COSRX One Step Original Clear Pad for combination skin
Average
- SuperiorCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for combination skin; other products fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with combination skin: an oily T-zone, enlarged pores, and dry cheeks. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.
Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works
Lovi Assistant explains
- Offers moderate exfoliation for your combination skin, as betaine salicylate and willow bark water help to smooth texture and reduce blemishes. Panthenol and Allantoin provide general hydration and soothing benefits, though they are not specialized enough to significantly address your oily shine concerns.
- The formula is safe for your combination skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
- This product is safe for your combination skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Use this exfoliant product in your PM routine starting once a week, then increase frequency carefully if your skin feels fine.
- Apply this exfoliant step after cleansing and toner, but right before your moisturizer.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the exfoliant into your skin and wait a minute before layering.
- Apply the exfoliant to clean, dry skin to help control your oily shine comfortably.
- Avoid the eye area and do a patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 2.5k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, users with oily and acne-prone skin frequently praise these pads for effectively reducing active breakouts and regulating sebum without being overly harsh. While many find them to be a "holy grail" for smoothing skin texture and clearing pores, a minority of users with sensitive or dry skin experienced irritation and dryness.
Highlights
Convenient application Mostly Mentioned
- “easy to use”
- “travel-friendly”
- “pre-soaked pads”
Gentle exfoliation Mostly Mentioned
- “smooths skin texture”
- “removes dead skin”
- “non-abrasive pads”
Effective acne control Often Mentioned
- “clears active pimples”
- “reduces redness”
- “prevents future breakouts”
Pore & sebum care Sometimes Noted
- “reduces pore size”
- “controls oil”
- “clears blackheads”
Drying or stripping Sometimes Noted
- “leaves skin tight”
- “causes flaking”
- “requires moisturizer”
Medicinal scent Sometimes Noted
- “strong tea tree smell”
- “chemical odor”
- “citrus fragrance”
Packaging issues Rarely Noted
- “pads dry out”
- “lid cracks”
- “unsanitary jar”
Sticky residue Rarely Noted
- “leaves tacky film”
- “feels heavy”
- “slow absorption”
Sources: lovi.care, iherb.com, oliveyoung.com, sokoglam.com, yesstyle.com, skinsort.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does COSRX Original Clear Pad work for combination skin?
This exfoliant treatment offers moderate exfoliation that helps smooth texture and reduce blemishes on combination skin while remaining gentle and safe. However, because it lacks specialized ingredients to significantly control oily shine, combination skin needs products that also feature purifying extracts like tea tree and balanced hydrators to manage oiliness and dryness.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2010American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2002
Which ingredients make this exfoliant a good fit for combination skin?
Betaine salicylate and willow bark water make this exfoliant a good fit for combination skin by smoothing texture and clearing blemishes. Panthenol and glycerin also help by providing moisture to keep skin soft.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2010American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2002
What does Willow Bark Water do for combination skin?
Willow Bark Water is a poor fit for combination skin because it lacks the lightweight hydration, gentle soothing agents, and balanced oil control needed to keep combination skin smooth and calm.
What does Betaine Salicylate do for combination skin?
Betaine Salicylate helps keep combination skin clear and smooth by clearing out pores and calming redness. It is unlikely to cause irritation, making it gentle enough for everyday use on mixed skin types.
Where does it go in a skincare routine for combination skin?
This exfoliant treatment goes in the evening routine, starting at once a week and slowly using it more often if your skin tolerates it well. It offers moderate exfoliation that helps smooth texture and reduce blemishes on your combination skin, but an average fit product of this type also needs specialized ingredients to effectively target oily shine concerns.
Can I use this exfoliant with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this exfoliant in your evening routine, but use it on alternating nights with your retinol to prevent irritation. This helps your skin stay smooth and clear without becoming too dry or sensitive.
How often should I use it?
Start by using this exfoliant treatment once a week, and if your combination skin handles it well with good results, you may carefully use it more often. Combination skin needs targeted ingredients that manage oily shine as well as smoothing texture.
Can this exfoliant clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for combination skin?
