Over the previous couple of years, I’ve developed a fairly critical habit to gel lotions. I usually have at the least a few gel lotions open and in energetic rotation in my on a regular basis skincare routines, as a result of now that my pores and skin is totally adjusted to my very excessive (0.14%) Curology tretinoin prescription, I don’t want heavier lotions for day. I generally even desire gel lotions to richer moisturizers at night time. And gel lotions are all over the place today. In actual fact, COSRX simply launched a brand new one, the COSRX Balancium Consolation Cool Ceramide Soothing Gel Cream.
Considered one of my favourite product sorts, from considered one of my favourite manufacturers? After all I’d wish to evaluate it. I’ve had the brand new product in my fingers for some time now. I’m prepared.
The product featured on this publish was supplied at my request by the model. This publish could include affiliate hyperlinks, which allow me to earn a small fee on purchases made by clicking the hyperlinks. Affiliate hyperlinks are marked with an asterisk(*).
However first, for these of you newer to what’s good in skincare today…
To outline the time period, I’m simply going to cite my very own e book*, the place I outlined gel lotions within the Regular Pores and skin part of the moisturizer chapter:
The water and humectant content material in gel lotions tends to be larger in comparison with its fatty content material than in conventional cream moisturizers, and gel lotions usually use extra silicones than oils or plant butters for his or her emollient content material. This makes them extra light-weight than lotions, although with the flexibility to offer a big quantity of moisture. Pores and skin that’s dehydrated however not too dry usually does effectively with gel cream moisturizers.
My pores and skin is regular today however does greatest with a lot of hydration, so gel lotions work very effectively for me.
The Consolation Cool Ceramide Soothing Gel Cream is a brand new addition to COSRX’s Balancium line, which launched with the Balancium Consolation Cream again in 2018. (Regardless of having virtually reverse pores and skin sorts and considerations, each my good good friend Tracy at Fanserviced-B and I got here to the identical conclusion in regards to the Balancium Consolation Cream. We discovered it unremarkable and even unsuitable when our pores and skin was in good condition however splendidly replenishing when our pores and skin was already struggling–in her case, from Accutane use, and in my my case, from eczema flare-ups.)
Just like the Balancium Consolation Cream, the Consolation Cool Ceramide Soothing Gel Cream accommodates ceramides and centella asiatica extract, a mix that ought to theoretically assist restore and strengthen a broken pores and skin barrier whereas calming and therapeutic irritation. In contrast to the Balancium Consolation Cream, the Consolation Cool Ceramide Soothing Gel gives these potential advantages in a a lot lighter base and with further results added.
Function: The COSRX Consolation Cool Ceramide Soothing Gel Cream is a light-weight moisturizing product that claims to assist restore and strengthen broken pores and skin limitations whereas cooling and soothing irritation.
Finest suited to: Regular to oily pores and skin sorts.
Don’t use if: Your pores and skin has points with silicones, fatty alcohols, tea tree oil, aromatic important oils like bergamot and rosewood, or anything within the elements checklist.
When and learn how to use: Apply after any toner, essence, and serum steps in your morning or night skincare routine (or each). If utilizing within the morning, let it dry down for a couple of minutes earlier than continuing to sunscreen and/or make-up. (In case you’re uncertain about what order to make use of merchandise in your routine, my e book or this weblog publish could assist.)
COSRX Consolation Cool Ceramide Soothing Gel Cream elements: Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Squalane, PCA Dimethicone, Phenyl
Trimethicone, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Polyglycerin-3, Dipropylene Glycol, Ceramide NP, Betaine, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Hydroxyacetophenone, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer, Sodium Polyacrylate, Xylitol, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate, Polyisobutene,
Polyquaternium-51, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Disodium EDTA, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Sorbitan Oleate, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract, Menthyl Lactate, Ethyl Menthane Carboxamide, Methyl Diisopropyl Propionamide, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Water, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Chamaecyparis Obtusa Water, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Aniba Rosaeodora (Rosewood) Wooden Oil, Tocopherol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Allantoin, Panthenol, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Phytosphingosine, Ldl cholesterol, Ceramide NG, Ceramide NS, Ceramide AP, Ceramide AS, Ceramide EOP
Notable elements: So let’s discuss ceramides.
Ceramides are naturally occurring lipids that play a central function within the integrity of the pores and skin barrier, serving to to “waterproof” pores and skin in order that it retains its pure moisture and extra successfully repels exterior micro organism and different irritants and contaminants. The significance of ceramides to pores and skin barrier perform is why you’ll discover them in just about any product marketed as barrier-repairing, together with COSRX’s Balancium line.
Ceramides themselves aren’t essentially the important thing, nevertheless. There’s analysis suggesting that particular ratios of ceramides, ldl cholesterol, and free fatty acids work extra successfully to restore a broken barrier. With most commercially bought skincare merchandise, we are able to’t know the ingredient ratios. However we are able to at the least search for the presence of all three sorts of ingredient. The unique Balancium Consolation Cream doesn’t include ldl cholesterol. The Consolation Cool Ceramide Soothing Gel Cream does, and it additionally accommodates phytosphingosine, making it extra probably (on paper) to speed up barrier restore.
