The importance of a good moisturizer cannot be stressed enough. You might do everything to hydrate your skin, but if you skip a good moisturizing element, you might lose the benefit of the products applied before and have increased Trans-Epidermal Water Loss or TEWL.
The product I’m reviewing today, really caught my eye when I came across it, is another k-beauty brand that has one of the most unique ingredients in their products and always tries to step it up a notch! The COSRX – Green Tea Aqua Soothing Gel Cream from their Hydrium product range that has curated products for cooling and moisturizing your skin.
COSRX does not retail directly in India, however, is easily available on e-commerce websites that focus on bringing k-beauty products to India, such as Beauty Barn, Roseroseshop, Daisyskinfix, Maccaron, Limese and Skinbae. You can also check with Instagram resellers to have COSRX products sourced for you.
The prices could vary depending on the website you’re ordering it from, and how much they have to pay for customs or if they get wholesale prices etc.
I purchased this from Skinbae (currently OOS) in late May, and they sell it for INR 1,897 for a 50 ml tub (plus GST charges which would work out to be approx. INR 2,157). I purchased this during an Instagram sale where they provided a 10% discount code and got it effectively for INR 1,968 including all charges.
Purchase it Here - Use code "SNEHA" at checkout to get 10% off on your purchase.
COSRX | Expecting Tomorrow
COSRX, short for ‘Cosmetics’ and ‘Rx’, look to provide the best solution for various skin problems. COSRX was born in 2013 and focus on effective and skin-friendly ingredients that alleviate irritated skin and look to provide a better tomorrow for their customers.
COSRX is known for developing new and innovative products with unique ingredients that subsequently become a trend in the skincare industry. Products championing unique ingredients like snail mucin and bee propolis got COSRX a lot of attention.
COSRX has multiple products and offers something for every skin type - whatever your concern might be, they have a product for you. Popular products are the Advanced Snail Mucin range, Pure Fit (Cica) range, Hydrium range, AHA/BHA products and Balancium range.
COSRX products are free from talc, mineral oil, resorcinol ingredients, urea, hydroquinones, Sulfates SLS and SLES, Parabens, Formaldehydes, Formaldehyde-releasing agents, Phthalates, Retinyl palmitate, Oxybenzone, Coal tar, Triclosan and Triclocarban.
They do not test on animals and are cruelty free, however, are not vegan. While they do claim to be cruelty-free and adopt extraction techniques that do not hurt animals (snails), it is debatable if the process hurts the animals or not.
What’s in my product?
Ingredients: Water, Propanediol, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Extract, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, 1 ,2 Hexanediol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Panthenol, Tromethamine, Butylene Glycol, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Allantoin, Aloe Ferox Leaf Extract, Ethylhexylglycerine, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Di Sodium EDTA, Hydrolyzed Hibiscus Esculentus Extract, Lupinus Albus Seed Extract, Moringa Pterygosperma Seed Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Green - Yay!! Blue - Good/Fair Orange - Bleh! Red - Nope!
Can we just take a minute to admire this ingredient list! When they said the Hydrium range has cooling and moisturizing properties, boy they weren’t kidding. I had such an interesting time researching these ingredients, and such interesting ingredients to boot! I’m sure some ingredients on here are going to leave you very very surprised -
1. Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Extract
Green tea, one of my favourite ingredients – not just to apply on my skin, but in general! Loaded with polyphenols, it is one of the strongest antioxidants available, both for the body and for your skin. Obviously, I’ve written an in-depth blog highlighting all the wonderful as aspects of Green Tea at “What’s on the Label | Green Tea”
2. Allantoin
Allantoin, an ingredient that occurs naturally and is extracted from the roots of comfrey plant (and occasionally from chamomile). In cosmetics, generally synthetically derived forms are used.
Allantoin is known for its skin-soothing and skin-conditioning properties and can protect and promote wound healing. Its benefits are best observed when used in concentrations over 2%. Overall, and ingredient you’d love to see in your skincare products and can help calm and soothe your skin while softening and moisturizing it as well.
3. Aloe Ferox Leaf Extract
A close cousin to the Aloe Vera plant which is well known for its soothing and calming properties when applied to the skin. The Aloe Ferox Leaf has similar properties as that of Aloe Vera, however, is claimed to have 28% higher level of aloin (a compound that has anti-inflammatory effects and can protect the skin from heat (sun) generated free radicals) and 36% more amino acids.
