Hello, today I'll talk to you about a product I've been using for the past months that helped me a lot in my battle against large pores.
I'm talking about the BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum by COSRX.
COSRX is Korean brand specialized in skincare products, that became quite famous for its AHA and BHA products; its main targets are troubled skin, adult acne, large pore and blackheads, they have a quite wide range of products (cleansers, toners, moisturizers, masks etc) for a very affordable price.
Having myself an impure, prone to acne skin, with large pores and blackheads in the nose and chin zones, I've always been very interested in trying one of the COSRX products... also because the reviews about them are most of the times good! But I'm totally new to the world of chemical exfoliants, so I decided to try one of the toners with the lowest percentage of BHA (Beta Hydroxy Acids, they penetrate the pores and, being oil-soluble, clean them deeply). In fact, the Summer Pore Minish Serum has only the 0,5% of BHA, while, for example, the Blackhead Power Liquid has 4%). So it's a lot gentler, good to introduce the skin to BHAs.
Ingredients: Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Water, Alcohol, Butylene Glycol, Betaine Salicylate, Sodium Hyaluronate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Centella Asiatica Leaf Water, Cassia Obtusifolia Seed Extract, Ethyl Hexanediol, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Arginine, Panthenol, Carbomer, Zinc Oxide, Xanthan Gum, Menthol
Claims: non-oily skin, pores reduced, sebo absorption, dead skin cells removal, fine and smooth skin.
How to use it: shake the bottle before using it, so that the powder can be mixed with the liquid. Use it at the serum/essence stage (after toner, before moisturizer, put some product on a cotton pad and concentrate on the more troubled and oily spots of you face. Gently tap with your fingers to absorb. Do not put anything on your face until the product is fully absorbed (it doesn't take long anyway), so that it can fully penetrate your skin. The serum is made for all skintypes for daily use in the morning and evening, but if you have sensitive skin COSRX suggests to only use it in the evening and 2-3 times a week.
Package: I bought it in June, so I don't have the box anymore, but it's a white, simple cardboard with the name of the product, the ingredients and the instructions. The bottle itself contains 100ml of product into a frosted plastic pump-bottle. The liquid inside the bottle looks mildly orange, and you can see some white particles floating and some white residue on the bottom of the bottle: it's the sebum absorption powder, that's why you have to shake the bottle before using it!
My experience: I've been using this serum since June and, as you can see, I still have half bottle left. That's because I only use few pumps of product on my nose and chin, since they're the parts where I have most of my blackheads. The product has a liquid consistency and lightly smells of alchool, but it's really a faint smell. It absorbs quickly and it's sticky only if you use too much.
I've tried few times using it every evening, but everytime, after the 3rd day, some red, underskin spots appeared on my nose and/or chin; they disappeared in 1-2 days after I stopped using the serum. I've tried this 3 times, and the result was always the same. It's evident that, even with a low BHAs percentage, it's still too much for my skin. So, I usually use it 2-3 time a week, as COSRX suggests, without any problem.
Since the low percentage of acids, it's not really an exfoliator, it just deeply cleans your skin. The immediate effect is a clear skin with pore less visible and cleaner. On the long term, I can notice that the pores on my nose are a bit less visible (but I have to say that in august/september I haven't used it much).
If your main concern are large pores, you might want to give it a shoot; but it's really mild, so maybe you can try some other products of the brand, to see if they are more effective. That's what I'll do as soon as I finish my bottle. But, to be fair, it does what it claims.
It's not a bad product, especially if you are new, like me, to BHAs and have no idea of how your skin will react to them.
You can find it on Jolse for 17$, but it's often on sale (like right now! It's onlt 13.60$!).
I'm talking about the BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum by COSRX.
COSRX is Korean brand specialized in skincare products, that became quite famous for its AHA and BHA products; its main targets are troubled skin, adult acne, large pore and blackheads, they have a quite wide range of products (cleansers, toners, moisturizers, masks etc) for a very affordable price.
