derived from glyceryl.

You might see Ethylhexylglycerin often paired with other preservatives such as phenoxyethanol. Ethylhexylglycerin has been found to increase the effectiveness of these other preservatives.

COSRX The Retinol 0.1 Cream contains this as ingredient number 34.

Creamy Ácido Glicólico contains this as ingredient number 17.

Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.

COSRX The Retinol 0.1 Cream 51 ingredients

Creamy Ácido Glicólico 18 ingredients

43% are loved or liked
12% have mixed ratings
41% are disliked or very disliked
4% have no rating yet
28% are loved or liked
6% have mixed ratings
61% are disliked or very disliked
6% have no rating yet

Usage

Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.

When to use

COSRX The Retinol 0.1 Cream 51 ingredients

Creamy Ácido Glicólico 18 ingredients

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Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

COSRX The Retinol 0.1 Cream 51 ingredients

5.0 /5
from 2 ratings
Absorbs Well (1) Great Value (1) Light (1) Light Scent (1) Works Well (1)
AshN.'s avatar

AshN.

3 months ago · Dry Skin
Review

(Started Dec 2023) This was a bit of an impulse buy with a friend, but I'm honestly glad I got it! I have previous experience with using retinoids...

(Started Dec 2023) This was a bit of an impulse buy with a friend, but I'm honestly glad I got it! I have previous experience with using retinoids (specifically from The Ordinary Line) and wanted to try something a bit stronger. On Amazon it is priced at $13, so I would say this is a wonderful budget buy. The formulation is very gentle given the strength and I experienced no problems with irritation! My skin actually ended up feeling smoother and softer the following morning with this. I would highly recommend this as a starter Retinol. Planning to get the .3 formulation after I go through another one.

sarahabma's avatar

sarahabma

1 year ago · Sensitive Skin
Review

Wonderful beginner retinol
Ny first ever retinol but 2nd time using a retinoid. for context I have highly acne-prone skin.

I've been using this...

Wonderful beginner retinol
Ny first ever retinol but 2nd time using a retinoid. for context I have highly acne-prone skin.

I've been using this every other night for a couple weeks now and I see that my acne is healing much faster than usual, i.e. less redness and irritation on acne that I would usually experience.

Though there are ingredients rated by SkinSort as not good for acne-prone skin (Cetearyl Alcohol, Myristic Acid and Lauric Acid), I have not noticed a negative reaction whatsoever. So, I would still recommend this product for other retinol beginners, especially those with acne-prone skin like me.

Creamy Ácido Glicólico 18 ingredients

Ácido Glicólico hasn't been rated yet.
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