COSRX Two in One Poreless Power Liquid

11/30/2020

by Rosy Day Blog

COSRX Two in One Poreless Power Liquid Review

Product review of COSRX's latest, most anticipated (as of this writing) new product release...With good reason too. Shrinking pores/"poreless" skin...that is hard to achieve without the use of strong and potentially irritating/drying actives. I already use actives, but because of their irritating nature, I can't use them everyday. It would be nice to have a good "in between" product to fill in for the days I don't use actives, as well as keep my minor acne/closed commodones in check. This product sounded just like what I was looking for.

Disclosure:
This product was given to me by a friend who purchased it with her own money from Cupidrop. I was not given anything in exchange for this review. I enjoy doing product reviews to share my own experiences with the product and hope someone finds it useful. I also do not work for COSRX or Cupidrop.

- About Company & Product Description
- Product Claims & How To Use
- The Ingredients
- Packaging, Scent & Texture
- Product Review & Final Impressions
- Similar Products & Shop This Post

Meet The COSRX Two in One Poreless Power Liquid

About COSRX:
Just in case you're one of the few that's not familiar with COSRX, COSRX stands for COSmetics + RX. They are a South-Korean brand that earned a cult following due to their AHA/BHA products that were (at the time) hard to find in the Korean market. Here in the U.S. AHA/BHA are everywhere, but what probably sets COSRX’s AHA/BHA products apart is that they are affordable, high performance products with safe ingredients and no known side-effects. That is not to say that the AHA/BHA products here don’t work, but I found that a lot of the AHA/BHA products here can be a bit more on the harsh side especially for someone with semi-sensitive skin such as myself. I’m always up for having more options for all the different skin types out there, as well as all the different skin issues that we may have.

Product Description:
The Two in One Poreless Power Liquid is a product designed to improve the appearance of enlarged and clogged pores with two key ingredients: willow bark water & BHA (hence the "two in one" part). Basically it's not meant to be used as or take the place of any existing BHA you may already have in your routine (it's only 0.1%). However, for those of us having any kind of issues with pores, this is designed to compliment your existing routine (you won't overexfoliate from this product).

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The Sold-Out COSRX Two in One Poreless Power Liquid

Product Claims:
The product claims to gently lift stubborn blackheads, as well as prevent excess sebum production. One of the ingredients, Tannin, is a natural astringent which can help your skin look more clear and even (aka: "glass skin"). I can see why this product sold out so quickly during its first launch. Many of us do strive for clean and even skin (which helps if you don't have any acne and/or clogged pores).

How To Use:
Official directions off the box say, "Pump the liquid and gently pat on your face for absorption. To form a better synergy, use with cotton pad and wipe off face avoiding lip and eye area." I think this works best using your hands (you also waste less product). I always used this with my hands only (no cotton pads), and I was still able to see good results with the product. Of course, if you did want to concentrate on a specific area (or breakout), you can use cotton pads with it (even leave the cotton pad on that area for a few minutes).

I would use this product after cleansing and a watery toner/essence. If you're using a hydrating toner that tends to be more viscous than water, you might want to use that after this product so that this can better absorb into your skin.

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COSRX Two in One Poreless Power Liquid is Like Glass Skin in a Bottle

If you haven't been informed of the Korean "glass skin" trend, it's basically skin that looks so clear, poreless, translucent, and luminous, that it looks like glass. Here I'll break down the ingredients in this product to see what types of things might help one to achieve such a look.

Notable Ingredients:

Willow Bark Water (Tannin) - Contains salicylic acid which is a form of BHA. This makes it good for treating acne as it helps you shed dead skin cells and clears out your pores. It is also known to help stimulate new cell formation. This product contains 88% willow bark water.
Betaine Salicylate - This is what accounts for the 0.1% BHA. This helps improve skin teture and tone, as well as helps reduce blackheads through preventing clogged pores. Similar to willow bark, this also helps the growth of new skin.
Sodium Hyaluronate (hyaluronic acid) - An ingredient that is naturally found in your body, this holds moisture in and helps create full/plump skin for a more youthful appearance.
Chinese Senna Extract - Has anti-bacterial properties that can help with skin inflammation.
Mint Extract - Has the ability to sooth and calm irritated skin. Mint also contains vitamin A, which can strengthen skin as well as control oily skin.

Full Ingredients List:
Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Water, Butylene Glycol, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Water, Pentylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Betaine Salicylate, Arginine, Betaine, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Allantoin, Panthenol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Carbomer, Cassia Obtusifolia (Chinese Senna) Seed Extract, Menthyl Lactate, Mentha Haplocalix (Mint) Extract

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Packaging, Scent & Texture

Packaging:
In typical Cosrx fashion, it comes in a very simple no-frills kind of packaging. It comes in the usual unisex pump bottle that a lot of their liquid products come in. This time, this one has a teal-colored box for the product name. It doesn’t look fancy, but that just means that Cosrx probably puts more care into the simplicity and effectiveness of their product. I also appreciate that I can purchase this product for both my bf and myself, and he wouldn't have to worry about using some feminine-looking product, haha.