Having myself an impure, prone to acne skin, with large pores and blackheads in the nose and chin zones, I've always been very interested in trying one of the COSRX products... also because the reviews about them are most of the times good! But I'm totally new to the world of chemical exfoliants, so I decided to try one of the toners with the lowest percentage of BHA (Beta Hydroxy Acids, they penetrate the pores and, being oil-soluble, clean them deeply). In fact, the Summer Pore Minish Serum has only the 0,5% of BHA, while, for example, the Blackhead Power Liquid has 4%). So it's a lot gentler, good to introduce the skin to BHAs.
"Oily and drooping pores are given a new look!
BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum is a pore-tightening serum that brings strong tightening effect to widening pores due to excessive sebum for oily-complex skin types and drying of the skin for neutral-dry skin types. BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum is an astringent serum that removes clogged sebum and old cornification in the pores with natural BHA ingredients to clean them, and helps with sebum control and pore-astringent effect."
BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum is a pore-tightening serum that brings strong tightening effect to widening pores due to excessive sebum for oily-complex skin types and drying of the skin for neutral-dry skin types. BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum is an astringent serum that removes clogged sebum and old cornification in the pores with natural BHA ingredients to clean them, and helps with sebum control and pore-astringent effect."
Ingredients: Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Water, Alcohol, Butylene Glycol, Betaine Salicylate, Sodium Hyaluronate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Centella Asiatica Leaf Water, Cassia Obtusifolia Seed Extract, Ethyl Hexanediol, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Arginine, Panthenol, Carbomer, Zinc Oxide, Xanthan Gum, Menthol
Claims: non-oily skin, pores reduced, sebo absorption, dead skin cells removal, fine and smooth skin.
How to use it: shake the bottle before using it, so that the powder can be mixed with the liquid. Use it at the serum/essence stage (after toner, before moisturizer, put some product on a cotton pad and concentrate on the more troubled and oily spots of you face. Gently tap with your fingers to absorb. Do not put anything on your face until the product is fully absorbed (it doesn't take long anyway), so that it can fully penetrate your skin. The serum is made for all skintypes for daily use in the morning and evening, but if you have sensitive skin COSRX suggests to only use it in the evening and 2-3 times a week.
Package: I bought it in June, so I don't have the box anymore, but it's a white, simple cardboard with the name of the product, the ingredients and the instructions. The bottle itself contains 100ml of product into a frosted plastic pump-bottle. The liquid inside the bottle looks mildly orange, and you can see some white particles floating and some white residue on the bottom of the bottle: it's the sebum absorption powder, that's why you have to shake the bottle before using it!
My experience: I've been using this serum since June and, as you can see, I still have half bottle left. That's because I only use few pumps of product on my nose and chin, since they're the parts where I have most of my blackheads. The product has a liquid consistency and lightly smells of alchool, but it's really a faint smell. It absorbs quickly and it's sticky only if you use too much.
I've tried few times using it every evening, but everytime, after the 3rd day, some red, underskin spots appeared on my nose and/or chin; they disappeared in 1-2 days after I stopped using the serum. I've tried this 3 times, and the result was always the same. It's evident that, even with a low BHAs percentage, it's still too much for my skin. So, I usually use it 2-3 time a week, as COSRX suggests, without any problem.
Since the low percentage of acids, it's not really an exfoliator, it just deeply cleans your skin. The immediate effect is a clear skin with pore less visible and cleaner. On the long term, I can notice that the pores on my nose are a bit less visible (but I have to say that in august/september I haven't used it much).
If your main concern are large pores, you might want to give it a shoot; but it's really mild, so maybe you can try some other products of the brand, to see if they are more effective. That's what I'll do as soon as I finish my bottle. But, to be fair, it does what it claims.
It's not a bad product, especially if you are new, like me, to BHAs and have no idea of how your skin will react to them.
You can find it on Jolse for 17$, but it's often on sale (like right now! It's onlt 13.60$!).
