Hi everyone! I’m back with another review and this time it’s a collab with StyleKorean and COSRX!! This is the revamped AC Collection from COSRX which I will be reviewing the whole line today!
What I got was their Calming Foam Cleanser, Calming Liquid Mild, Ultimate Spot Cream, Blemish Spot Clearing Serum, Lightweight Soothing Moisturiser and their Acne Patches as well.
Skin Type: dry and sensitive skin, uneven skin tone with some acne scaring.
I haven’t been so lucky with COSRX in the past as some of the products I’ve used had irritated my skin A-LOT and I had to stop using them as a result of it 😦 (anyone else the same?? or is it just me lols 😅, it was sad cause I was looking forward to it but my skin can’t help it). So when I saw the opportunity to try this more milder line, I took it immediately and hope it could change my perspective on it.
*I was gifted these products from StyleKorean in exchange for my thoughts and opinions on them and am not being paid to do so. All opinions and thoughts are genuinely my own and would only include links to their website for more info on the products and brand.
About AC Collection
This line was actually out already but only recently added in a moisturiser to finish off your skincare routine.
This line of products utilises the natural Centella ingredient which COSRX has worked on and perfected into a formula uniquely called CentellAC-RX. This special formula is the main ingredient in all the products in this line to help revitalise the skin and aids it to a healthy state, in a more milder and gentler way.
With the newly added moisturiser, this range covers your whole skincare routine start to finish which is convenient. This is good if you want to consistently use products from the same brand and prevent further breakouts from happening from using products from different brands.
Thoughts after 1 week of usage
Just a disclaimer, prior to trying these products I had developed dry patches of skin in some areas of my face hence I did feel some tingly sensations after using the products in general. Such good timing for it (I know 🙄) but surprisingly it didn’t cause too much trouble and it actually did help my skin the first time I used it but I’ll talk about my thoughts below!
Calming Foam Cleanser
First impressions
Looks wise it looks like any type of cleanser you would use, kind of similar like the Japanese Perfect Whip Cleanser. It smells like a mixture of pine and lavender which was pleasant to me but may not be for some people. Using a little bit foams real nicely on your hands and cleaned my face really well. After washing it off, it leaves a squeaky kind of feeling but I do feel refreshed and clean.
The first day I used it, I was a little hesitant because of my not so lucky experience with COSRX in the past but after giving this one a go, it actually worked really well and helped my skin which had dry patches here and there from allergies. Because of its exfoliating properties, it gently removed the dry skin that was building up and smoothed it out which pleasantly surprised me.
It gently removes dirt and excess oil to prevent acne from further developing and because it contains 0.5% of Salicylic Acid, it helps to gently exfoliate dead skin cells and clogged pores, leaving your face feeling smooth and clear after washing.
Calming Liquid Mild
First impressions
The toner is on the watery side which is good for the warmer weather now. Once applied it absorbs into the skin very well and brings back moisture to the face after washing. It has a slight Tea Tree Oil scent if you are familiar with it. I personally don’t mind it cause I had used Tea Tree products in the past but the scent can be a little strong for some people, just keep that in mind.
There are actually two versions of this toner: Mild and Intensive, but I chose the Mild one as it was more suited towards my skin than than the Intensive one which deals more on Cystic Acne where as the Mild one helps prevent acne from forming and to control sebum to occur.
The more gentler toner is alcohol free, which helps to cater to people with sensitive skin but also helps to effectively cleanse the skin from bacteria to prevent future breakouts from happening.
Having sensitive skin as well, I can say that it did not irritate my skin too much which I was happy with since I wasn’t so lucky with a previous toner I’d tried from COSRX. I did have a dry patch on my face prior to testing this line so it did cause a little tingling sensation so it did affect my results but it wasn’t stinging to the point where I had to wash my face to remove it off.
Ultimate Spot Cream
First impressions
This is a white coloured cream that’s more on the thicker side and not watery like the moisturiser is. It’s dispensed very thinly and you only need a small amount to cover any problem areas you have. Because it is thicker in consistency, you need to work it in a little more to spread it onto the area otherwise it tends to leave a white cast if not applied properly. I believe that one of the ingredients, Calamine gives this white casting, where applied onto the skin helps with drying out areas.
Because I didn’t have any acne on my skin while I was using this, I didn’t see any difference after using it. This product is more catered towards growing acne so I think if I were to have any in the future I’ll use it and see if it does help with clearing the acne before it further develops. Also, it helps reduces any further development of acne, as it contains properties that are antibacterial and anti-inflammatory to calm it down before it fully develops.
It’s small and compact which is the perfect size for travel especially to different climates and can cause breakouts to occur. This is perfect to pop into your luggage and use when needed.
Blemish Spot Clearing Serum
First impressions
It has a watery consistency and smells moderately like Tea Tree Oil. It didn’t leave a sticky feeling on my face which I really appreciated because the weather now is quite warm and a lightweight serum is what I really need!
To me, the serum felt like the AC toner with its consistency and smell however, there are slightly different properties that the serum does to your skin that the toner doesn’t provide. Added ingredients include Propolis helps protect the skin from everyday exposure to pollutants and sunlight by providing antioxidant protection to the skin, and Ceramide which helps to improve the skin’s barrier.
The serum also helps fade out acne scaring and red spots, helps with collagen and elastin production, and lastly increases the skin’s ability to retain moisture and prevent it from drying out.
I have noticed that my skin was well moisturised after using the serum but saw no progress on some of my acne scares that I have on my chin area. Because I only used it for a week, perhaps using it for a longer period of time could possibly see some change.
Lightweight Soothing Moisturiser
First impressions
This also has a faint Tea Tree Oil smell, kinda like the other AC Collection products but not so pronounced like the serum or mild toner is.
Even though I don’t have oily-type skin it complimented my skin type really well as it was super moisturising and left a nice glow which I haven’t seen in a while haha. It also helped soothe my skin after going to the gym and after a day in the sun, and it didn’t irritate my skin which I thought might do but it didn’t.
The moisturiser is oil free so (hence like the name suggests) is a light weight cream that leaves a non-sticky feeling after applying it. It is then suitable for people with acne prone skin as the light weight consistency moisturises the skin and lets the skin breathe as well.
All the ingredients are EWG Green Grade approved which means that ingredients are safe for consumers to use. It is free from oil, silicone, gluten and fragrance, great for people with skin sensitives. This product is also light sensitive so storing it in a dark cupboard or away from direct sunlight helps to prevent the cream from turning brown.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised using the AC Collection for the week because of my initial not-so-good experience in the past. It has changed my perspective and hopefully more products like this will be released for people like me who have dry and sensitive skin but need products to help with the occasional acne that would pop here and there. I’m really happy that I was able to use these products without my face feeling like it was stinging really badly and that it helped to gently exfoliate my skin. It’s also really lightweight on the skin and very moisturising which I was really grateful for because of the warmer weather in New Zealand. Because COSRX is more focused towards acne concerns and base their products on it, I think people who additionally have sensitive skin would suit this line more as most of these products helps deal with growing acne and the prevention of them.
I hope you guys enjoy my review on this line from COSRX and you found some information useful to you! Thank you to StyleKorean for gifting and choosing me to review these products! It was a very fun to experience!
If you want more information on COSRX or any of their other products you can check them out through this link —> http://bit.ly/2SqIENW
Comment below if you have any questions on this line or if you want to say hi 🙂
Thank you for making it all the way to the end of this review!
Till the next post,
Sophie xoxo
imsosoy 