COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser

3.6   from 5 reviews
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Welcome to our explanation of everything that you need to know about COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser. Let’s get started!

  • cruelty-free face cleanser that contains aha and bha.
  • it doesn't contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, parabens, silicones or sulfates.
  • it does contain fragrances and oils.
  • it is likely to be good for reducing pores.
  • it is reef safe.
  • it is not fungal acne (malassezia) safe.
Face Cleanser Korean Brand South Korea

At a glance

Notable Ingredients

AHA
BHA

Benefits

Good For Oily Skin
Reduces Irritation
Reduces Large Pores (2)

Concerns

Drying
Irritating

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant 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
5.5

Ingredients Explained

This product contains 24 ingredients. Click on any ingredient to learn more about it

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's there to help 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
2
What it does: Cleansing
Community Rating: Disliked

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 Betaine
3
What it does: Cleansing

Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate is a cleansing ingredient. It is a surfactant, meaning it helps gather dirt, oil, and other pollutants. This helps them be rinsed away easily.

Learn more about Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
4
What it does: Emulsifying
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Polysorbate 20 is made by combining ethoxylation of sorbitan, ethylene oxide, and lauric acid. It is a mild cleansing agent, surfactant, and emulsifier.

As a surfactant, it helps collect dirt and oils for washing. Emulsifiers prevent oils and water from separating.

Polysorbate 20 also adds scent to a product. Since it is made using sorbitol, it has a sweet scent. Sorbitol can also be found in fruits such as apples and peaches.

The lauric acid used to create Polysorbate 20 is often derived from coconuts.

Polysorbate 20 is not fungal acne safe.

Learn more about Polysorbate 20
5
What it does: Skin Conditioning

We don't have a description for Styrax Japonicus Branch/Fruit/Leaf Extract.

6
What it does: Humectant, Masking, Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Mixed

Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

  • It is a solvent, meaning that it helps to dissolve other ingredients. This also enhances the absorption of the product into one's skin.
  • It is a humectant, which means that it helps attract moisture into the skin.
  • It helps improve product application.

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient. It is unlikely to irritate skin, and works well with pretty much all other ingredients.

Learn more about Butylene Glycol
7
What it does: Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Mixed

Saccharomyces Ferment is created from fermenting and filtering saccharomyces, a group of fungus that includes yeasts. It is a humectant and helps hydrate the skin.

This ingredient contains amino acids, beta-glucan, and vitamins. Beta-glucan is a potent antioxidant and may help with the signs of aging.

Learn more about Saccharomyces Ferment
8
What it does: Humectant

We don't have a description for Cryptomeria Japonica Leaf Extract.

9
What it does: Skin Conditioning

We don't have a description for Nelumbo Nucifera Leaf Extract.

10
What it does: Tonic

We don't have a description for Pinus Palustris Leaf Extract.

11
What it does: Skin Conditioning

We don't have a description for Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract.

12
What it does: Astringent

We don't have a description for Oenothera Biennis Flower Extract.

13
What it does: Humectant

We don't have a description for Pueraria Lobata Root Extract.

14
What it does: Antioxidant, Perfuming
Community Rating: Mixed

Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil is the oil distilled from the leaves of the Tea Tree, Melaleuca alternifolia, Myrtaceae. This tea tree is native to Australia. Tea tree oil is an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial.

The Terpinen components of tea tree oil give it antimicrobial properties. These help prevent the growth of bacteria and fungus.

Tea tree oil is fragrant and contains volatiles such as linalool and limonene. These fragrance and terpinen components can cause skin sensitivity.

While tea tree has been found to help soothe inflammation and redness, it can also cause sensitivity and irritation for some people. In one study, tea tree oil was found to help relieve the symptoms of psoriasis.

We recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient for your skin concerns.

Tea tree oil is toxic when ingested. Another study showed it to caused damage to the nervous system of dogs and cats when applied to their skin or given orally.

Learn more about Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
15
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Soothing
Community Rating: Loved

Allantoin plays a role in soothing and moisturizing the skin. Because of this, it is often added to products with strong active ingredients.

Some studies have shown this ingredient can promote wound healing with higher concentrations.

Allantoin is derived from the comfrey plant but produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.

Learn more about Allantoin
16
What it does: Emollient, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, meaning it retains and preserves moisture. It is a common ingredient in many products, especially those designed to hydrate skin. The primary benefits are retaining moisture, skin softening, and promoting a healthy skin barrier.

Though Caprylyl Glycol is an alcohol derived from fatty acids, it is not the kind that can dry out skin.

This ingredient is also used as a preservative to extend the life of products.

Learn more about Caprylyl Glycol
17
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.

Learn more about Ethylhexylglycerin
18
What it does: Antimicrobial
Community Rating: Liked

Betaine Salicylate is a salicylic acid alternative. It is created with betaine and salicylic acid.

Betain Salicylate is a keralytic ingredient. This means it breaks down the top layer of skin. Due to its similarity to salicylic acid, it can be considered a BHA alternative.

This ingredient is most effective at a pH range of 3.8-4.2.

Learn more about Betaine Salicylate
19
What it does: Masking
Community Rating: Mixed

Citric Acid is an AHA derived from citrus fruits (think oranges, lemons, and limes!). A small amount is used in formulas to adjust the pH of products. In higher concentrations, it can exfoliate skin.

As an AHA, Citric Acid removes the top layer of skin cells from the newer layer of skin underneath. This helps skin to remove dark spots and look more even.

Read more about some other popular AHA's here:

Learn more about Citric Acid
20
What it does: Solvent

Ethyl Hexanediol is an aliphatic alcohol. It is a solvent.

Solvents are used to keep ingredients together in a product. They can help dissolve ingredients to stable bases or help evenly distribute ingredients throughout the product.

Learn more about Ethyl Hexanediol
21
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Mixed

1,2-Hexanediol is a multi-tasker ingredient. It acts as a preservative to increase shelf-life and can aid other preservatives in preventing microbe growth. 1,2-Hexanediol also helps the skin retain moisture as a humectant.

In products that are water-based, this ingredient can help stabilize perfumes and fragrances. It can also help make the texture of products softer and more smooth.

Learn more about 1,2-Hexanediol

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate is used to help stabilize a product.

It is a chelating agent, meaning it helps prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This prevents unwanted reactions in products. Metal ions can come into a product via the water ingredient. They are found in trace amounts and are not known to be harmful.

Learn more about Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
23
What it does: Masking, Preservative
Community Rating: Disliked

Sodium Benzoate is a preservative used in both cosmetic and food products.

Sodium Benzoate is the salt of benzoic acid. Benzoic acid is found naturally in common foods such as cinnamon, tomatoes, berries, apples, honey, mushrooms, and more.

Learn more about Sodium Benzoate
24
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 ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and are found to be safe in cosmetic ingredients.

Learn more about Disodium EDTA
Embed Ingredients

Here's what our community thinks of the 24 ingredients in this product ✨

17% are loved or liked
25% have mixed ratings
17% are disliked or very disliked
42% have no rating yet

Usage

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

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Alternatives

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Compared With

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