Review: COSRX Natural BHA Skin Returning A-Sol

Hey Beauties!

I've been, slowly but surely, getting into Korean skin care. One of those brands that I tried out first is COSRX. Without going too much into depth, let's just say that this is a very popular Korean skin care brand, especially for those with acne or problematic skin. Their vision is to maximize good components and minimize harm ingredients all within a reasonable price range. Most of their products have naturally base ingredients and I actually really like that.  

The name COSRX is compound of words cosmetics and rx. Rx is commonly used word in pharmacy and it means medical prescription and it comes from a Latin word "recipere". 


The brand uses funny man with glasses and mustache as a character that promotes the brand. It's quite funny in a way. The packaging itself is very simplistic, since the product should be the main star here.  

Source
Natural BHA Skin returning A-Sol also comes in a simple white plastic bottle. It has black plastic pump and transparent plastic top. Design is very simple, a red background of the product name and a few words about the actual product inside. It comes in a paper box with ingredients list and how to use instructions. In it is 100 ml of product and it costs 14.40$ on Jolse. Jolse has additional discounts on certain brands every week, so make sure to check when they have discounts on COSRX to get it even cheaper.


Pump has a small hole and with one push you get small amount of product that could be enough for the face, depending on how much you want to put on. It doesn't spill the product and you can also control the amount a bit, but you'll probably use two pumps anyway. I do. 


It's a skin-type solution that should solve the daunting problem of complex skin trouble. It should retain moisture, help with control of sebum and clean off dead skin cells. The solution is for those that have recurring pimples, acne and sensitive skin in general. 

It contains 15 ingredients. The star ingredients are Black Bee Propolis (60%), natural BHA (Betain Salicylate 1%) and AHA. If you want to read about what each ingredient does and why is there, read it here


It's a liquid that has the same consistency as water. When you apply it on the skin it feels slightly refreshing and right after application it gets a bit tacky. It soaks into the skin in seconds and that's also when the tackiness is mostly gone. After a few minutes it becomes completely matte. It's lightweight on the skin and it doesn't feel as heavy as for example Pixi Glow Tonic (which really left a heavy layer on my skin). I don't experience any tightness at all. It feels just slightly moisturizing, but still matte and pretty much unseen on the skin.


One thing that has to be mentioned here, is the scent. It has a strong tea tree scent. This might be a deal breaker for some and I also felt it was quite strong in the beginning, but I've gotten use to it and it doesn't bother me at all. 

This is the only tonic or solution so far that I've found has really helped my skin. In the past I had problems with milia and that has pretty much eliminated it all (knock on wood!). I've also had bumps on my skin, which looked like clogged pores. Some of the bumps were getting really big. Since using this, my bumps have downsized, a lot of them vanished, but there are still some. They've just become smaller in size. With some other BHA and AHA toner I also got a lot of small white pimples through the night and with this one that doesn't happen. Don't get me wrong, I still get pimples (especially hormonal breakouts), but I haven't had those gross huge pimples that seem to camp on your skin for two weeks. All in all, it has definitely minimize clogged pores, prevented huge pimples and evened out my skin surface

I've also noticed that this actually helps to control the sebum a bit. If you have very dry skin, I would think twice before buying this, because it may dry out your skin. My skin is combination and I use it only at evenings as a tonic. It doesn't dry out my skin at all, actually it feels just slightly moisturizing. I also use my usual moisturizers on top of it, so for me it doesn't feel drying. It didn't help with my enlarged pores on the cheeks, since those are still very much visible, especially in hotter days. 

This is also great for sensitive skin. I didn't feel any irritation or tingling whatsoever. It says that it should also calm the skin and I agree. It's definitely gentle, yet effective. 

I can safely say that this is my favorite chemical exfoliating toner (contains AHA and BHA) that I've tried so far (I also tried Clarins and Pixi tonics). It does a very good job of eliminating clogged pores, minimizing breakouts and helping to keep skin surface more even. It will also slightly control the sebum and it's super gentle, so perfect for sensitive skin. The only negative thing that I can point out is the strong tea tree smell (but I've gotten used to it). It's definitely a good chemical exfoliator for all of you who have trouble with uneven skin, clogged pores and pimples. Just don't expect any glow or huge moisture out of it. It's just what it says, solution for troubled skin.

10 comments

  1. Sama uporabljam GLYCOLIC ACID perfect skin peeling, ne ravno poceni reč, samo deluje pa izjemno. Vse te BHA in AHA, ter encimske reči so meni zakon. Tvoj se bere super. Ko enkrat začneš uporabljat tonike,ali pa serume s temi dodatki,se mi zdi, da so čisto klasični toniki, čisto navadni. :)

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    1. Mislim, da z leti koža potrebuje te kemične eksfoliante, sploh če nosiš veliko makeupa kot jaz in se pore lahko hitro začnejo mašiti. :) Ja, jaz jih itak uporabljam kot navadne tonike, s tem da imajo pač še malo več doprinosa k moji koži. Jih pa bolj zvečer uporabljam. Zjutraj pa včasih samo kakšne vlažilne :).

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  2. i think that this one is not for dry nor for sensitive skin since the second Inci is alcohol - which should not be use anyhow since it drys out the skin and forward the skin aging itself

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    1. I actually have sensitive skin, since I had skin allergies for more than half of my life and I still have occasional problems. So for me this didn't irritate my skin at all. Like some other alcohol denat based products. But I agree that it could dry out dry skin. I've mentioned that it probably wouldn't be good for really dry skin. It also depends what you use on top of it. I like to apply hydrating tonics, serums, moisturizers and oils, so it doesn't effect my overall skin look.

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    2. didn't want to criticise :/ i just noticed (for my self) that alcohol iritates a lot ... also i learned that there are "good" and "bad" alcohols :)

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    3. No, I get it. I have the same problems with alcohol, but is just that this one seems to work for my skin :). You're so right. I guess it's a blind shop with such products, but I'm glad that it didn't turn out too strong for my skin.

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  3. Sem zadnjič razmišljala če bi ga naročila, ampak mi glede na vzorčke, ki sem jih preiskusila, ni bil preveč všeč. Imam pa od njih trenutno BHA Blackhead Power Liquid, ampak še ne uporabljam redno. Cosrx je super znamka :)

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    1. COSRX je res super, verjetno tebi še bolj odgovarja. Se mi zdi, da so bolj za mastno in nečisto kožo. Je pa res ogromno njihovih izdelkov popularnih, tudi tega blackhead sem že gledala. Ampak mislim, da bom naslednjič preizkusila AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment.:)

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  4. Super se sliši. ^_^ Žal se bojim, da bi slabo vplival na mojo kožo (perioral dermatitis ahoy), zato si ga ne upam kupit. Namesto A-Sola uporabljam BHA Blackhead Power, pa še AHA si bom kmalu kupila.

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    1. Oh verjamem. Jaz imam še vedno rahel nevrodermitis, sicer je zdaj že res izredno pod kontrolo. Sem pa ga imela od 4. leta starosti in vem kako grozne znajo bit kožne alergije. Je pa fajn, če ti vsaj nekateri izdelki odgovarjajo :).

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