HI-REVIEW: COSRX Refresh AHA BHA Vitamin C Booster Serum

Hey Beauties!

Here we have another goodie from one of the staple brands in K-beauty, COSRX! The COSRX Refresh Booster Serum contains quite the combination of ingredients that work together to gently exfoliate and brighten your skin complexion :) There are many different brightening serums on the market, but if you’re curious to how the COSRX Refresh AHA BHA Vitamin Booster Serum holds up to the others, keep on reading!

Price: $35

Quantity: 30mL

How to Use: 

Apply after toning and lightly pat to absorb. If using the serum as part of your day routine, make sure to apply sunscreen to protect your skin! 

Product Features

The COSRX Refresh Booster Serum is a clear, lightweight, non-sticky serum that has no scent to it at all!

A super interesting feature is that this serum uses natural exfoliators such as kiwifruit and dragon fruit extracts to brighten and revitalise the skin. In fact, these two ingredients make up the top two highest concentrations in the ingredients list! 

In terms of chemical exfoliators, this serum contains both an AHA called Glycolic Acid and a BHA called Betaine Salicylate. AHA exfoliators help to shed dead skin cells and improve fine lines. BHA on the other hand is better for targeting pore-deep blemishes such as blackheads and acne.

For brightening the general complexion, the serum utilises a form of Vitamin C called Ascorbyl Glucoside which is also able to prevent and reduce hyperpigmentation. The serum also contains Niacinamide and Alpha-Arbutin which help with the brightening process too.

Personal Opinion

I was pretty excited to give this product a try since it was a gentle exfoliating serum, which opened up the potential for daily use. I found that immediately after applying the serum, I would get a lovely firming effect which gave my skin the life it needed. Throughout the few weeks of testing this product, I could definitely see that my skin was less clogged. This is probably because of the Glycolic Acid in the serum! I would definitely recommend this for those with congested, flakey, and dull skin, not because it ‘brightened’ my skin by making it lighter, but it rejuvenated my skin, giving it a glow~ 

 I didn’t experience ANY irritation when using this product, even when I had irritated acne. This makes it a great potential choice for those with sensitive skin looking for a mild exfoliator! Although it contains both AHA/BHA and Vitamin C (a LOT of actives), it is all at smaller concentrations as there is a higher concentration of the natural extracts. 

On the other hand, I didn’t find any significant improvements to my acne or blackheads. Although I didn’t expect this serum to completely get rid of all my acne, I still expected to see a small change in my blackheads. This was most likely because there was only a low concentration of BHA in the ingredients - because of this, I wouldn’t recommend this serum for someone who is looking to target acne/blackheads specifically. 

Overall, my experience of the COSRX Refresh AHA BHA Vitamin C Booster Serum was great! I reckon it’s a safe choice for all skin types and are looking for a gentle daily exfoliator that can also give a nice glow to the skin. 

Hope this was helpful! Thanks for reading ❤️

Happy Shopping!