COSRX skincare review: Does the Korean brand live up to the hype?

Though it is very slimy – as you’d expect – COSRX’s hero snail 96 mucin essence requires only a small drop to treat the whole face. It leaves the skin feeling as though it’s had a generous drink of water, thanks to humectant (water-attracting) hyaluronic acid, and feels ever so slightly creamy despite its transparent liquid appearance.

It tingles gently yet painlessly when it comes into contact with the skin and, for me, pairs best with a gentle serum, such as a vitamin E or something rose-based to help balance out the immediate feel of the snail mucin getting to work.

The mucin is said to repair skin, helping to boost luminosity and reduce the appearance of fine lines.

Any long-term results on my skin – plump cheeks and reduced nasolabial creasing, for instance – are hard to pin down as just the work of the snail mucin, but the immediate glow and healthy sheen of the mucin are aspects I can certainly vouch for.

Part of the same best-selling collection as the above essence (and with the same snail secretion filtrate), the snail peptide eye cream has a creamier consistency than its serum sibling and covers under-eyes with just a pine nut’s worth of product. It’s slippy, cooling and ever so slightly zingy.

The zing comes thanks to the tightening qualities of the niacinamide but, I only felt it when my under eyes were looking a tad worse for wear after I accidentally got retinol in my eye. As for the long-term effects, my crow’s feet and fine lines are still there – it’s not a magic worker, after all – but I do feel the wrinkles immediately beneath my pupils have become less pronounced.

I love these pimple patches, especially as someone with a tendency for skin picking. I’ve tried lots of similar products, and I can confidently say I prefer the COSRX ones to competitor Korean-inspired brand Hero (£9.99, Boots.com). These stickers extract a much larger quantity of puss/sebum and are more effective at coaxing spots to a head, too.

You can use them when out and about and, while they don’t sit well under make-up, they do look nigh on invisible on bare skin. They work on under-the-skin spots, just-popped spots and big, prominent white heads. They’re an amazing all-rounder as well as being relatively inexpensive.

While it’s branded as a serum and could definitely be used as one if applied directly after cleansing, its thin, watery consistency lends itself better to the toning stage, not to mention giving the formula more chance to sink in.

It’s cooling to apply and disappears almost imminently, leaving the skin feeling as though it’s just had an ice massage. I can’t say I’ve noticed any immediate anti-ageing benefits from the peptides – which are often described as a more gentle alternative to retinol – but I do think that the two lines forming between my eyebrows look less pronounced. This could, of course, be down to several factors but I can’t deny how it feels on the skin. It’s a lovely, refreshing way to start each day.

With a scent that’s akin to Vicks, COSRX’s good morning cleanser is a real wake-up call. When combined with a hot steamy flannel it’s even reminiscent of a decongestant steam inhalation and, in all honesty, I’m not complaining – it blows away the cobwebs big time.

I’m not a huge fan of a lathering foaming cleanser because of the tightness it can inflict on the skin. That said, COSRX actually markets the good morning cleanser as a good fit for sensitive skin, stating that it works to avoid stripping the skin.

For me (I have oily yet dehydrated skin), it doesn’t strip the skin but it doesn’t comfort it either. And, to that, I might add, I wouldn’t want to use it without having some hydrating next steps, such as a glycerin mist or HA serum. Lastly, I’d probably save it for the morning and use a cleanser that’s more nourishing and creamy come the evening.

The big burly brother to COSRX’s pimple master patches, the intensive master patches use salicylic acid and oil-balancing tea tree oil to give your skin and problem areas somewhat of a reset post-breakout.

With these added actives centred in the area you require them, it simply minimises the chances of a spot resurgence. They don’t sit on the skin as discreetly as the original pimple patches, but they’re excellent for use overnight. Even better, they cover neighbouring blackheads and blemishes to the one I was specifically targeting – two birds one stone.

My one tip? Gently wipe off any oily products in the specific zone you’re hoping to patch up – it’ll help the sticker adhere without falling off.

Kicking off the oil-free moisturiser review with a clear bias marker: I have oily skin and am the ideal shopper for this product. Disclaimer aside, this moisturiser is lovely.

The lotion consistency is lightweight and layered well with serums and foundations. The added tea tree oil helps to prevent blemishes as a result of excess sebum production (i.e) the plight of oily skin). The formula does contain alcohol, which can be a tad drying, though I personally didn’t find this. The addition of nourishing sorbitan olivate is wonderful as it’s non-comedogenic and acts to give skin longer-lasting moisture than hyaluronic acid, for example.

Not to mention it’s a generously sized bottle at 100ml, where plenty of tub-style moisturisers sit around the 50ml mark.

Is it suitable for dry skin? No, it won’t offer a deep enough skin comfort around dry patches, nor will its moisture last as long as a lanolin-based cream, for instance. Normal skin types might get away with this one in the less-drying summer months.

Once you move past the smell, which reminds me of a perming solution, this is a very good vitamin C serum. It does what it says on the tin and contains 23 per cent pure ascorbic acid (the chemical name for topical vitamin C).

It has a very slight oily finish thanks to the included palm oil, so as someone with oily skin I opt for this serum in the evening, but dry skin types will likely enjoy how nourishing it feels. That’s not to say it doesn’t sink in well (it does), but rather that its moisturising ‘stretch’ lingers on the skin a tad longer.

The effects? Brightening, tightening (but not uncomfortably so) and lifting.

A product that’s now a staple in my routine (and became such after just one week of testing), the COSRX blackhead power liquid is one of the most effective toners I’ve ever used – though, perhaps not in the way you’d expect.

Does it rid your skin of blackheads entirely? No, and in the first instance, it actually makes them more prominent. But much like a good professional facial, it brings all of the underlying hard sebum (what blackheads are comprised of, before oxidising in open pores and turning ‘black’) to the surface for you to easily extract without so much as a light push. Post-extraction, too, I’ve found the production of blackheads to have reduced tenfold and the added niacinamide to have helped with excess shine as the day progresses.

One for every skin type, this mask is the clean aesthetic’s answer to slugging (the process of lathering your skin up with petroleum-type jelly) without all the stickiness.

The consistency is a fluffy mousse and it’s light enough to keep oily skin breathing and allow dry skin the nourishment it needs, especially when layered up like a mask. You can apply it as heavily or lightly as you desire. When I used it in the evening, I woke up with glassy-looking skin, that was plump and hydrated.

It works best if you’ve secured yourself a silk pillowcase to prevent product transfer but, either way, it’s an overnight youth booster (thanks to the rice extract) and the sort of product that the bride-to-be in your life needs to get her hands on.

With regards to the inclusion of palm oil (which can be flagged as comedogenic), I’ve been using the product for more than a month as an oily skin type to no negative avail. Simply pair it with a good exfoliating toner and your pores will be refined and clog-free.

A simple serum that’s just as targeted towards oily, acne-prone skin as it is to dry or sensitive skin. The niacinamide helps smooth redness, minimise the appearance of pores and help with hyperpigmentation. Likewise, it’s suitable for both young and mature skin, and for those looking for an entry-level step in their routine.

For me, it feels rejuvenating and lightweight and gets itself in and around my pores quickly for a smoother complexion overall.

COSRX’s AHA/BHA exfoliator is a potent dead skin eliminator (the main purpose of skin acids) and gets to work without too much stinging. I eased myself in with twice weekly application before working up to once every other day, layering the toner with a more gentle, skin barrier-friendly serum. The key with this formula? Don’t overuse it and listen to your skin – if it burns, you’ve been too heavy-handed.

While it might sound scary, including AHAs and BHAs in your skincare routine is one of the best ways to achieve a glassy complexion, as the product sweeps away all the dullness – dead skin and excess sebum (oil) – on the surface of the skin.

I don’t love the spray dispenser but the product is effective and very affordable.

The internet went crazy when this launched in the UK in early 2023. Promising the same overnight remedy to chapping and tightness as competitor brand Laneige’s lip sleeping mask (£19, Lookfantastic.com), COSRX, too, uses shea butter as the base for its softening lip sleep mask.

When testing, I found the initial feel of the balm to be the same as my Laneige mask, falling behind slightly in the flavour area; it’s unflavoured, while Laneige’s masks come in a myriad of flavours. What’s more, unfortunately, when the COSRX mask seeps into your mouth it does leave an unpleasant bitterness on your tongue.

As for the actual softening efficacy, I do like it and found it did what it says on the tin, leaving my lips softer than before applying. That said, unlike Laneige, I don’t find the COSRX capable of sticking around until the following morning for a more deeply permeating boost of plumpness.

Read more: My favourite Laneige lip mask just got a new flavour