In terms of their functionality, it is considered to deliver similar results to that of Aloe Vera, maybe even slightly outperform it. You can read all about the benefits of Aloe Vera in my blog “What’s on the Label | Aloe Vera” to get a better understanding.
Unlike its cousin, Aloe Ferox should not be consumed.
4. Moringa Pterygosperma Seed Extract
The superfluous name for Moringa Oleifera or better known as drumstick, is a good source of several antioxidants, Vitamins A, C & E, is known to be an anti-aging agent and has skin-soothing and anti-inflammatory properties.
It is also a good source of oleic acid and behenic acid, both of which are fatty acids that help maintain a healthy skin barrier that effectively protects the skin from the environment. The seed extract also contains sterols that have a calming effect on the skin, and also helps maintain the skin barrier and reduce TEWL.
Moringa Seed Extracts contain Zeatin, a plant growth factor, which can improve the appearance of aging skin, fine lines and wrinkles. It also contains quercetin, a flavonoid that acts as a strong antioxidant, is skin-soothing and anti-inflammatory in nature.
As all natural ingredients go, they do have the potential to sensitize the skin, but moringa has been known to be quite stable and has a long shelf life, and the seed oil is infact blended with essential oils to stabilize them.
5. Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract & Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract
These are the extracts of the leaves and flowers of the Indian neem tree. As Indians, we know the importance that neem carries, not just as a part of our skincare and health, but even in our traditions and culture. States in South India start their new year (not the English Calendar new year) with having neem leaves or their flowers with a bit of jaggery to signify that the year should have equal bits of bitterness and sweet.
Neem has been used for centuries in Ayurveda, and it is considered that every part of the neem tree can be used.
Though not widely used in skincare, neem has strong antioxidant and skin-soothing properties, and is believed to have the ability to reduce the number of harmful bacteria living on the skin. Neem also has polysaccharides that can help increasing the level of hydration in the skin.
Neem also contains quercetin, as well as beta-sitosterol, which is a naturally occurring fatty acid that is similar to cholesterol and has good moisturizing and skin-soothing ingredients.
6. Others -
Hydrolyzed Hibiscus Esculentus Extract is the extract of Lady’s Finger or Okra plant and is considered to have skin-conditioning as well as anti-aging properties. The extract contains a protein from which certain peptides can be extracted that have been proven to minimize the appearance of wrinkles by firming and tensing the skin. The extracts also contain high levels of linoleic acid, oleic acid, amino acids and polysaccharides, all of which help in maintaining a healthy skin barrier.
Lupinus Albus Seed Extract is rich in oleic, erucic and linoleic acids, that help strengthen the skin and hydrate it. It is a good source of Vitamin E, which is one of the best antioxidants available to us. Research has shown that the seed extract increased the production of collagen in our skin and improves skin elasticity. This makes it a wonderful anti-aging ingredient.
Cetearyl Olivate & Sorbitan Olivate, together trademarked as Olivem 1000, act as an active with significant moisturizing, barrier repairing and skin-soothing properties.
My thoughts on the product
The ingredients wow-ed me for sure, but ingredients make up only half the story, how they have been formulated and what concentrations they’ve been used in make all the difference. So does this product deliver? Let’s find out
As usual let’s break this down into packaging, touch & feel, how-to-use, and changes I’ve noticed in the time frame that I’ve been using the product.
1. Packaging
The outer packaging is a sturdy white
cardboard box, with blue markings on the outside and inside the box (Hydrium range uses blue). The packaging in front mentions the product name, highlights the key ingredients, and further throws light on a few other important ingredients. The packaging also mentions who this product is best suited for, the directions for use, entire ingredients list and precautions both in English and Korean.
The product comes in a white tub, with the blue marking on the front, the product name, key ingredients and directions of use. I personally like the packaging; the tub has a matte finish and looks nice on the vanity as well. Another aspect I appreciate is that they didn’t use the popular gimmick of having a larger tub as the outside and a smaller one on the inside – what you see is what you get.
This does not come with a spatula, so if dipping your fingers into the tub multiple times to apply product irks you out, you’ll need to get yourself a spatula.
