Amazon's Best-Selling Cleanser From the K-Beauty Brand Emily Ratajkowski Uses Is Over 30% Off

When I moved to New York City, I lived in an 800 square-foot room with my twin sister. She and I cohabitated with two others, in a cramped walk-up — with one bathroom, hardly larger than a phone booth. Scant storage space required cramming our skincare anywhere we could, and our shelves were constantly scattered with stray products. 

Of all the skincare that cycled through our water closet over two years, the CosRX cleanser remained the most consistently present. One of our roommates, a designer with excellent taste in literally everything, swore by the cleanser, which I’ve since tried and can attest to. Hailing from a popular K-beauty brand used by the likes of Emily Ratajkowski, the CosRX Good Morning Low Ph Gel Cleanser has sold over eight million times worldwide, per the brand — approximately two tubes every minute. Moreover, it’s the number one best-selling gel cleanser at Amazon, where shoppers across a spectrum of skin-types swear by its refreshing-yet-gentle cleanse. Better yet, it’s 32 percent off at Amazon, where it’s a mere $9 — but only for a limited time.

Shop now: $9 (Originally $14); amazon.com

The CosRX Good Morning Low Ph Gel Cleanser is a lightweight face wash that leaves skin thoroughly clean — without imparting the tight, dry, sensation often associated with gel-based cleansers. The formula dispenses as a lightweight, cool gel; once in contact with water, it lathers into a soft foam that rinses easily, sans residue. The scent — a refreshing herbal zing that’s stellar for sleepy mornings — is thanks to natural tea-tree, a key component in the formula, both for its invigorating scent and myriad skincare benefits.

Specifically, tea tree has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, both of which benefit hot, sweaty, summer skin. Also found in the formula is 0.5 percent BHA. Otherwise known as beta hydroxy acid, the chemical exfoliant works wonderfully on oily congestion, hence its popularity among dermatologists as a pore-clearing active — and, ostensibly, a path to achieving the poreless look of K-beauty’s glass skin trend.  

Additionally, allantoin — a soothing ingredient often found in eczema creams — ensures skin stays supple post-cleanse. Per the brand, the formula is “not stripping” to the skin. Anecdotally, I’ve found this to be true, despite my naturally dry complexion. 

Also of note is the cleanser’s pH, which is “mildly acidic,” per NY-based licensed esthetician Rachel Lee Lozina. According to Boston-based double board certified facial plastic surgeon Dr. Jaimie DeRosa, M.D., “using a low pH, [i.e an] acidic cleanser [like CosRx’s] helps to maintain the skin's normal pH,” (which, she says, ranges between four and six on the one-10 pH scale). 

Cleansers that are not mildly acidic, on the other hand, can create a pH imbalance, which may “disrupt the skin barrier and cause issues such as irritation, dryness, and sensitivity,” says Dr. DeRosa. Furthermore, Lozina adds, the mildly acidic pH strips “excess oils and dirt” from the skin, delivering a “deep clean” without overdrying. In doing so, she adds, the cleanser “allows treatment serums to permeate the skin better.”

Acclaim for CosrX’s cleanser is abundant; at Amazon, it boasts over 4,000 five-star shopper ratings. According to one reviewer who has acne-prone, oily skin, the formula “leaves my face feeling clean and smooth.” Moreover, they add, “my complexion has never been better.” Another shopper says the cleanser “genuinely does make my skin feel clean and not stripped of all its moisture,” while another dubs it “gentle while still being thorough.” 

Shop the ultra-popular gel cleanser from a K-brand used by supermodels, tastemakers, and yours truly, for grime-free — yet still supple — skin. With the sweaty, grimy summer months ahead, it’s bound to deliver a satisfying deep, refreshing clean that’s perfect for the season. Hurry — CosRx Good Morning Low pH Gel Cleanser is $9 for a limited time only.