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COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser

⏱ 2 min read
Quick answer: Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser is COSRX's water cleanser (gel / foam), built around BHA (Salicylic). Oily, congested and blemish-prone skin that wants something more substantial than a low-foam gel without going back to a stripping bar.

A foaming gel cleanser aimed at blemish-prone skin, with salicylic acid and tea tree in a formula that still rinses at a skin-friendly pH. It foams more than the Low pH Good Morning cleanser and feels more decisive on oily skin, which is why people with congestion tend to prefer it. Like most acid cleansers, its value lies in being a non-stripping daily wash rather than in the acid itself.

🏷️ COSRX 🧼 Water cleanser (gel / foam) 💸 $10-15

What it is built around

🧽 BHA (Salicylic)

Who it suits

Oily, congested and blemish-prone skin that wants something more substantial than a low-foam gel without going back to a stripping bar. Works as an evening second cleanse and, for very oily skin, a morning wash. Dry, sensitive or currently over-exfoliated skin should skip it — there is nothing here it needs, and the foaming will not help.

🔴 Acne & breakouts🛢️ Oil control⚫ Blackheads & sebaceous filaments🕳️ Pores & texture

How to use it

Half a pump on damp skin, worked into a light foam and massaged for about thirty seconds before rinsing. Evening as the second step after an oil or balm; morning only if your skin genuinely runs oily. Once daily is enough for most people. Follow with moisturiser, and with sunscreen in the morning.

⚠️ Worth knowing: Salicylic acid in a cleanser is one of the most over-sold ideas in skincare. It is rinsed away in under a minute, at a concentration and pH set for a wash rather than a treatment, so it cannot replace a leave-on BHA. Using it twice daily in the hope of speeding things up mostly produces dryness, which prompts more oil — the opposite of the goal.

🏆 Compare Korean water cleanser (gel / foam) for acne & breakouts →

We describe products from public information and rank ingredients, never take payment for placement. Formulas change — always read the current ingredient list on the pack you buy.

Related K-beauty guides

🧽 BHA (Salicylic)🐌 COSRX

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✍️ Written & reviewed by the KoreaPlus Editorial team — dermatologist-informed, cosmetic-science researched & source-cited. Last reviewed: 2026-08-23.

General educational information using cosmetic structure-function wording — not medical advice. Always patch-test new actives. © KoreaPlus.