Cosrx has really gained a big cult following within the beauty community for the last couple years and have really solidified themselves as an effective skincare brand with an affordable price-point, simple and minimal ingredients with products that are well suited for sensitive and acne-prone skin. In this post I will be comparing the two popular sleeping masks from Cosrx. (If you aren’t familiar with what they are, you can read more about it here).
Ultimate Moisturizing Honey Overnight Mask
Purpose: Provides intensive hydration with refreshing moisture. To be used as the last step of your evening skincare routine. Leave it on overnight and wash it off the next morning.
Quantity/Price: Typically between $12-$17 on IBBI/Jolse for 50g of product
Ingredients: Enriched with more than 85% of propolis which makes up the bulk of the ingredients in this sleeping mask. Despite the name, this doesn’t contain actual honey but refers to the propolis which is made by bees through mixing plant sap, beeswax and saliva. This is used by bees to build their hives but in skincare, propolis has multiple properties – antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and anti-inflammatory. You can see why Cosrx have utilised this ingredient; it has soothing, calming and healing benefits for sensitive and problem skin.
Other notable ingredients include arginine (an essential amino acid that aids in collagen production), natural bees wax (retains moisture, protects skin barrier and a source of Vitamin A), adenosine (anti-wrinkle) and allantoin (calming and soothing for irritation).
Consistency: Light, cooling gel consistency. Great for use in warmer weather and most suitable for normal to oily skin types. Spreads easily and absorbs quickly without leaving a heavy feeling on your skin so you can go to bed straight away without worrying about it transferring. Dries down to a light tacky finish and works really well in combination with lots of previous skincare layering.
Ultimate Nourishing Rice Overnight Spa Mask
Purpose: Claims to provide intensive nourishment with deep moisture and brightening. Apply as the last step in your evening skincare routine, leave overnight and wash off the next morning.
Quantity/Price: Typically between $12-$16 on IBBI/Jolse for 50g of product. (I have the limited edition tube packaging which was released at Christmas and contains 60g. The normal packaging comes in a jar identical to the honey mask.)
Ingredients: Enriched with more than 65% of rice extract. Rice is a common ingredient in Asian skincare for its brightening properties and its abilities to smooth and plump the skin. It provides moisturising and antioxidant benefits, is a source of vitamin B which promotes cell growth, stimulates blood flow and increases collagen production.
Other notable ingredients include: sunflower seed oil (anti-inflammatory, rich in vitamin E & fatty acids), niacinamide (improve pores, dull, uneven skin tone & a source of vitamin B3), arginine (an essential amino acid that aids in collagen production) and allantoin (calming and soothing for irritation).
Consistency: Has a more creamy texture like a regular cream moisturiser. Better for use in colder seasons and most suitable for normal-dry/dehydrated skin types. It dispenses as a thick white cream but it spreads out very smoothly and leaves a thin moisture layer atop the skin. It does takes longer to absorb than the honey mask and if you apply quite liberally, it does have the potential to clog your skin and feel heavy.
Comparison:
I personally love the honey mask and it will definitely be a staple repurchase alongside my Laneige Water Sleeping Mask and Innisfree Green Tea Sleeping Pack. I am prone to red skin around the cheek area and the propolis in this is super effective at calming the redness. After applying overnight, I always wake up with clearer, more even toned, happy looking skin. You definitely see a visible difference. It is such a reliable sleeping mask if you suffer from sensitive skin that gets irritated or red easily, or even if you’ve been a bit heavy handed with the chemical exfoliation and acids.
On the other hand, I’m not as keen on the rice mask and won’t be repurchasing. I have normal skin that gets dehydrated often (but not dry). However I prefer lighter or more gel-like textures for sleeping masks (which makes the honey mask great), that absorb quickly but still give a moisturising layer on the skin and layer up well over other skincare. This rice mask has a more standard cream texture so it feels like a moisturiser than a sleeping mask. If you have multiple skincare steps, I feel like this doesn’t absorb well over it and makes my skin feel clogged. It is certainly not a heavy, thick cream so for normal-dry skin it probably won’t be an issue but I tend to never use another moisturiser beforehand if I know I’ll be applying this overnight. It’s just a bit too suffocating and I wake up more oily on the t-zone.
The main reason why I’m not impressed with this compared to the honey mask is that it hasn’t had much of an effect on my skin. Since it contains rice for brightening and smoothing skin, I expected to see those results but I dont notice any difference the next day and the Innisfree green tea sleeping pack produces far superior results. I’m not sure if its just the formulation because I’ve used rice in my other skincare products and I do get brightening results. To be fair, my skin has not been extremely dull or bad during the times I’ve used this so perhaps there’s just not much it has to improve.
In the end, which one you prefer and should get, depends on your skin type and concerns. For me, calming my red skin is more of an issue so I like the honey mask more for evening out skin tone and I get better results with it. The rice mask is good if you need more moisture since it has a thicker consistency but you can get better brightening results from other skincare products. (The Hanyul rice essential skin softner is great for diminishing dullness and brightening). I also find the rice mask better for winter as it’s a bit too much for warmer weather, whereas I can easily use the honey mask all year round and double up with a thicker cream underneath it if I need more moisture in the colder months.
Overall: The Cosrx Ultimate Moisturizing Honey wins for more appealing texture, absorbency, versatility and visible results!
Wantastic Beauty 
Ooh I’ve never heard of Corsx before! Seems pretty affordable too!
The honey mask sounds lovely and looks so cooling/lightweight! It’s funny because I’ve seen lots of propolis capsules/pills sold in Australia in the past few years! They kinda look like those fish oil capsules. I guess propolis is now being introduced into makeup!
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