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COSRX vs The INKEY List

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

COSRX and The INKEY List are popular skincare brands that offer serums, moisturizers, cleansers, toners, and more. The Korean brand suits acne-prone skin best with targeted formulations harnessing hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and niacinamide, while the British brand fits dry skin and sensitive skin best with products built around glycerin. Both feature distinct standout choices for dark spots, blemishes, and aging, differing mainly in their targeted skin types and foundational ingredients.

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

koreajoongangdaily.combeautymatter.comprnewswire.com

The INKEY List is a British skincare brand founded in 2018 and owned by Brand Evangelists for Beauty Limited.

cosmeticsbusiness.comprnewswire.comtheinkeylist.comtracxn.com

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

Popular COSRX vs The INKEY List products

People Say

COSRXThe INKEY List
  • Deep hydration and moisturization 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”
    • “Super hydrating — The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum”
    • “intense nourishment — The INKEY List Collagen Peptide Serum”
  • Lightweight and fast-absorbing Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “absorbs instantly like water — COSRX The 6 Peptide Skin Booster Serum”
    • “sinks in immediately — COSRX Advanced Snail Peptide Eye Cream”
    • “Gel consistency — The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum”
    • “feels like applying straight up water to the skin — The INKEY List Omega Water Cream”
  • Texture improvement and smoothing Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “gives me that glass skin look — COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence”
    • “skin feels softer immediately — COSRX The 6 Peptide Skin Booster Serum”
    • “Skin feels like glass — COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid”
    • “Skin feels softer — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
  • Gentle and non-stripping formula Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “No stinging or irritation — COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid”
    • “perfect for first-time retinol users — COSRX The Retinol 0.1 Cream”
    • “doesn't strip my skin — COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser”
    • “Never tight or stripped — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
  • Value for money Rarely NotedMostly Mentioned
    • “Good for the price — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
    • “One of the best balms for quality and also price — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
    • “unbeatable value — The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Serum”
    • “huge bottle — COSRX Advanced Snail Peptide Eye Cream”
  • Acne and pore control Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “helped to improve my acne after only 2 weeks — COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser”
    • “cleared up my spots — COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser”
    • “Melted blackheads right off — COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid”
    • “Free of active acne — The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser”
  • Packaging issues and small size Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “only 20mls... significantly less product — COSRX The Hyaluronic Acid 3 Serum”
    • “tube is tiny — COSRX The Retinol 0.1 Cream”
    • “tube cracked on the side — COSRX The Retinol 0.1 Cream”
    • “Tube leaks liquified oil when opened — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”
  • Drying or insufficient for dry skin Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “left my face tight — COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser”
    • “leaves skin feeling tight — COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser”
    • “have dry skin but this doesn't feel hydrating at all — The INKEY List Omega Water Cream”
    • “leaves under eye dry — The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream”
  • Unpleasant texture and sticky finish Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “texture is gooey and stringy — COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All in One Cream”
    • “too slimy and sticky — COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence”
    • “Feels tacky on skin — The INKEY List PHA Toner”
    • “Leaves a greasy film on face after washing — The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm”

COSRX vs The INKEY List routines for dry skin

See multi-brand routine · 99% fit

COSRX vs The INKEY List routines for oily skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

COSRX vs The INKEY List routines for combination skin

See multi-brand routine · 95% fit

Questions and answers

COSRX or The INKEY List: which is better?

Both COSRX and The INKEY List perform well, with COSRX offering a Superior routine fit for acne-prone, oily acne-prone, and dry skin types on the products on this page. Meanwhile, The INKEY List provides a Superior routine fit for dry, sensitive, dry sensitive, and combination skin types. Reviewers note that COSRX excels in acne control and texture improvement, whereas The INKEY List is recognized for its value for money and hydrating moisturizers.

What is the difference between COSRX and The INKEY List?

COSRX is founded in South Korea and fits best for acne-prone skin, oily acne-prone skin, and dry skin, whereas The INKEY List is founded in the UK and fits best for dry skin, sensitive skin, and dry sensitive skin. Reviewers find that COSRX does better for texture improvement, gentle formulas, and acne control, while The INKEY List does better for value for money.

COSRX or The INKEY List for dry skin?

Both COSRX and The INKEY List feature products suited for dry skin, with Lovi fit levels reaching High for COSRX and Superior for The INKEY List. The INKEY List is particularly noted on this page for its hydrating moisturizers, while COSRX offers deep hydration with ingredients like hyaluronic acid and snail mucin.

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

COSRX or The INKEY List: which cleanser is better?

The products on this page from COSRX and The INKEY List both offer effective cleansers, with COSRX achieving a Superior fit for acne-prone skin and sensitive skin while The INKEY List provides strong options like its Salicylic Acid Cleanser.

Which is more affordable, COSRX or The INKEY List?

The INKEY List does better for value for money among the products on this page.

COSRX or The INKEY List for oily skin?

Both COSRX and The INKEY List fit oily skin well, as Lovi rates the routine fit for both brands as High. COSRX has products on this page with superior fit levels for oily skin, such as the Oil-Free Ultra-Moisturizing Lotion and Two In One Poreless Power Liquid.

COSRX or The INKEY List: which moisturizer is better?

Both COSRX and The INKEY List offer effective moisturizers, with COSRX excelling in acne-prone and oily acne-prone routines while The INKEY List achieves a superior fit for dry and sensitive skin. Hyaluronic acid helps improve skin hydration and moisture retention in these products.

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

COSRX or The INKEY List for sensitive skin?

For sensitive skin, both brands offer good options, with Lovi giving COSRX a High fit level and The INKEY List a Superior fit level. The products on this page for both brands are generally fragrance-free, which helps minimize irritation for sensitive skin.

COSRX or The INKEY List for acne-prone skin?

For acne-prone skin, COSRX is superior, whereas The INKEY List is high. COSRX helps with acne and pore control through targeted products like the BHA Blackhead Power Liquid.

COSRX or The INKEY List for combination skin?

The products on this page show that The INKEY List has a Superior routine fit for combination skin, whereas COSRX has a High fit.

COSRX or The INKEY List for mature skin?

Both COSRX and The INKEY List achieve a High Lovi fit level for mature skin, offering effective formulations for anti-aging care. COSRX helps improve skin texture and smooth fine lines with products containing retinol and peptides, while The INKEY List delivers affordable and lightweight moisturizers. Topical retinol stimulates collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin.

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2000Archives of Dermatology, 2007

COSRX or The INKEY List for skin with dark spots?

Both COSRX and The INKEY List perform at a High Lovi fit level for skin with dark spots across the products on this page. Niacinamide, featured in COSRX formulations, helps reduce cutaneous pigmentation and suppress melanosome transfer.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2002Antioxidants, 2021

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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