It has ingredients that are good for anti aging, dry skin, brightening skin, sensitive skin, scar healing, dark spots and better texture

Free From

It doesn't contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, fragrances, oils, parabens, silicones or sulfates

Fun facts

COSRX is from South Korea. This product is used in 3 routines created by our community.

We independently verify ingredients and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Does this product need an update? Let us know.

Ingredient List (10)

Aronia Melanocarpa Fruit Extract, Ascorbic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Lactate, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Ceramide Ns, Pullulan, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cassia Obtusifolia Seed Extract, Allantoin

You should know

Here's our breakdown of the notable ingredients, benefits, and concerns we determined from the ingredients in this product. Click any item to learn more.

Notable Ingredients

Vitamin C

Ceramides

Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

Hydrating

Redness Reducing (3)

Reduces Irritation (2)

Skin Texture

Anti-Aging (2)

Dark Spots (2)

Scar Healing (2)

Brightening

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

Ingredients Overview

Here's our quick-to-read summary of the ingredients in this product. Keep scrolling if you'd like to learn more about what each ingredient does!

Ingredient

Com. / Irr. Rating

Features

Skin Conditioning

Antioxidant, Buffering, Masking, Skin Conditioning

Humectant, Masking, Skin Conditioning, Solvent

1 / 0

Buffering, Humectant

Bleaching, Emollient, Skin Conditioning, Smoothing, Soothing

Skin Conditioning

Humectant, Skin Conditioning

0 / 0

Skin Conditioning

Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Soothing

0 / 0

Ingredients Explained

This product contains 10 ingredients. Click on any ingredient to learn more about it

Aronia Melanocarpa Fruit Extract

What it does: Skin Conditioning

We don't have a description for Aronia Melanocarpa Fruit Extract.

Ascorbic Acid

What it does: Antioxidant, Buffering, Masking, Skin Conditioning

Community Rating: Loved

Ascorbic Acid is is pure Vitamin C. This form makes up the largest amount of vitamin C found naturally in our skin.

Not only is vitamin C great for your overall health and immune system, it also has plenty of benefits on your skin.

Vitamin C is best used for brightening skin. It improves dark spots, acne scars, and hyperpigmentation. This is because it blocks the process of skin darkening when exposed to UV.

Remember: Vitamin C should not replace sunscreen!

Your skin uses vitamin C to build collagen. Collagen is one key component in having a strong skin barrier and plump skin. Vitamin C also plays a role in regulating collagen, thus making it effective in improving wrinkles and fine lines.

Ascorbic acid shows potent antioxidant activity. As an antioxidant, it helps fight free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells. These antioxidants also protect skin against UV damage.

The best formulations include Vitamin E and/or ferulic acid. These two ingredients help stabilize and provide a boost in the benefits of ascorbic acid. This is because ascorbic acid becomes unstable when exposed to UV and air. In fact, you can tell your ascorbic acid has oxidized when it turns an orange-yellow color.

Ascorbic acid is generally compatible with other ingredients. However, using ascorbic acid with other active ingredients might cause irritation. Two ingredients: copper ions and benzoyl peroxide, will inactivate ascorbic acid completely.

Read more about other types of Vitamin C:

Foods rich with vitamin C include oranges, strawberries, broccoli, bell peppers, and more. When consuming Vitamin C, your skin receives a portion of the nutrients.

Learn more about Ascorbic Acid

Butylene Glycol

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.

Sodium Lactate

What it does: Buffering, Humectant

Community Rating: Liked

Sodium Lactate is the sodium salt of lactic acid, an AHA. It is a humectant and used to adjust the pH of a product.

Sodium Lactate is part of our skin's NMF, or natural moisturizing factor. Our NMF is essential for the hydration of our top skin layers and plasticity of skin.

It also influences our skin's natural acid mantle and pH, which protects our skin from harmful bacteria.

Our NMF is formed from amino acids, lactic acid, sugars, minerals, peptides, and electrolytes. As we age, our NMF naturally depletes. Other sources of NMF depletion include harsh and drying ingredients such as denatured alcohol. Sodium lactate can help replenish our NMF, leading to more hydrated and plump skin.

High percentages of Sodium Lactate can have an exfoliating effect.

Sodium Lactate is produced from fermented sugar.

Learn more about Sodium Lactate

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

What it does: Bleaching, Emollient, Skin Conditioning, Smoothing, Soothing

Community Rating: Liked

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract is an extract of the roots of Licorice. It has been found to have several benefits such as skin hydrating, conditioning, and soothing.

One component, glabridin, has extra potent antioxidant and soothing properties. It has also been found to block pigmentation from UVB rays in guinea pigs.

Licorice Root also contains a flavonoid. Flavonoids are a natural substance from in plants. Flavonoids also have antioxidant properties.

Another component, glycyrrhizin, has been found to have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial benefits. This may make licorice root extract effective at treating acne. However, more research is needed to support this.

Liquiritin is one of the flavone compounds found in licorice. It has been found to help lighten skin by preventing tyrosinase from reacting with tyrosine. When the two react, protein is converted to melanin. Melanin is the substance in your body that gives your features pigmentation.

Learn more about Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Ceramide Ns

What it does: Skin Conditioning

Community Rating: Loved

Ceramide NS is a type of Ceramide. Ceramides are intercellular lipids naturally found in our skin that bonds dead skin cells together to create a barrier. They are known for their ability to hold water and thus are a great ingredient for dry skin.

Ceramide NG,Ceramide NS,1,3-Hexadecanediol, 2-Hexadecanamide,Palmitoyl-C16-Dihydrosphingosine,1-Stearoyl-C18-Sphingosine

Pullulan

What it does:

We don't have a description for Pullulan.

Sodium Hyaluronate

What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning

Community Rating: Loved

Sodium Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid's salt form. It is commonly derived from the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid.

Like hyaluronic acid, it is great at holding water and acts as a humectant. This makes it a great skin hydrating ingredient.

Sodium Hyaluronate is naturally occurring in our bodies and is mostly found in eye fluid and joints.

These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:

Learn more about Sodium Hyaluronate

Cassia Obtusifolia Seed Extract

What it does: Skin Conditioning

We don't have a description for Cassia Obtusifolia Seed Extract.

Allantoin

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

Embed Ingredients

Here's what our community thinks of the 10 ingredients in this product ✨

60% are loved or liked

10% have mixed ratings

0% are disliked or very disliked

30% have no rating yet

When to use

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

Directions

This product has been discontinued by COSRX as of July 2020

If you’re new to acids or have sensitive skin, start by mixing 2-3 drops in your moisturizer and applying onto your face every night. If you see no signs of irritation after two weeks, apply 1-2 drops directly onto your skin every other night, always following with a hydrating moisturizer. Gradually work your way up to applying the serum every night. This Vitamin C serum is recommended as a night treatment. If used before sun exposure, make sure to apply sunscreen.