COSRX AC Collection Calming Foam Cleanser for sensitive skin
Salicylic Acid
Centella Asiatica
Glycerin- Madecassic Acid
Lavandula Hybrida Oil
Average
- HighNormal Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for sensitive skin; other cleansers 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 cleansing for your normal skin with sensitivity, as salicylic acid and madecassoside work to decongest pores and calm irritation. Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid, and Madecassic Acid provide general soothing benefits for redness and irritation, supporting your skin's sensitivity.
- The formula is highly suitable for normal skin due to the keratolytic action of salicylic acid and the anti-inflammatory properties of madecassoside.
- The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation for your normal skin due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Use your cleanser in the AM and PM routines every day. Start using it daily since your sensitive skin needs gentle care.
- Apply this first in your morning and evening skincare routine before toner and moisturizer. This clears away dirt without upsetting your skin.
- Gently massage a small amount onto your face using soft circles. Avoid any rough rubbing to keep redness away.
- Apply the cleanser on slightly damp skin to help it wash away impurities softly. Clean skin feels fresh and comfortable afterwards.
- Avoid getting the cleanser in your eyes and do a quick patch test before first use. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.
People Say
★4.4Overall rating based on 600+ reviewsUsers with oily and acne-prone skin frequently praise this cleanser for its deep pore cleansing and breakout reduction. However, individuals with dry or sensitive skin often find it to be stripping and drying.
Highlights
Deep cleansing Mostly Mentioned
- “squeaky clean feel”
- “removes excess oil”
- “unclogs pores”
- “skin feels fresh”
Effective for acne Often Mentioned
- “clears active breakouts”
- “reduces redness”
- “helps back acne”
- “stopped random breakouts”
Drying finish Often Mentioned
- “skin feels tight”
- “stripping for dry skin”
- “drying after wash”
- “needs moisturizer immediately”
Rich lather Sometimes Noted
- “creamy foam texture”
- “lathers really well”
- “little goes a long way”
- “soft dense foam”
Soothing sensation Sometimes Noted
- “calms irritated skin”
- “cooling effect”
- “gentle on inflammation”
- “soothing ingredients”
Medicinal scent Sometimes Noted
- “strong herbal smell”
- “chemical scent”
- “smells like tea tree”
- “medicinal fragrance”
Potential irritation Rarely Noted
- “stung slightly”
- “caused redness”
- “mild purging”
- “tingling sensation”
Sources: lovi.care, iherb.com, yesstyle.com, reddit.com, sokoglam.com, amazon.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does COSRX AC Collection Calming Foam Cleanser work for sensitive skin?
This cleanser works moderately well for sensitive skin, using salicylic acid to clear pores and centella ingredients to help calm redness and irritation. It has a very safe formula with a low likelihood of irritation, though cleansers that rate higher for this skin type typically include richer hydrating ingredients and barrier-repairing ceramides to keep skin soft and comfortable.
Molecules, 2023Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2020
Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for sensitive skin?
Salicylic acid and madecassoside make this cleanser a good fit because they help decongest pores and calm irritation for sensitive skin. This type of skin needs gentle, hydrating, and barrier-repairing ingredients like niacinamide and ceramide-3, along with a balanced mix of soothing extracts to cleanse effectively without stripping moisture.
Molecules, 2023Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2020
What does Salicylic Acid do for sensitive skin?
Salicylic acid may cause irritation on sensitive skin, so it requires careful use and good sun protection to keep skin comfortable. A product for this skin type needs gentle, soothing ingredients and a mild formula that respects the skin barrier.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 1999International Journal of Toxicology, 2003
What does Centella Asiatica do for sensitive skin?
Centella asiatica helps calm sensitive skin and keeps it feeling soft by soothing irritation and supporting the skin barrier. It is unlikely to cause trouble and may help reduce redness and discomfort over a few weeks of regular use.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016
Where does this cleanser go in a skincare routine for sensitive skin?
This cleanser works in both your morning and evening routines. Sensitive skin needs a mild cleanser paired with soothing ingredients and a gentle moisturizer to keep skin calm and hydrated.
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cleanser with retinol, applying it before your retinol treatment in your evening routine. Using a gentle cleanser like this helps keep your skin calm while managing breakouts, but sensitive skin needs a cleanser that focuses extra on restoring the skin barrier and soothing dryness.
How often should I use this cleanser?
You can use this cleanser daily as part of your morning and evening routine, though sensitive skin needs a milder formula with gentle calming ingredients and no harsh exfoliants to feel truly comfortable.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2022Molecules, 2023
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for sensitive skin?
This cleanser is unlikely to cause breakouts or clog pores for sensitive skin, as it contains salicylic acid to help clear out pores and soothe redness. However, because some shoppers report a drying finish, this skin type needs a gentle cleanser with extra hydrating ingredients like ceramides or hyaluronic acid to keep the skin soft and comfortable.
Can I use this cleanser around the eyes or on my body?
This cleanser may be too harsh for the thin skin around the eyes and is generally meant for facial use rather than the body. Sensitive skin types typically need very gentle, hydrating, and fragrance-free cleansers that protect the natural moisture barrier without active acids.
Is this cleanser fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (linalool and limonene).
What the research says
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, 2023Topical 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, 2020Cosmetic 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, 2016Cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen achieved a higher cure rate (39%) than salicylic acid (24%) and a wait-and-see approach (16%) for cutaneous warts at 13 weeks in primary care patients.
CMAJ, 2010A moisturizer containing licochalcone A, 1,2-decanediol, L-carnitine, and salicylic acid significantly reduced noninflammatory, inflammatory, and total acne lesion counts compared to a vehicle control in Thai patients during a 12-week maintenance phase.
BioMed Research International, 2020Treatment with 2% supramolecular salicylic acid hydrogel resulted in a regression and markedly improvement rate of 51.01% compared to 43.10% for Adapaline gel in patients with mild to moderate facial acne vulgaris, showing no significant difference in efficacy.
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, 2017Moisturizer 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 treatment with 5% vitamin C and 0.1% madecassoside significantly improved clinical scores for wrinkles, suppleness, firmness, roughness, and skin hydration, along with functional and structural remodeling of the elastic fiber network in 20 female volunteers with photoaged skin after 6 months compared to baseline.
Experimental Dermatology, 2008The 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, 2001Niacinamide/glycerin body moisturizers provided better rapid and prolonged improvement of cosmetic xerosis through functional improvement of stratum corneum barrier function compared to no treatment and conventional moisturizers in female subjects.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2012
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Myristic Acid, Peg-32, Potassium Hydroxide, Palmitic Acid, Lauric Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Lauramide Dea, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Lavandula Hybrida Oil, Pinus Sylvestris Oil Leaf, Potassium Cocoate, Salicylic Acid, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid, Madecassic Acid, Disodium Edta, Sodium Chloride, Arachidic Acid, Linalool, Oleic Acid, Limonene
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?
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