Again within the model’s early days, COSRX was recognized for the simplicity of its formulation. Because the model has expanded each its attain and product strains, nevertheless, it’s stepped away from its previous minimalistic formulation philosophy. Alongside the ceramides, ldl cholesterol, and phytosphingosine within the Consolation Cool Ceramide Soothing Gel, they’ve additionally added squalane, betaine, allantoin, and panthenol. These elements are effectively supported for anti-inflammatory, anti-irritation, and normal protecting results. Tea tree oil, aloe leaf juice, and centella, ginger root, and licorice root extracts present extra potential calming energy. Peppermint extract and derivatives contribute the cooling impact touted within the product’s title.
I keep in mind being disconcerted by the truth that the Balancium Consolation Ceramide Cream was scented. It was the primary fragranced COSRX product I’d tried (and may need been the primary one to include added scent!). Like that product, the Consolation Cool Ceramide Soothing Gel Cream is fragranced. Bergamot and rosewood oils give it a smooth, vaguely citrusy scent. It’s not strongly fragranced, and I discover the scent nice, however I agree with these of you who’ve identified that placing perfume in merchandise marketed for delicate or broken pores and skin is an odd selection.
(Severely, why? I really feel like I see aromatic important oils in a lot of supposedly delicate skin-friendly merchandise, when really aromatic EOs are sometimes irritating, even when they arrive from vegetation which might be purported to be calming.)
Anyway. The scent isn’t an issue for me, however hold it in thoughts should you suspect it may very well be for you.
Efficiency
In case you’ve used a number of gel lotions, then you definately’ll know that it’s a surprisingly numerous class. Some gel lotions are so watery and light-weight that they barely rely as moisturizers. For instance, I wouldn’t advocate the COSRX Hydrium Inexperienced Tea Aqua Soothing Gel Cream* for any however essentially the most oily pores and skin, as a result of it’ll disappear proper into pores and skin and barely go away a hint behind. Mizon’s basic Snail Restoration Gel Cream* feels extra substantial, however in a siliconey means, leaving a clean floor with out including a lot moisture; for me it’s virtually like a light-weight make-up primer reasonably than a moisturizer. On the opposite finish of the spectrum in each worth and results, Amorepacific’s Time Response Pores and skin Reserve Gel Creme* has that distinctly silky, hydrating gel cream consistency however packs a outstanding quantity of hydration and emollient moisture into somewhat smear of product. (It’s $450, so it’s a great factor it truly is particular.)
COSRX Consolation Cool Ceramide Soothing Gel Cream falls someplace in the midst of the spectrum however leans extra in direction of the extremely moisturizing finish of the style.
It’s thick, dense, and clean, with a considerable really feel to it. I discovered the cooling impact noticeable however delicate. On my pores and skin, it simply feels refreshing, like a contact of cool water, reasonably than minty in the best way {that a} stronger menthol product would. (As somebody who usually makes use of White Flower Oil* and even Tiger Balm* on my temples and brow once I get complications, I’m intimately aware of the havoc {that a} larger dose of menthol can wreak on pores and skin.)
The Consolation Cool Ceramide Soothing Gel Cream offers precisely sufficient moisture to maintain my pores and skin supple and pleased on a standard pores and skin, regular humidity day. It comes by effectively when my pores and skin is feeling drier than standard as a result of climate or somewhat an excessive amount of exfoliation, too. I’ve been exfoliating somewhat greater than standard recently on account of plans to evaluate a few peeling gels within the subsequent few weeks, and though peeling gels are among the many mildest exfoliants round, utilizing them virtually daily in an effort to search out my private restrict signifies that my pores and skin has been feeling thinner than standard. I haven’t gone far sufficient to trigger critical injury to my barrier (but), so I can’t communicate to how effectively this moisturizer would heal up extra extreme issues, however I’ve discovered it reliably comforting when my pores and skin is edging into the hazard zone. As a bonus, it does calm my occasional delicate irritation and sensitivity effectively.
Since it is a lighter product, I most frequently use it within the morning, beneath sunscreen. Regardless of being on the extra moisturizing aspect for a product of this sort, it dries down rapidly and fully for me, with no sticky residue, making it tremendous handy for a rushed morning routine.
Just like the Mizon snail gel cream I discussed earlier, the Consolation Cool Ceramide Soothing Gel Cream has a reasonably distinguished silicone element. The silicones enable it to behave virtually like a hydrating primer–it seems to be and feels nice beneath sunscreen and make-up. In contrast to the Mizon snail gel cream, nevertheless, the moisture this product offers lasts all day; I don’t really feel dry by the point I’m able to do my night routine.
Conclusion
General, I’m a fan. I’ve discovered myself reaching for the Consolation Cool Ceramide Soothing Gel Cream extra usually than most of my different daytime moisturizers. It’s bought the correct amount of moisture for my pores and skin, appears to offer some additional help for my pores and skin barrier once I’m being a bit laborious on it, and performs effectively with different merchandise each beneath and on high. I nonetheless assume including aromatic important oils to a “repairing”-type product isn’t the most effective transfer, since that may disqualify it for many individuals whose pores and skin barrier injury makes them extra delicate to these sorts of elements, however I’m glad that isn’t an issue for me.
Ranking: 4/5
1 – This must be taken off the market, or this failed at its one main job.
2 – Induced me some issues or doesn’t work very effectively; wouldn’t purchase once more.
3 – Meh. Neither nice nor dangerous.
4 – Fairly good. Would purchase once more except I discover one thing higher.
5 – I’ll by no means be out there for a alternative except this one is discontinued.
The place can I purchase COSRX Consolation Cool Ceramide Soothing Gel Cream?
This product simply launched, however you may already discover it at: