COSRX AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid for sensitive skin
Glycolic Acid
Niacinamide
Pyrus Malus Fruit Water
Sodium Hyaluronate
Panthenol
Average
- HighNormal Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for sensitive skin; other products fit it better.
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
- Offers moderate exfoliation for your normal skin due to glycolic acid, which helps smooth texture and supports barrier repair with niacinamide, though it lacks targeted ingredients for your redness and irritation.
- Sodium hyaluronate and panthenol provide general hydration and soothing benefits that can be supportive for your skin concerns.
- The product is safe for your sensitive skin as it contains no harsh or prohibited ingredients.
How to apply
- Use your exfoliant PM once a week to help with redness and irritation. Start slowly and only increase frequency if your skin feels happy and comfortable.
- Apply the exfoliant after cleansing and toner , but always before your moisturizer . This ensures the product absorbs properly into the skin.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the exfoliant into your skin without rubbing . Let it absorb for a minute before moving on.
- Since your skin is sensitive , apply the exfoliant on completely dry skin for the best tolerance. This helps prevent any extra stinging or discomfort.
- Always do a patch test before your first use and avoid the delicate eye area .
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 6.0k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, users with dry, acne-prone, and textured skin frequently praise this exfoliant for effectively clearing closed comedones and "tiny bumps" while leaving the face noticeably smoother and brighter. Some users note that results require patience due to an initial purging phase, and the product has a strong, distinct scent.
Highlights
Clears comedones Mostly Mentioned
- “colony of tiny closed comedones vanishing”
- “erased bumps on forehead”
- “finally cleared my whiteheads”
- “got rid of flesh-colored bumps”
Smooths texture Mostly Mentioned
- “skin feels like glass”
- “dramatically refined texture”
- “bye bye rough patches”
- “face is super soft”
Brightens skin Often Mentioned
- “gave me a glow”
- “faded acne scars”
- “skin looks more radiant”
- “evened out my skin tone”
Unpleasant smell Often Mentioned
- “smells like rotting apples”
- “has a fishy scent”
- “smells like burnt tires”
- “odor is truly heinous”
Gentle, hydrating Sometimes Noted
- “didn't dry me out”
- “gentle enough for sensitive skin”
- “feels moisturizing for an acid”
- “no tight feeling afterwards”
Initial purging Sometimes Noted
- “broke out for two weeks”
- “caused red bumps at first”
- “had a bad purge phase”
- “worse before it got better”
Sticky residue Sometimes Noted
- “feels tacky after applying”
- “left a sticky film”
- “takes forever to absorb”
- “hair sticks to my face”
Stinging/irritation Rarely Noted
- “burned upon application”
- “tingled too much”
- “caused redness on cheeks”
- “too strong for daily use”
Sources: lovi.care, amazon.com, ulta.com, dermstore.com, yesstyle.com, stylekorean.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does COSRX AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid work for sensitive skin?
This exfoliant works moderately well for sensitive skin because glycolic acid smooths texture while panthenol and sodium hyaluronate soothe and hydrate. However, it lacks targeted ingredients for redness and irritation. An exfoliant treatment for this skin needs soothing antioxidants, hydrating ingredients, and gentle components that reduce redness without causing irritation.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2002
Which ingredients make this exfoliant a good fit for sensitive skin?
Glycolic acid smooths texture while panthenol and sodium hyaluronate help keep skin hydrated and calm. This exfoliant needs calming ingredients and antioxidants that target redness and irritation to be a better fit for sensitive skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2002
What does Glycolic Acid do for sensitive skin?
Glycolic acid can be too harsh for sensitive skin, leaving it dry and irritated, so this type of skin needs a gentler exfoliating ingredient and calming plant extracts to keep the skin barrier safe and comfortable.
What does Niacinamide do for sensitive skin?
Niacinamide helps calm sensitive skin by strengthening the skin barrier and reducing redness and irritation. It is very well tolerated and may improve overall comfort and resilience with regular use.
Where does it go in a skincare routine for sensitive skin?
This exfoliant treatment goes in your evening routine, starting just once a week so your skin can adjust safely. To best support sensitive skin with redness and irritation, this type of product needs added calming ingredients and soothing plant extracts.
Can I use this exfoliant with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this exfoliant with retinol by applying the exfoliant first and following with your retinol on alternating nights rather than the same night, since using both together may cause too much irritation. To work well for sensitive skin, an exfoliant of this type needs calming ingredients and extra moisture to keep skin comfortable.
How often should I use it?
Start by using this exfoliant treatment once a week in your evening routine, and carefully use it more often only if your skin tolerates it well and sees good results. An average fit for sensitive skin needs soothing ingredients to calm redness and irritation.
Can this exfoliant clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for sensitive skin?
Yes, this exfoliant may cause initial purging as it helps clear out dead skin cells, though it is unlikely to clog pores. It helps smooth texture and brings general hydration with panthenol and sodium hyaluronate, but sensitive skin needs a product that also targets redness and irritation directly.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2002
Is it fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
A panthenol-enriched mask significantly decreased erythema and hyperpigmentation, increased sebum and stratum corneum moisture, and reduced transepidermal water loss compared to a saline dressing in 60 subjects undergoing facial laser treatment.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Topical 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, 2017Repeated short-contact 70% glycolic acid peels provided superior results in atrophic acne scars compared to daily low-strength glycolic acid cream or placebo in 58 women over 24 weeks.
International Journal of Dermatology, 2000Serial glycolic acid peels combined with a modified Kligman formula significantly reduced facial PIH severity in Indian patients compared to the modified Kligman formula alone.
Dermatologic Surgery, 2017Topical post-laser application of human adipocyte-derived mesenchymal stem cell media combined with niacinamide significantly improved wrinkle index, melanin index, patient satisfaction, and investigator esthetic improvement scores compared to vehicle cream in patients with aging skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Topical nicotinamide prevented solar-simulated UV-induced immunosuppression in healthy volunteers, and men experienced immunosuppression at solar-simulated UV doses three times lower than those required for women.
The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2008Topical 5% niacinamide applied twice daily for 12 weeks reduced fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmented spots, red blotchiness, and skin sallowness, and improved skin elasticity compared to vehicle control in 50 female white subjects with facial photoaging.
Dermatologic Surgery, 2005Topical formulations containing 1.25% Malus sp. extract or 0.75% rutin protected against UVB-induced sunburn cells, caspase-3 activation, cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers, lipid peroxidation, and metalloproteinase formation in ex vivo skin explants and 3D tissue-engineered skin.
Rejuvenation Research, 2020Topical application of 0.1% hyaluronic acid formulations of different molecular weights led to significant improvements in skin hydration and elasticity, with low-molecular-weight formulations also significantly reducing wrinkle depth in seventy-six female subjects compared to a vehicle control.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2011Topical application of hyaluronic acid in conjunction with free gingival graft significantly reduced donor site postoperative pain until day 7 compared to normal saline, with no significant differences in graft dimensions or patient satisfaction.
Clinical Oral Investigations, 2022Treatment with a hyaluronic acid-containing mouth rinse or topical gel led to significant lesion reduction, pain relief, and normalization of lesion color in adult patients with minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis, with the gel formulation showing an earlier healing onset at 3 days.
BMC Oral Health, 2019Moisturizer 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, 2020
Why other products fit sensitive skin better
Topical application of TAT-SOD significantly suppresses UVB-induced erythema formation, blood flow rise, and apoptotic sunburn cell formation in human volunteers compared to a vehicle control.
European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 2016
Ingredients
Pyrus Malus Fruit Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycolic Acid, Niacinamide, Sodium Hydroxide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Ethyl Hexanediol
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.