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COSRX Centella Cleansing Powder for sensitive skin

COSRX Centella Cleansing Powder

Superior

  • SuperiorNormal Skin Fit
  • SuperiorEffectiveness
  • ExcellentSafety

One of the best products for sensitive skin.

This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with sensitive skin: redness, stinging, and reactions to new products. 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

  • Excellent suitability for your normal, sensitive skin as Centella Asiatica Extract and Allantoin provide potent anti-inflammatory and barrier-repairing benefits, directly addressing your redness and irritation concerns.
  • The cleansing agents, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate and Protease, work effectively to purify pores without compromising your skin's delicate balance.
  • The formulation is exceptionally safe for sensitive skin, featuring soothing ingredients and avoiding any harsh or prohibited components.

How to apply

  • Could be used as part of your PM routine once a week. Start slowly and increase usage only if your skin feels comfortable.
  • Apply this enzyme powder cleanser after your regular cleanser, and before your hydrating toner and moisturizer.
  • Pour a small amount into wet hands, lather into a foam, and gently massage onto your face without harsh rubbing.
  • For sensitive skin, apply this product on slightly damp skin to ensure better tolerance and comfort.
  • Avoid the eye area and do a patch test before your very first use to prevent irritation.

People Say

★2.8Overall rating based on 100+ reviews

Based on limited data, this water-activated enzyme cleanser is appreciated for its gentle, non-stripping formula that leaves skin soft and soothed, making it a good option for travelers and those with sensitive, acne-prone skin. A significant drawback is the packaging, which many users find wasteful and environmentally unfriendly, alongside concerns about the product's value and ease of use.

Highlights

  • Wasteful packaging Mostly Mentioned
    • “Environmentally unfriendly”
    • “Too much plastic”
    • “Unnecessary individual sachets”
  • Gentle, non-stripping Often Mentioned
    • “Skin feels soft”
    • “Not tight after washing”
    • “Mild exfoliation”
  • Travel-friendly Often Mentioned
    • “Perfect for gym bag”
    • “Convenient for trips”
    • “Great for airplanes”
  • Poor value Often Mentioned
    • “Expensive for amount”
    • “Tiny quantity (12g)”
    • “Not worth the price”
  • Fragrance-free Sometimes Noted
    • “No strong scent”
    • “Good for sensitive noses”
    • “Simple ingredients”
  • Soothing for sensitive Sometimes Noted
    • “Calms redness”
    • “No irritation”
  • Messy application Sometimes Noted
    • “Hard to open wet”
    • “Powder spills easily”
    • “Difficult to measure water”
  • Medicinal smell Rarely Noted
    • “Medicinal powder scent”
    • “Yeasty smell”
    • “Unpleasant odor”

Sources: lovi.care, skinsort.com, gopicky.com, kbeautyhobbit.com, hwahae.co.kr, christinahello.com, and more

Questions and answers

What makes COSRX Centella Cleansing Powder one of the best fits for sensitive skin?

This cleanser is one of the best fits because Centella Asiatica extract and allantoin help calm redness and irritation while repairing your skin barrier. It also purifies pores safely without upsetting your delicate skin balance.

Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016Molecules, 2023

Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for sensitive skin?

Centella Asiatica Extract and Allantoin make this cleanser a great fit because they help calm redness and soothe irritation while repairing your skin barrier. Protease gently purifies pores without upsetting your skin, and the formula avoids harsh ingredients to keep your face feeling soft and comfortable.

Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016Molecules, 2023

What does Centella Asiatica Extract do for sensitive skin?

Centella asiatica extract helps calm sensitive skin and keeps it comfortable by easing irritation and supporting moisture retention. Using this ingredient helps soothe redness and supports a healthy skin barrier with a very low likelihood of irritation.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016

What does Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate do for sensitive skin?

Sodium cocoyl isethionate helps cleanse sensitive skin without causing dryness or irritation. Its large molecules are unable to slip past the skin barrier, which makes it very gentle and unlikely to cause discomfort.

Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2007Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2018

Where does this cleanser go in a skincare routine for sensitive skin?

This cleanser goes into your morning and evening routine, and you can also use it once a week as an enzyme powder step. It purifies pores safely while soothing redness and irritation, helping to keep your delicate skin balanced.

Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?