2. Touch & Feel
The moisturizer is gel based and extremely
light weight, and spreads well. This looks and feels almost exactly like aloe vera gel – think aloe vera gel but slightly creamier in texture.
This sinks in almost immediately leaving the slightest of films on top.
A little goes a long way and you could probably make it last about 4.5 - 5 months or so.
This has a light green colour, however, there is no added colours in this – whatever you see are the colours of the ingredients. The colour does not show when you take out a little bit of the product and the shows up only in the container.
The product is fragrance free, and inherently doesn’t have any distinct smell.
3. How-to-Use
The general rule of thumb while using any skincare products is to go from thinnest to thickest in terms of consistency.
While this product is much lighter than even some serums, it is occlusive in nature, and is best used post serums to seal everything in.
The packaging of the product recommends to, “Apply a proper amount evenly, avoiding the eye area.”
I prefer to use this in my daytime routine rather than at night, as I prefer to have products that are thicker and with some forms of vitamins or ceramides to help my skin repair.
I personally feel this is the perfect moisturizer to have in a daytime routine as it just sinks into your skin, and feels like you haven’t applied much, while leaving the skin softer and moisturized.
Personally, this is too light to be used as a night cream, however, if paired with thicker toner, essences or serums, it could work well.
Also, if you live in more humid climates, this has the potential to be a staple in your routine.
4. Changes I noticed in over a month
I have normal to combination skin (oily T-Zone), my skin doesn't breakout very often, but I do get very painful deep-seated pimples during my time of the month. My skin concerns are mostly unevenness of skin tone, dark spots/moles on my face - I lost count of how many of those I have, blackheads & whiteheads on the nose, appearance of fine lines on my forehead and around my eyes, and a small degree of sensitivity. I do have a bit of melasma on the sides of my face. I also have dark circles that refuse to let go despite everything I do for them. My skin tolerates acids quite well, and I have not had any skin irritation or peeling even with higher concentrations of acids.
I used the moisturizer once a day (AM) for over 2.5 months.
On occasion, if I felt my skin felt dehydrated or needed some moisture, I would reapply this.
The Hydrium Range is claimed to be Cooling & Moisturizing, while it definitely did cool my skin, it kind of missed the mark when it came to moisturizing.
When paired with other hydrating steps, this works well as a moisturizer, however, when I cut out the number of steps or applied it as is, my skin definitely needed more hydration.
Using it as is, is not an option for dry skin types and would work well only when paired with other products. This could work for those with dry skin in humid regions, but if you live in a cooler climate, or with air conditioning all the time, this might not suit your needs.
COSRX is a Korean brand, and k-beauty skincare usually involves multiple steps, as well as the fact that many parts of South Korea do have more humid climates – most probably formulated keeping these aspects in mind.
All in all, I did need to reapply sometimes, especially when I cut down the number of steps in my routine and did leave my skin wanting more at times.
Final Thoughts
Frankly, I’m confused whether I’d want to repurchase this – on one side, it is skinks so well and is perfect for summers where the heat and humidity makes my skin quite angry, and this can help me calm and soothe my skin. However, it does not necessarily deliver on moisturization, is difficult to get your hands on and is quite expensive.
It is a good product, but there are other moisturizers that do the job better and at more reasonable price points. I would probably pick this up only if there was a sale or I was getting this at a discounted price.
Overall Rating: 3.5 / 5
Best suited for Normal, combination and oily skin types.
Would not recommend this for dry skin types, unless paired with other hydrating and emollient products.
Disclaimer: I am not a dermatologist. The product review is my personal opinion on the product, and what I understand from articles available online. The overview on ingredients has been sourced from websites that specifically look to provide information on commonly used ingredients in skincare and make-up.
Wherever I have mentioned a specific fact or figure, these have been sourced from published Journals, Paula’s Choice Ingredient Dictionary or INCI Decoder, and Journal sources listed on these websites. Information gathered from specific websites will be referenced as well.
I neither take credit for this information, nor can I guarantee the accuracy of these facts and figures and do not take responsibility for the same.
My main aim is to help people understand the various ingredients in their skincare and how those ingredients work, to help make intelligent purchase decisions with regards to skincare. If I have made any error or mistake, please do let me know, and we can work together to make the necessary changes.
I earn a small commission if you use my code on www.skinbae.in/ - However, my reviews as always, are honest and are my personal opinion
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