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CosRx is one of the hottest kbeauty brands internationally and now in Korea, too. So when they drop a new product I get excited. So far, I’ve loved the Acne Pimple Master Patches and Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser, but I prefer strong Western acids to the milder CosRx range, including the CosRx pimple pads.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I ordered these. I thought they might be a sheet mask essence plus pad. I found Neogen’s Wine Peeling Pads to be basically that (a water/glycerin/butylene glycol base with some other stuff thrown in) and also sticky, yuck. And don’t try to talk to me about rinsing the essence off because why. WHY. Why would you wash off all your skincare mid-routine? Come back with a product that makes sense and has a pH that would allow for actual peeling. Also they’re expensive for what they are. ANYWAY!

For this price, I hoped the CosRx pads would prove to be more than that, but after a year of spending a lot and ending up with very little that I like…I’m more cynical than ever. Oops, indeed.

To my shock, my oily-to-normal, acne-prone skin loved these pads and they added something to my routine that I needed, a thing I’m able to say rarely.

A note regarding availability: these seem to have sold out almost instantly in Korea upon launch, which means that CosRx hasn’t officially launched the product globally yet despite interest. There are still ways to get them, and I suspect we will see these popping up outside of Korea soon through normal suppliers. In related news, anyone still clinging to the notion that CosRx isn’t popular in Korea and is somehow thriving due to artificial hype manufactured by bloggers in the West for bathtubs full of undisclosed money…find skincare jesus and by skincare jesus I mean Key from SHINee.

CosRx One Step Moisture Up Pad Review

About the brand: CosRx is a no-nonsense Korean skincare brand that focuses on proven ingredients, good formulations, and affordable prices.

What it is: a basic skincare routine in pad form (minus cleansing and sun protection).

Where to put it in your routine: replacing the toner to cream slots if you’re using it as a one-step product. Otherwise just layer your products from lightest to heaviest (I’d put this right before a cream in a full routine, but that’s just me). Need a basic outline of when to use your products? Here you go:

Ingredients: Propolis Extract, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Betaine, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Betaine Salicylate, Panthenol, Allantoin, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Xanthan Gum, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil. CosDNA analysis.

Ingredient breakdown: aside from Butylene Glycol, which ranks 1 out of 5 as a potential acne trigger, this product contains no common skin trigger ingredients.

What type of skin might like this: it’s winter here and I have pretty normalish skin at the moment (whatever that is) due to drying winds and acids, and the moisture level seems right for me. I can see dry skin needing more layers and certainly a cream.

What sort of people might like this: if you, say (*cough* ME), fall asleep before doing a full routine or are really pressed for time in the mornings, these pads could be super useful.

Packaging: the pads come in a hard plastic jar with a screw-on lid.

Smell: I don’t detect a particular scent other than a faint whiff of chemicals.

Price: I paid $26.93 because I wanted these before they’re officially sold via e-tailers that serve the West. I suspect that the price will be lower when the One Step Moisture Up Pads are launched via global channels.

Value: the jar contains 70 pads. I bought this jar for the inflated price of $26.93, making each pad $0.38. I suspect that most people will be able to buy these much cheaper tbh. If these pads genuinely serve as a one-step routine aside from cleansing and sun protection, I can see even 38 cents per pad being a savings over bottles of products. I stick these next to my bed at night, so when I’m snuggled there after applying acids and letting them eat my face a bit I don’t have to leave my nest to get some moisture on. Given that I’d otherwise skip skincare those nights, these pads have actually been a big step up for my routine, and have helped my skin a lot.

What’s good: super convenient, shockingly serious hydration for a watery pad. I expected these pads to feel like a thin sheet mask essence and they sort of do at first, but they end up leaving a whole lot more than just watery moisture that quickly evaporates.

What’s not good: there’s not a ton of extra liquid sloshing around in the jar, so follow the instructions provided by CosRx and take care to screw on the lid tightly (seriously. I had the CosRx acid pads before and they dried out because I was careless.). The finish is not tacky or sticky, but it’s…hmm…you can feel that there’s something on your skin is the best way I can describe it. I keep thinking about rubbing a few pads all over my dryass legs, but the prospect of that feeling that there’s something on my skin scares me off (I’m a lotion hater). It actually doesn’t feel as weird on my face, possibly because I’m used to wearing products there.

Value-added benefit: these pads are juicy enough that after I apply the solution to my face, there’s plenty of moisture left over and I can rub the pad on the tops of my hands, which get so dry and cracked from NYC winters and my hand sanitizer addiction that they bleed. The pads actually stop the cracking and get my skin to heal and look normal in two or three days, depending on the damage.

Will I repurchase it: I typically only repurchase products that help control my acne and usually ho around with everything else for the sake of testing a lot and reviewing new stuff, but these pads actually solve a problem I wasn’t fully confronting: they’re perfect bedside one-step skincare for my normal-to-oily skin. Since using these, I’ve woken up with smoother, glowier skin simply because I’m getting something on my face — and the something happens to be really effective. I’m now facing the problem of having to move my jar between my bedside table and makeup table because I find myself wanting them in the morning, too. So…I think I may actually repurchase these when my jar runs out, much to my surprise. I suspect that these pads will be a massive hit once people are able to buy them, they’re just damn good.

Where to buy it: Amazon | Wishtrend | eBay | BB Cosmetic | BeautyBoxKorea

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