You can use this enzyme powder cleanser with retinol by applying the cleanser first on your weekly treatment nights and following with your retinol product, but be mindful that combining exfoliating enzymes and retinoids may increase the likelihood of dryness or irritation on sensitive skin. Using a gentle, soothing routine with barrier-repairing ingredients helps keep your skin calm and balanced.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024

How often should I use this cleanser?

You can use this enzyme powder cleanser once a week to start, as exfoliating steps work best gradually on sensitive skin. People who tolerate it well and see good results can carefully use it more often.

Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for sensitive skin?

COSRX Centella Cleansing Powder is unlikely to clog pores, cause breakouts, or lead to purging on sensitive skin because its gentle cleansing agents and enzymes purify pores without upsetting your skin's delicate balance. The formula is exceptionally safe, featuring soothing ingredients like Centella Asiatica Extract and Allantoin that calm redness and irritation.

Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016Medicina Oral, Patologia Oral Y Cirugia Bucal, 2020

Is this cleanser fragrance-free and alcohol-free?

Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.

What the research says

  • Cosmetic formulations containing 5% Centella asiatica extract showed the best efficacy in improving skin moisture and decreasing transepidermal water loss, while also exhibiting antiinflammatory properties in 25 volunteers compared to baseline measurements.

    Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016
  • Co-delivery of paeonol and madecassoside via nanoemulsions improved transdermal delivery, promoted barrier repair proteins, inhibited inflammatory cytokine secretion in cellular and 3D models, and reduced transepidermal water loss and acne in human facial skin compared to free components.

    Molecules, 2023
  • A topical gel containing chitosan, chlorhexidine, allantoin, and dexpanthenol significantly reduced postoperative pain, trismus, swelling, and analgesic consumption, while improving wound healing after third molar surgery compared to a placebo.

    Medicina Oral, Patologia Oral Y Cirugia Bucal, 2020
  • Sodium cocoyl isethionate micelles are too large to penetrate stratum corneum aqueous pores, resulting in significant steric hindrance that prevents skin barrier perturbation and explains its skin mildness.

    Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2007
  • Enzymatic hydrolysis of codfish skin using SM9913 extracellular protease yielded over 66% of collagen oligopeptide-rich hydrolysates with high bioactivity, including moisture-retention, antioxidant activity, and promotion of human dermal fibroblast cell viability, while proving to be nontoxic and nonirritating.

    Scientific Reports, 2017
  • Topical application of 0.05% w/w ECa 233 gel reduced erythema index by 0.03 U and improved early crusting and general wound appearance compared to placebo in thirty individuals undergoing facial laser resurfacing.

    Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2020
  • A 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, 2017
  • Moisturizer 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, 2019
  • Topical gel containing chitosan, 0.2% chlorhexidine, allantoin and dexpanthenol did not improve postoperative comfort regarding swelling and pain, but improved the wound's aesthetic appearance following impacted lower third molar extraction compared to no gel.

    Medicina Oral, Patologia Oral Y Cirugia Bucal, 2016
  • An overnight patch containing Allium cepa extract and allantoin safely promotes scar healing after dermatologic surgery, resulting in significantly greater reductions in observer- and patient-assessed POSAS scores compared to no treatment.

    Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 2018
  • Prophylactic application of a topical scar gel containing Allium cepae extract, allantoin, and heparin significantly improves patient-assessed scar color, stiffness, and irregularity compared to no treatment in women following a cesarean section.

    Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2014
  • Hydrolyzed corn starch containing maltotetraose activated the NRF2 pathway, upregulated antioxidant-responsive genes, increased NRF2 protein expression and nuclear translocation, and reduced reactive oxygen species levels in human keratinocytes exposed to oxidative stress.

    PloS One, 2026
  • Proteinase K and retinoic acid-loaded cationic liposomes lessened adhesive bacterial colonies by 62%, inhibited C. acnes-stimulated keratinocyte hyperproliferation without cytotoxicity, and improved impaired skin barrier function compared to free controls in in vitro and in vivo models.

    International Journal of Nanomedicine, 2023
  • Alkaline protease from recombinant Bacillus subtilis enhanced ex-vivo skin permeability in a biphasic, activity- and time-dependent manner, with optimal effects at 20 units and 30 minutes, and significantly increased transdermal vardenafil plasma levels in rats with minimal residual histopathological changes.

    International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2017

Ingredients

Zea Mays Starch, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Sodium Lauroyl Aspartate, Maltodextrin, Allantoin, Centella Asiatica Extract, Lipase, Protease

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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