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COSRX vs Clinique

Rated by Lovi · Unbiased, science-based skincare AI trained on real user outcomes · How the Fit score works

COSRX and Clinique are esteemed skincare brands designed to address diverse complexions with thoughtful precision. COSRX is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2013 and owned by Amorepacific Group since 2024, beloved for its serums, moisturizers, cleansers, and masks featuring hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and niacinamide to best suit acne-prone skin and sensitive skin. Meanwhile, Clinique is an American skincare brand founded in 1968 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., cherished for its moisturizers, serums, makeup removers, and eye products incorporating hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and caffeine to best suit dry sensitive skin and oily skin. While both brands harness powerful shared components like hyaluronic acid and glycerin, the Korean brand distinguishes itself with targeted efficacy for reactive complexions, whereas the American brand offers comforting, balancing solutions for diverse moisture needs.

COSRX is a Korean skincare brand founded in 2013 and owned by Amorepacific Group since 2024.

koreajoongangdaily.combeautymatter.comprnewswire.com

Clinique is an American skincare brand founded in 1968 and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc..

en.wikipedia.orgelcompanies.combusinesswire.comglossy.co

This page compares some of the most popular COSRX and Clinique products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular COSRX vs Clinique products

People Say

COSRXClinique
  • Soothing and calming for sensitive skin Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “No stinging or irritation — COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid”
    • “perfect for first-time retinol users — COSRX The Retinol 0.1 Cream”
    • “never irritated my eyes — Clinique All About Eyes”
    • “No strong scent — Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm”
  • Lightweight and fast-absorbing texture Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “absorbs instantly like water — COSRX The 6 Peptide Skin Booster Serum”
    • “sinks in immediately — COSRX Advanced Snail Peptide Eye Cream”
    • “sinks in immediately — Clinique moisture surge”
    • “sinks in instantly — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel”
  • Deep hydration and plumping Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “skin drinks it up — COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence”
    • “woke up with soft, supple skin — COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All in One Cream”
    • “gives me that glass skin look — COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence”
    • “Keeps my dry patches at bay all day — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+”
  • Acne and pore control Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “extremely gentle — COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner”
    • “helped to improve my acne after only 2 weeks — COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser”
    • “gentle enough for everyday — Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream Rinse-Off Formula”
    • “You will see the dirt with one wipe — Clinique Clarifying Lotion 2”
  • Improves skin texture and smoothness Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “skin feels softer immediately — COSRX The 6 Peptide Skin Booster Serum”
    • “Skin feels like glass — COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid”
    • “smoother skin — COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner”
    • “skin feels silky smooth — Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum”
  • Makeup base compatibility Not notedOften Mentioned
    • “foundation glides on — Clinique moisture surge”
    • “holds concealer in place — Clinique All About Eyes”
    • “wake up glowing — Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Mask”
  • Insufficient hydration or dryness Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “left my face tight — COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser”
    • “leaves skin feeling tight — COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser”
    • “skin felt tight — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel”
    • “Made my skin super dry — Clinique Clarifying Lotion 2”
  • High price and poor value Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “expensive for me — COSRX The Hyaluronic Acid 3 Serum”
    • “jar is too small for the cost — Clinique moisture surge”
  • Slow or no visible results Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “no change in circles — COSRX Advanced Snail Peptide Eye Cream”
    • “Takes a month to work — COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid”
    • “didn't help dark circles — Clinique All About Eyes”
    • “don't expect miracles overnight — Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum”
  • Sticky or greasy finish Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “hard to rinse off — Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream Rinse-Off Formula”
    • “feels sticky to the touch — Clinique moisture surge”
    • “Left an oily film on my T-zone — Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+”
    • “texture is gooey and stringy — COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All in One Cream”

COSRX vs Clinique routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 97% fit

COSRX vs Clinique routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

COSRX vs Clinique routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 96% fit

Questions and answers

COSRX or Clinique: which is better?

COSRX is better for sensitive and acne-prone skin, achieving a Superior Lovi fit level for those skin types compared to Clinique's High and Average levels. The products on this page also perform better with deep hydration and improving skin texture.

What is the difference between COSRX and Clinique?

COSRX is founded in South Korea and owned by Amorepacific, while Clinique is founded in the United States and owned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. For routine fit, Lovi rates COSRX as Superior for sensitive skin, acne-prone skin, and oily acne-prone skin, whereas Clinique is rated High for those same skin types.

COSRX or Clinique for dry skin?

COSRX is the better choice for dry skin, where Lovi gives the brand a High routine fit compared to an Average fit for Clinique. The products on this page help deliver deep hydration with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and snail mucin.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

COSRX or Clinique: which cleanser is better?

COSRX offers a better range of cleansers for most users, as the products on this page achieve superior or high fit levels across multiple skin types. Clinique cleaners tend to show lower fit levels, with some options carrying warning ratings for dry skin.

Which is more affordable, COSRX or Clinique?

Clinique has a higher price point than COSRX, making COSRX the more affordable brand on the products on this page.

How do COSRX and Clinique compare in terms of fragrance use across their product lines?

COSRX has very little fragrance use, with 37 of 38 products on this page listing no fragrance and only the Vitamin E Vitalizing Sunscreen SPF 50+ containing it. Clinique matches this with zero fragrance across its entire product line on this page.

Which brand has better performance for deep hydration and plumping according to review themes?

According to the review themes on this page, COSRX performs better than Clinique for deep hydration and plumping.

What are the main key ingredients found across Clinique products compared to COSRX?

Clinique features hyaluronic acid, glycerin, caffeine, and salicylic acid across the products on this page, whereas COSRX relies on hyaluronic acid, glycerin, niacinamide, allantoin, panthenol, snail mucin, butylene glycol, and centella asiatica. Hyaluronic acid helps improve skin quality and signs of aging.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

COSRX or Clinique for oily skin?

Both COSRX and Clinique are good options for oily skin, as Lovi rates both brands with a High routine fit level for this skin type. Reviewers also note that both brands offer effective oil-controlling and lightweight moisturizers.

COSRX or Clinique: which moisturizer is better?

COSRX is better for deep hydration and plumping among the moisturizers on this page. Lovi rates the COSRX dry skin routine as High, while the Clinique dry skin routine is Average.

Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015Dermatologic Therapy, 2022

COSRX or Clinique for sensitive skin?

COSRX is a superior fit for sensitive skin on the products on this page, while Clinique has a high fit. COSRX features targeted formulations with ingredients like snail mucin and centella asiatica that help soothe irritation and support sensitive complexions.

COSRX or Clinique for acne-prone skin?

COSRX is the better choice for acne-prone skin, as Lovi rates its overall routine fit as Superior compared to Clinique's Average fit. The products on this page for COSRX feature effective acne control and clearing, alongside key ingredients like salicylic acid and niacinamide.

Research behind their key ingredients

Behind this comparison

Lovi compares products by their fit scores, calculated 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.

  • Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Co-founder, Medical Director

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer

  • Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Co-founder, CEO and CTO

    PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex

  • Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Medical Board

    Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine

  • Aishani Shah, MD

    Aishani Shah, MD

    Medical Board

    Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD

  • Asya Zubkova, MS

    Asya Zubkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member

  • Hanna Kurets, MD

    Hanna Kurets, MD

    Medical Board, Medical Advisor

    Dermatology MD

  • Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Medical Board

    Dermatology and diagnostic consultant

  • Victoria Derkova, MS

    Victoria Derkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist

How does it fit your skin?

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