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Magic all-in-one skincare products don’t exist, but retinoids come pretty close. A good retinoid can help with wrinkles, elasticity, appearance of pores, and even acne. The tricky part is finding the formula that works for you without causing unwanted peeling, redness, and irritation.
When I first got into kbeauty 7 ish years ago, Korean retinoids didn’t exist. One of the reasons we love kbeauty so much is because of how responsive it is to consumer demands, and today’s consumers want retinoids! I’m so happy to see big brands like COSRX releasing formulas with retinoids.
COSRX The Retinoil 0.5 Oil promises powerful anti-aging care, including improved elasticity and look of lines. It’s clinically proven to reduce the appearance of forehead, nasolabial, and eye wrinkles by 17-22% in just four weeks. The oil is available on SkinSeoul (code KBHOBBIT for $10 off your first order of any amount and free shipping if spending $50+).
SkinSeoul is an online beauty retailer that offers the largest selection of authentic Korean skincare in the world with 600+ brands. All products come with an authenticity guarantee and are shipped directly from Korea to US/AU/SG/MY. SkinSeoul carries top kbeauty brands, hidden kbeauty gems, and a variety of other skincare products that are popular in Korea, such as Nuxe Huile Dry Oil. SkinSeoul’s SkinSight™ AI system also analyzes the latest trends from Korean consumers to bring you the latest and top-rated products from Korea.
Retinol speeds up skin turnover and collagen production, which is why some people experience flaking and redness during their “onboarding” period. Cosrx retinol combines pure vitamin A (retinol) with plant-based squalane and vitamin E. The added oils help minimize any unpleasant retinol side effects plus protect the skin from external irritants.
How to use
If you are new to retinoids, start slow. Apply 1-2 drops in the evening after cleansing (at the serum step)
Use 2-3 times a week for the first 1-2 weeks
Increase frequency at week 3
If you want, you could apply moisturizer after COSRX oil (give the oil 10-20 minutes to absorb). Sometimes I do that, but most of the time I end the evening routine with the oil and call it good.
The brand suggests starting with the areas around the eyes, mouth, and neck right away and expanding to the full face later. I would do that in reverse - start with the face, and if well tolerated, include more sensitive skin under the eyes, etc. It’s up to you how you approach this, but that’s how I would do it. My undereyes are way more sensitive than the rest of my face.
It’s recommended to store this product in the fridge between uses. Knowing myself, I would not reach for it as often if I needed to trek to the kitchen every evening after bath. So I store mine in the bathroom. I haven’t noticed any unpleasant changes to the formula. If you’d like to refrigerate yours, feel free.
Just like the brand promised, the formula is silky-smooth and very pleasant. It’s transparent with a slightly yellow hue, which is normal and expected for retinol. I don’t notice a strong scent, but if I hold my hands directly up to my nose, there’s a barely noticeable somewhat fruity aroma that’s quite nice. It must be the natural scent of the ingredients, because there is no fragrance on the list.
My impressions
I wish this was my first retinol! It’s so gentle and nice. Because I’m a seasoned retinoid user, I jumped right in with using this every other night and have had no issues. My under eye, neck and chest areas are all too sensitive for prescription retinoids, but I can easily use COSRX retinol oil there without irritation. If you are new, please follow the suggested schedule for a more gradual introduction.
The instructions clearly say to use 1-2 drops. Do I listen? No. I’m heavy handed with products and was applying way too much of the oil at first. You truly only need a few drops for the entire face and neck. Applying too much makes the skin a little oily to the touch, but that feeling is gone by morning. When I stick to the appropriate amount, my skin absorbs most of the oil within 10-20 minutes. I love how nice the application feels - the fingers glide over the skin - and end up taking a few extra moments to massage the face and neck.
In a classic kbeauty fashion, COSRX The Retinol 0.5 Oil isn’t the most “hardcore” retinol you can buy. But do we need hardcore? Do we want redness, dryness, peeling, and irritation that make so many people abandon retinoids altogether? I vote for consistency over potency. Regular use of a less potent retinol is infinitely preferable to a prescription tube that sits untouched on the shelf.
As someone with combination skin, I don’t use a lot of oils in my routine. I’m still traumatized by all of the grease I had on my nose and forehead as a teenager. I’m happy to report that COSRX doesn’t add any greasiness or congestion to my skin. In fact, my pores look a lot better and more clear, especially on my chin and around the nose. My forehead lines are less noticeable as well. My face also feels a lot softer and smoother to the touch, I especially notice that when I wash my face every night - the skin is so silky and nice. Another nice thing is the area around my mouth doesn’t peel with COSRX. It always peels with prescription retinoids.
I’ve also been dabbing some of the oil on my stomach. While no product will get rid of stretch marks, retinol can help soften and smooth the texture. Most other formulas irritate my stomach skin, but COSRX doesn’t. Another win. To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with stretchmarks and mine don’t really bother me. But if I can make them less noticeable, then why not.
Overall, this is a huge win for me and something I will continue using. If you are a fan of prescription / stronger retinoids, consider adding COSRX to your routine for more sensitive areas that do not tolerate very strong formulas. And if you aren’t currently using retinol at all, well, what are you waiting for?
Check out this product and other offerings on SkinSeoul. I’m already in love with the Nuxe Huile Oil and am about to test the viral Sungboon Editor Green Tomato Pore Lifting Ampoule.
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COSRX The Retinol 0.5 Oil ingredients: Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, BHT, DI-C12-13 Alkyl Malate, Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Oil, Squalane, Tocopherol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, BHT, DI-C12-13 Alkyl Malate, Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Oil, Squalane, Tocopherol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Tocotrienols, Retinol, Hydroxymethoxyphenyl Decanone, Tocotrienols, Retinol, Hydroxymethoxyphenyl Decanone