It’s crazy how many cleansers I’ve used over the last few years— most of them were western brands and many irritated my skin. There are probably more than five unfinished containers in my drawers right now, because it’s so hard to find one that satisfies my needs. My skin started breaking out maybe six years ago, and I have been desperately searching for a cleanser that will work and hopefully restore it to its former glory!
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I have done extensive searches on K-beauty blogs and beauty channels, so that you don’t have to. As a result, I decided to take the Low pH Good Morning Cleanser by COSRX for a spin.
What is it?
It’s a clear gel cleanser, more on the liquid side, and foams up just a little. It almost seems like the Korean counterpart to Cetaphil’s basic cleanser (a gentle daily cleanser or daily facial cleanser). The scent is faint, slightly herbalescent, but it’s not perfume-like and is easy to get used to. The cleanser came in a 150 mL tube and is easy to dispense. The front displays the name, brand, and a short blurb: “Formulated with botanical skin purifying ingredients, mildly acidic cleanser works softly to make skin supple and clear. (For sensitive skin, morning time cleanser).” It seems to recommend a once-a-day use for sensitive skin, and twice-a-day for normal skin. The full list of ingredients is listed below.
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Ingredients: Water, cocamidopropyl betaine, sodium lauroyl methyl isethionate, polysorbate 20, styrax japonicus branch/fruit/leaf extract, butylene glycol, saccharomyces ferment, cryptomeria japonica leaf extract, nelumbo nucifera leaf extract, pinus palustris leaf extract, ulmus davidiana root extract, oenothera biennis (evening primrose) flower extract, pueraria lobata root extract, melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) leaf oil, allantoin, caprylyl glycol, ethylhexylglycerin, betaine salicylate, citric acid, ethyl hexanediol, 1,2-hexanediol, trisodium ethylenediamine disuccinate, sodium benzoate, disodium EDTA 
Effects?
After two months of using this (once or twice a day), my skin is noticeably brighter than before, probably because I switched from a harsher cleanser— that absolutely stripped my skin— to this one. It has not irritated my skin, and my breakouts seem to be slowly becoming less severe, which is a huge plus. Though the cleanser doesn’t seem to have too many moisturizing effects, this can of course be remedied by using your own lotion or moisturizer afterwards. Aloe is also one of my best friends.
Makeup- removing?
I only occasionally use makeup (my skin doesn’t like makeup a.k.a I’m too lazy to use it), but when I do, this cleanser reliably removes my face paint. I tend to use an oil-based makeup remover first, but it’s not a requirement. Overall, I give it a passing score.
So, should you buy it?
If your skin is anything like mine, it would probably be a good buy. It’s simple, not too expensive (around $10 on Amazon), and does its job. This is by no means a one-step skin solution, but it is a pretty good, all-around basic cleanser
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Rating?
8/10: Overall, it’s a very good basic cleanser! Reliable, not super revolutionary, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?
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Have you tried this cleanser before? If so, what did you think? What other K-beauty cleaners do you like? Let us know in the comment section below!
SILVERMOON is a WTK writer who loves Kpop and Korean beauty products. Her top favorite bands are B.A.P, VIXX, BTS and Monsta X. HYUKOH is also pretty great! When she’s not fangirling over her biases, she is busy studying for school in hopes of achieving her dreams. She also loves drawing, painting, and dance.