East VS West: CosRX One Step Pimple Clear Pad VS Stridex Maximum

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about the CosRX One Step Pimple Clear Pad VS the Stridex Maximum Pads! These handy little pads are easy to use BHA treatments, and these are pretty comparable products! Skin care is always so personal, and while one product might work better for me, it doesn't mean the other product won't work for you!

Product Claims

CosRX

Easy to use, anywhere & everywhere, the One Step Pimple Clear Pad is designed for on-the-go emergencies and made with all-natural ingredients to reduce the irritations while deeply penetrating the pores to clear unwanted gunk to transform your skin into the beautiful, flawless being you are !

Stridex

Stridex Maximum Pads have the highest level of acne-fighting medicine allowed (2% salicylic acid) without a prescription, and are recommended for cases of moderate acne. Maximum Pads contain effective skin cleansers that work to remove dirt, oil, sweat and other impurities from the surface of the skin, penetrate to unclog pores, and dissolve deep down oil.

Ingredients

The ingredients lists aren't too similar, there definitely are some big differences! The CosRX only contains 1% of it's active exfoliant Betaine Salicylate which is similar to Salycilic Acid but gentler. Salycilic Acid is a little difficult to get as an over the counter medicine in Korea, so Betaine Salicylate is a much more common ingredient as a BHA. The Stridex Pads on the other hand have 2% Salycilic Acid. Both ingredient lists have some notable ingredients which contribute to how they feel on the skin. The most notable ingredient in the Stridex Pads is Menthol, which gives a cooling effect on the skin but is also quite an irritating ingredient and can dry the skin out. On the other hand, the CosRX Pads contains Panthenol which is a humectant and moisturises the skin, as well as Sodium Hyaluronate which also provides moisture for the skin.

CosRX

Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Betaine Salicylate (1%), 1,2-Hexanediol, Arginine, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Panthenol, Allantoin, Ethyl Hexanediol, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Hyaluronate

Stridex

Salicylic acid 2.0%, ammonium lauryl sulfate, ammonium xylenesulfonate, citric acid, DMDM hydantoin, fragrance, menthol, PPG-5-ceteth-20, purified water, simethicone, sodium borate, tetrasodium EDTA

Packaging

The packaging of both of these products are very similar, but the CosRX jar is slightly bigger. They both have screw jar tops, and they even have red labels on white tubs. 

The pads themselves are also very similar, the both have a textured side and a smooth side.

Performance

I trialed each BHA pad on one side of my face for 2 months. For the first week I used the pads 3x a week, for the 2nd week I used them every second day, and then onward I used them every night. I certainly experienced purging on both sides of my face.

I don't really see much difference between the before and after photos, but I don't think BHA's really give that much of a visual difference since they work on unclogging your pores which should help in reducing acne.

CosRX

On the CosRX side I can see a little difference in the pores around my nose, they do look a little smaller which is great. Other than that, I did find that this side of my face broke out more than the other side.

Stridex

Again, on this side my pores do look a little smaller and I didn't have as many breakouts. However the Stridex made my skin feel SO DRY, it made the wait time quite difficult because my face felt so tight.

Price

CosRX

$22.15
$0.31 per pad

Stridex

$5.88
$0.10 per pad 

CosRX

- 1% Betaine Salicylate
- 0.31c per pad
- Not too much difference in breakouts
- Doesn't make my skin feel dry

Stridex

- 2% Salycilic Acid
- 0.10c per pad
- Lessened breakouts
- Makes my skin feel SO DRY

Final Thoughts

There are definitely both positive and negative aspects to both products. The big points for me is that the CosRX is more expensive at 31c per pad, has less BHA and is not drying for my skin. The Stridex on the other hand is very inexpensive at 10c per pad, has a higher percentage of BHA, but makes my skin feel very dry while using. I'm not incredibly impressed with either of these products and I probably wouldn't repurchase them, I would rather try something new! I also have a Paulas Choice BHA to try and I'm thinking about trying the CosRX Blackhead Power Liquid too, so let me know if you'd like a comparison to those ones too!