This exfoliant is unlikely to cause irritation or breakouts on combination skin due to the absence of harsh ingredients, though it may occasionally feel a bit drying for some users. An ideal product for this skin type needs targeted oil-balancing ingredients along with gentle exfoliants to properly manage shine while smoothing texture.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2002The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2017
Is it fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
Topical dexpanthenol acts as a moisturizer, improves stratum corneum hydration, accelerates wound healing and epidermal regeneration, reduces erythema, and improves symptoms of skin irritation compared to vehicle or no pretreatment.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2002A new topical panthenol-containing emollient significantly improved transepidermal water loss reduction, stratum corneum hydration, and intercellular lipid lamellae length compared with control in healthy subjects without negatively impacting bacterial viability.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2017A topical serum containing 0.5% salicin applied twice daily reduced visible signs of skin aging, including wrinkles and tactile roughness, in 30 female subjects over 12 weeks compared to baseline.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2010A botanical face cleanser with hops and willow bark extract continuously reduced skin sebum levels without reactive seborrhea after treatment in 21 healthy volunteers compared to a sodium laureth sulfate cleanser, with neither cleanser causing skin irritation.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019Bioactive lipid nanocarriers co-loaded with willow bark or ivy leaf extracts and UV-filters provided pronounced UVA photoprotection up to an SPF-equivalent value of 13 and a maximum in vivo skin hydration effect of 97% when prepared with pomegranate oil.
Nanomaterials, 2022A novel emulsion containing niacinamide, lens esculenta seed extract, and white willow bark extract effectively improved acne, blackheads, and conspicuous facial pores in 30 subjects with oily skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017The emollient V0034CR significantly reduced TEWL compared to vehicle and vehicle plus glycerol, and significantly increased corneometry scores compared to vehicle and vehicle plus petrolatum in healthy volunteers with dry skin, demonstrating combined barrier function improvement from petrolatum and hydration improvement from glycerol.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Ten days of treatment with a cream containing 20% glycerin significantly increased skin hydration measured by corneometer values in 17 healthy volunteers compared to a placebo cream, but showed no influence on transepidermal water loss or skin sensitivity to an irritating surfactant.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2001Moisturizer containing 5% panthenol, madecassoside, and copper-zinc-manganese decreased adverse reactions and downtime after ablative fractional carbon dioxide laser resurfacing with comparable efficacy to 0.02% triamcinolone acetonide cream in 20 subjects.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019Topical dexpanthenol formulated in lipophilic vehicles improved stratum corneum hydration and reduced transepidermal water loss compared to vehicle control in humans.
Arzneimittel-Forschung, 2000Hyaluronic acid, hyaluronic acid plus dexpanthenol, and isotonic saline nasal sprays all significantly improved dry nose symptoms over four weeks in 240 patients, with hyaluronic acid plus dexpanthenol providing superior nasal moisturisation compared to the other two.
Auris, Nasus, Larynx, 2020A cream combining propolis, tea tree oil, and Aloe vera reduced erythema scars, acne severity index, and total lesion count better than erythromycin cream in sixty patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris compared to placebo.
Clinical Pharmacology, 2018Tea tree oil nanoemulsion containing adapalene gel demonstrated significantly greater reductions in total, inflammatory, and non-inflammatory acne lesions as well as acne severity index compared to adapalene marketed gel in 100 patients with acne vulgaris over 12 weeks.
Archives of Dermatological Research, 2022Topical 5% tea tree oil gel significantly improved total acne lesions and acne severity index compared to placebo in 60 patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris, showing 3.55 times and 5.75 times greater efficacy respectively.
Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, 2007
Why other products fit combination skin better
Topical benzoyl peroxide 5% gel treatment improved acne severity, sebum, stratum corneum hydration, and transepidermal water loss, while significantly reducing microbial diversity and the prevalence of Cutibacterium in 33 patients with acne vulgaris.
Dermatologic Therapy, 2022An O/W cosmetic formula containing 2% Orthosiphon stamineus leaf extract reduced the oily appearance of skin, pore size, and improved complexion evenness and radiance in Caucasian and Asian volunteers compared to a formula with 1% zinc gluconate.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2011
Ingredients
Willow Bark Water Bark, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Betaine Salicylate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Panthenol, Allantoin, Arginine, Peg-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia Tree Oil Leaf, Ethyl Hexanediol, Sodium Hydroxide
Behind this fit score
Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
How does it fit your skin?
Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.

