Kose skincare
Kose is a Japanese skincare brand founded in 1946 and owned by KOSÉ Holdings Corporation.
Kose is beloved for its thoughtful makeup removers and nourishing moisturizers, crafted with meticulously balanced formulas. Its products suit dry, oily, combination, and sensitive skin best. For specific concerns, the standout choices include the Sekkisei Emulsion for acne-prone skin, the Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil for skin with dark spots, and the Softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil for mature skin. Users can rely on these gentle offerings to cleanse and hydrate with remarkable ease.
This page covers some of the most popular Kose products; for the whole Kose range, with a fit score for every product, use the Lovi app.
Other Kose products
People Say
★4.5Overall rating based on 20.2k+ reviewsReviewers most often praise Kose for effective makeup removal, deep hydration, and gentle cleansing. The most common complaints are temporary blurry vision and skin dryness.
Highlights
Effective, clean-rinsing makeup removers Mostly Mentioned
- “Emulsifies immediately — Softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil”
- “Melts foundation instantly — Softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil”
- “melts waterproof mascara — Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil”
Drying sensation and residue Mostly Mentioned
- “Left my skin tight — Softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil”
- “ oily film — Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil”
- “Leaves a sticky and oily feeling — Sekkisei Emulsion”
Sources: lovi.care, amazon.com, yesstyle.com, reddit.com, iherb.com, stylevana.com, and more
Questions and answers
Is Kose worth it?
Kose is worth it because Lovi rates the Kose-focused routines Superior for dry, oily, sensitive, combination, and acne-prone skin. Reviewers mostly mention that the makeup removers are effective and clean-rinsing, while the Kose products on this page list no fragrance in their ingredients.
What are Kose's best products?
Kose's best products are the Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil for mature and dry skin, and the Softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil for sensitive and dry skin, both rated High by Lovi for those skin types.
Which Kose moisturizer is best for dry skin?
Sekkisei Emulsion is the moisturiser for dry skin on this page, and Lovi rates it Average for dry skin.
Does Kose cause breakouts?
Kose is unlikely to cause breakouts, as the Kose products on this page are generally well-tolerated by acne-prone skin. Lovi rates the Kose-focused routine Superior for acne-prone skin.
Is Kose fragrance-free?
Yes, the Kose products on this page list no fragrance in their ingredients. Reviewers note that these cleansers rinse clean, though some experience a drying sensation.
What are the key ingredients in Kose products?
Kose formulations on this page utilize ingredients such as rice bran oil, tocopherol, squalane, and glycerin to help nourish and hydrate the skin. Reviewers note that the brand's makeup removers are effective and clean-rinsing.
Journal of Nanobiotechnology, 2011Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020
How do I build a Kose skincare routine?
To build a Kose skincare routine, start by cleansing with either the Softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil or the Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil to remove makeup, then follow with the Sekkisei Emulsion to moisturize. Lovi rates the Kose-focused routine Superior for dry skin, oily skin, sensitive skin, combination skin, and acne-prone skin.
Where can I buy Kose, and how much does it cost?
Kose can be purchased at stores in Ireland, with prices ranging from €14.16 to €21.38, and most products falling between those amounts.
What are good alternatives to Kose?
Good alternatives to Kose include Biore, Hada Labo, Shiseido, SK-II, Shiseido Senka, and DHC, which all have dedicated pages on Lovi. Lovi rates the Kose-focused routine Superior for dry, oily, sensitive, combination, and acne-prone skin, while the Biore-focused routine is rated High for those same skin types.
Kose vs Biore: which is better?
Kose is better for dry, oily, sensitive, combination, and acne-prone skin because Lovi rates the Kose-focused routine as Superior for these skin types, compared to High for Biore.
Who owns Kose, and where is it from?
Kose is a Japanese brand founded in 1946, owned by KOSÉ Holdings Corporation.
Is Kose cruelty-free?
PETA, Leaping Bunny, and Cruelty Free International, the registries Lovi checks, do not list Kose as cruelty-free.
Research behind Kose's key ingredients
Behind these ratings
Lovi rates every product from its 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
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