Price: RM72
Verdict: 10/10
Repurchase: Yes! This thing is magic!
Brand & Product
A few weeks ago, Kimberly, the social media manager of Wynora contacted me and asked if I was interested in trying out a new product that Cosrx has come up with, which is the Cosrx One Step Green Hero Calming Pad. It has been a while since I tried a new skincare product, mostly because I noticed that sticking with a routine that works for me have been better for my skin.
I've always been a big fan of Cosrx products though, and this particular pad is recommended for all skin types but is particularly good for sensitive skin as it has been undergone skin hypersensitivity test. It's also suitable for hot, humid weather and has very, very mild exfoliating properties due to the 0.25 PHA included.
I've been looking to delve back into skincare again and what better way to revive it than with the brand that started me down the rabbit hole of Asian Skincare? Cosrx is one of the first products I've ever tried and reviewed. Cosrx is a no-nonsense skincare brand from Korea that focuses on proven ingredients, good formulation and affordable prices. They've been coming up with more new products recently and the Cosrx One Step Green Hero Calming Pad is a toner-soaked pad that works to replace the toner step.
I received this from Wynora.com in exchange for an honestly review, but all thoughts are my own, as always. It is RM72 for a pack of 70 pads, but they're currently having a promotion for 10% off right now so it's RM65. Plus they're including a free gift of pad samples AND due to the upcoming Chinese New Year holidays, they're offering extra discounts and who doesn't love discounts, right? ^^
Also, code LOVECOSRX gets you 10% off all Cosrx products on www.wynora.com until 28th February. Signing up also gets you RM15 off all brands when you spend RM150 an above.
Shipping from Wynora took about 3 days from West Malaysia to East Malaysia with free shipping for purchases up to RM80 if you're in West Malaysia and RM150 for East Malaysians like me.
Anyways, I love, love this Calming Pad. True to it's name, it really does 'calm' my skin and I'll show you why in a bit. First, let's look at what it's made of...
Packaging & Directions
This came in a hard plastic jar with a screw-on lid. It arrived with a seal on it, which keeps the product fresh until you're ready to use it. The jar is pretty adorable, with Mr Rx (the mascot for Cosrx) on the cover lid.
I thought this would've came with a spatula to help take the individual pads out, but it turned out to be unnecessary. To take it out, I just pinch the topmost layer between my thumb and forefinger. ^^
Directions: This product is meant to use at the toner step by patting gently on the skin after the cleansing step, avoiding the eyes. It's meant to be used once of twice a day.
Personally, I use it once in the morning and once again at night. Some mornings, I would just cleanse with water, and then wipe my face with the pad, which works too! ^^
Ingredients
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water, Butylene Glycol, Taraxacum Officinale (Dandelion) Leaf Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Leaf Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Extract, Artemisia Princeps Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Cassia Obtusifolia Seed Extract, Lactobionic Acid, Maltodextrin, Panthenol, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate, Glycerine, Arginine, Allantoin, Asiaticoside, Asiatic acid, Madecassic acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Menthyl Lactate, Mentha Haplocalix Extract.
Ingredients are super lovely, so let's look at it one by one:
75% Green Tea: Green Tea has many benefits for skin, including anti-aging, soothing, and improving the appearance of sun-damaged skin. I'm pleased that they've forgone water and instead chose to go with this green tea water instead, which makes for three quarters of the product. For your information, you can use pure green tea that you drink as a DIY face mask. This just happens to have green tea and a whole bunch of other products that is good for your skin.
Dandelion leaf extract: Dandelion is used for it's skin soothing and barrier strengtening properties. It also includes Vitamin A, C, and E, which are powerful antioxidants that can protect the skin from damage. It also works to calm inflammation, the last of which I can attest to further below.
Centella Asiatica Extract: I absolutely adore Centella. So much so that I have a bottle of pure centella liquid that I used to deal with breakouts. Centella is hailed as a hydrating skin-saver and is probably more familiar to most as 'cica'. According to Paula's Choice, Centella Asiatica has proven benefits to the skin due to it's active compounds, including madecassoside. It is a particularly good hydrating ingredient to sooth upset or compromised skin.
Virginia Unicorn Extract: What a fancy-sounding name. This is an extract of Aletris Farinosa, also called true unicorn or white stargrass. It's a perennial herb native to North America and has it's name due to the flower's appearance that is not unlike a Unicorn's horn. It has skin soothing and brightening properties.
Tea Tree Leaf Extract: Tea tree is another ingredient I love. Tea tree is able to soothe and heal blemishes and is a natural antibacterial. Tea tree oil can also be used on it's own (once diluted properly) to disinfect pores and dry out whiteheads, blackheads, pimples, and other blemishes. Used incorrectly and it could actually dry out skin though, so I've never attempted using just pure tea tree oil. Best leave that to the professionals. I'll just get products with tea tree extract, thank you. ^^
Mugwort Extract: Mugwort helps to make the skin healthier and smoother. Some of you may be familiar with mugwort because it's also taken to treat irregular periods and other menstrual problems.
If you can't tell already by now, there's a whole bunch of awesome ingredients in this. There's also things that may be triggering though. For example, some people with more sensitive skin may react badly to the Butylene Glycol, which is a potential acne trigger. There's also Menthyl Lactate at the very end, which is essentially mint. It's what causes the cooling sensation on the skin right after using. Some people seem to react badly to this though, so take of it what you will.
Texture and Fragrance
The pad has two sides to it, a textured side and a softer side. There's not really instructions I could find anywhere to let me know which side to use, so I sort of went with my mood with this one. When I think my skin can handle it, I used the textured side. When I think I've done a good enough job cleansing and doesn't want to irritate my skin further, I used the softer side. XD Or I'd just use both. Hopefully there's no wrong way to go about this.
In terms of fragrance, despite the mint and all the flowery extracts in the pads, I couldn't really smell anything. Not even when I sniff it close to my nose like a weird tracking dog.
Performance
Oh my god. This thing is magic. Not on my face though. Like I mentioned in the beginning, I've been lucky that I found a routine that works and haven't been suffering much breakouts. I have, however, been suffering from dry skin on my arms and legs. Dry, flaky skin that is inflammed and itchy. It's all sorts of gross. >< I have yet to figure out the common denominator for these other than the fact that mosquito bites are the source.
When I got the soothing pads, I thought to myself, "My face doesn't need much soothing right now, but my arm sure does..." and then, "Why not use it on my arm too?" After wiping my face and neck with the pad, I will swipe it over my arm where the inflammation is.
I started using the product on Monday and this is what it looks like on Thursday morning:
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| Different lighting for maximum effectiveness! >.< Honestly though, I used the same phone. I don't understand why the first picture managed to capture all my imperfections and hurt my ego so much. |
This is the fastest recovery for these sort of inflammation on my arm yet! If you squint, you can sort of see a little bit of skin flaking around the circle, but it's nowhere near as bad as when I started on Monday. Usually it takes more than a week to get to this stage, after which it will start to get itchy and relapse and the flaking will come back with full force. I'm on day 6 and it looks to be healing beautifully.
Ahh, I'm so happy.
So, based on my experience with my scaly arm, I think this might be really great for those of you with dry, flaking skin. The result isn't instantaneous, but it works. On my face, it's soothing and I kind of notice (quite late) that the pimple that's been trying to make an appearance on my chin has sort of went away, which is awesome. ^^ It has a lot of awesome ingredients and is pretty awesome itself. 10/10. Will buy again.
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