Scent & Texture:
I didn’t really notice much of a scent with this product. There might be faint traces of a chemical-like smell (similar to other BHA-type of products), but nothing specific that comes to mind. If you’re sensitive to strong fragrances (like floral/perfume-type scents for example), you won’t experience that with this product. As for the texture,despite this product having the word "liquid" in its name, there is some weight/thickness to it, and it's not completely watery. Due to the conditioning agents in this product, it feels like a light (almost watery) essence.

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Does The COSRX Two in One Poreless Power Liquid Actually Work?

Performance:

The product does clean and minimize pores, however, only to a certain extent.

Someone who has more minor pore and blackhead/acne issues, would really like this product. When I tried this on my boyfriend who had much larger pores (think an "orange peel" type of texure), the results were a lot more minor.

I think that if you have more serious issues with your pores and/or your acne, you should find products more specifically geared towards those issues, and use this Two in One Poreless Power Liquid as a supplement to keep your skin clean in between your acne treatments. When I first used this product, I was experiencing some minor breakouts on my nose and some closed commodones on my forehead. I was surprised to see my closed commodones shrinking within a few minutes of using this product. My minor breakouts also started to subside a bit, and I can see some of the larger pores on my nose tighten as well, giving me an overall more poreless look. If you think you have more "monstrous" pores, you would probably have to use this product day and night, and for a much longer time to see any kind of results. However, I will repeat, I don't think this does much for someone with more serious issues especially since this only has 0.1% BHA.

Pros:

Pretty affordable at ~$21 USD. I think this is reasonable considering the results I got with this product.
Helps with closed commodones and minor breakouts (you should start to see them get smaller within a few minutes of application).
Cleans out your pores (if you have minor blackheads) and clarifies your skin giving it an overall clearer appearance. Results overtime: softer/smoother, more calm skin.
Surprisingly hydrating like a light almost watery serum/essence that slightly plumps up your face a bit.
With only 0.1% BHA, this plays well with other products/actives and you won't overexfoliate from adding this into your routine. So gentle you can probably use this every day and night if you wanted to.
If you use other serums/essences after, they seem to absorb faster from application of this product.
Nearly scentless (maybe a slight chemical-type of smell associated with BHA products).
Unisex packaging.
Comes in a convenient see-through pump bottle.

Cons:

If you’re already hitting it hard with actives (especially almost daily), this product may seem pointless to you. However, I don't and can't use actives everyday, so for me this is like a god-send.
Depending on your needs and current skin condition, results might not be drastic enough. For example, my boyfriend's "orange peel" nose still looked like an orange peel after almost a week of using the product day and night. However, his cheeks which had less of a pore issue, looked more refined.
This product also wouldn't do too much for more serious acne (you should look specifically for an acne serum or a much stronger BHA product in that case).
Only available online. This is not something that you can drop by your local Sephora or Target, etc. and pick up on your way out of town for example.

COSRX Two in One Poreless Power Liquid for Dry Skin

Final Impressions:
Despite the fact I don't think this will make much of a dent if you have more serious pore issues, I think this is a great product to try for all skin types (including dry skin).

You might think a product with BHA in it would be drying and irritating, but this is surprisingly hydrating and even slightly plumping.

Of course it wouldn't take the place of a real hydrating product, but this thing legitmately clarifies and hydrates my skin. A big plus in my book.

While I can definitely see this product not working out for some in the "poreless" aspect, I still think this is a product worth trying for everyone. I like to think that most of us don't have perfect skin (especially 100% of the time). At least for me, this product helps keep things in check. I have issues with closed commodones and occassionally clogged pores. I also have sensitive skin and can't use actives everyday, nor do I like using harsh acne products. I totally love this product and my final rating reflects that (though I think it could be better with "shrinking" pores for others). Also finally, whenever I apply my anti-aging serum right after, it seems to sink in faster (at least to me it does).

Final Rating = 4/5

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Other Products for Pore Care

Similar Products:
I offer you some suggestions for similar products if you are still interested in general for a pore minimizing/refining serum.

Be The Skin Botanical Pore Serum - Is supposed to be oil controlling in addition to pore minimizing.
Yuri Pibu Artichoke Power Essence - While I personally found this product to be nothing more than just a fancy hydrating milky essence that did zero for pores, a lot of people seem to have good luck with this product. I may revisit this again in the future and do a more thorough review for comparison (maybe I set the bar too high due to Sarah Lee's glowing review on Glow Recipe).
Ciracle Pore Control Tightening Serum - I haven't tried this but it does claim to tighten pores.
Skinmiso Pore Corset Serum - I haven't tried this, but this is probably the most heard about "pore shrinking" serum. If you have "monstrous pores", this might be worth a try.
Estee Lauder Idealist Pore Minimizing Skin Refinisher - To be honest I don't think this really gets to the root of the problem, this is kind of more like a fancy serum/primer hybrid. However if you're looking to minimize your pores, as well as smooth your skin texture, this would be a good (though pricier) two-in-one option. I did love this back when I was in my early 20s, but I also didn't do any actives back then.

Any questions and/or comments about my COSRX Two In One Poreless Power Liquid review? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please let me know in the comments below!