COSRX AC Collection Calming Foam Cleanser for combination skin
Salicylic Acid
Centella Asiatica
Glycerin- Madecassic Acid
Lavandula Hybrida Oil
High
- HighCombination Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- HighSafety
A great choice for combination skin; a few cleansers fit it even better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with combination skin: an oily T-zone, enlarged pores, and dry cheeks. 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 combination skin, as salicylic acid gently decongests pores and helps manage oily shine, while glycerin provides essential hydration.
- The inclusion of Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid, and Madecassic Acid further supports calming and soothing effects, making it a good choice for your skin.
- This formula is safe for your skin, containing no harsh ingredients and featuring beneficial compounds that minimize irritation risk.
How to apply
- Use this cleanser AM and PM as part of your daily routine. Start 3×/week and build up to daily use if your skin tolerates it well.
- Apply this cleanser as the very first step in your morning routine and right after your pre-cleanser in the evening.
- Gently massage a small amount of cleanser onto your skin using circular motions. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.
- For the best results , apply the cleanser directly onto slightly damp skin to help lift away excess oil.
- Avoid the immediate eye area and do a patch test before your first use to check for any sensitivity.
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
What makes COSRX Calming Foam Cleanser a great fit for combination skin?
This cleanser is a great fit because salicylic acid gently clears out pores and helps manage oily shine, while glycerin provides essential hydration. Centella asiatica extracts further support calming effects and help minimize the risk of irritation for your skin.
Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for combination skin?
Salicylic acid and glycerin make this cleanser a great fit by gently clearing out pores to manage oily shine while providing essential hydration. Additionally, centella asiatica extracts like asiaticoside, asiatic acid, and madecassic acid help calm and soothe the skin with a low risk of irritation.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017International Journal of Nanomedicine, 2021
What does Salicylic Acid do for combination skin?
Salicylic acid helps clear clogged pores and balance oily areas while remaining gentle enough for dry spots on combination skin. It reduces breakouts and oiliness effectively with a low likelihood of irritation.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023
What does Centella Asiatica do for combination skin?
Centella asiatica helps calm combination skin, keeps it balanced, and supports the moisture barrier without feeling heavy. It may also reduce redness and help keep breakouts under control.
Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016Molecules, 2023
Where does this cleanser go in a skincare routine for combination skin?
This cleanser fits into your morning routine and your evening routine as the first or second cleansing step. It gently decongests pores and helps manage oily shine while providing essential hydration, making it a great match for combination skin.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2022Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cleanser in the same routine as retinol by applying the cleanser first to clean your skin, and following up with your retinol after your skin is dry. This cleanser gently clears pores while glycerin and centella extract provide hydration and soothing benefits, which helps keep your combination skin calm while using retinol.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017International Journal of Nanomedicine, 2021
How often should I use this cleanser?
You can use this cleanser twice a day as part of your morning and evening routine. It gently decongests pores and manages oily shine while providing essential hydration, making it a great fit for your skin.
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for combination skin?
Salicylic acid helps gently clear out pores and keep oily shine under control for combination skin, which makes clogs and breakouts unlikely. Glycerin and calming centella extracts also help keep your skin comfortable and balanced while you cleanse.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
Can I use this cleanser around the eyes or on my body?
This cleanser is a great fit for combination skin, but it is best to avoid the thin skin around the eyes where irritation is more likely. You can safely use it on your body, especially on areas prone to breakouts or oily shine.
Is this cleanser fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (linalool and limonene).
What the research says
A 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, 2017Twice daily application of a multitargeted dermocosmetic cream provided comparable efficacy to benzoyl peroxide 5% gel in reducing inflammatory, non-inflammatory, and total lesions in 150 Caucasian subjects with mild-to-moderate acne over 56 days, while demonstrating superior skin tolerability.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Cosmetic 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, 2016The novel high-payload nanosuspension system of Centella asiatica extract increased skin accumulation of asiatic acid, madecassic acid, and asiaticoside by 5-, 4-, and 4.5-fold respectively compared to a marketed cream in porcine skin, with no local skin irritation in normal rats.
International Journal of Nanomedicine, 2021Cryotherapy 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, 2024Topical 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, 2020Moisturizer 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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