Where does this cleansing water go in my routine?

On dry skin as the first evening cleanse, before any water. Nothing goes under it: this cleansing water is the step everything else in the routine lands on top of. If you are adding it to a routine you already like, give it a week on its own first, so what you see is the Kojic Acid and not three changes at once.

Is this the Korean-market cleansing water or a US version?

The Korean-market one, Kojic Acid and all. We match this cleansing water to its Korean barcode before it reaches the shelf, which is the check that tells you which market release you are holding.

What else is on the list besides Kojic Acid?

Allantoin, Tranexamic Acid and Ascorbic Acid. The order they are printed in on this cleansing water's panel is the order on the box, so you can see where Kojic Acid sits relative to them. Further down the same panel: Ceramide NP, Centella Asiatica Extract and Citrus Junos Fruit Extract.

AXIS-Y

Kojic Yuzu Cleansing Water 250ml

Name: AXIS-Y Kojic Yuzu Cleansing Water 250ml
Brand: AXIS-Y
SKU: axisy114
Price: 62.5 USD
Availability: InStock

Kojic Acid at 509.49 ppm is named on the list, with Ascorbic Acid and Tranexamic Acid behind it and rice bran water second. A 250 ml cleansing water, lifted off on a pad. Korean-market formula.

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$62.50

250 ml

$25.00 per 100 ml

Korean-market formula
Ships from California or direct from Korea
Korean barcode and batch code intact

Suited to: Congested skinUneven textureDry skinCompromised barrier

Helps with: Shoppers looking for Kojic Acid in a cleansing waterRoutines that want Kojic Acid and Allantoin in one stepFilling the cleansing water step with a Korean-market formulaAnyone who wants the Kojic Acid cleansing water sold on Korean shelves

One-time purchase

$62.50

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$56.25

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How it works

The Kojic Yuzu Cleansing Water is a 250ml cleansing water, used on dry skin as the first evening cleanse, before any water. The active it is built around is Kojic Acid, named fifteenth on its own ingredient list. The same list carries Allantoin, Tranexamic Acid and Ascorbic Acid, so the active is not the only thing on it worth naming. How much of the Kojic Acid stays on the skin, and for how long, is decided by the cleansing water format rather than by the list alone. This is the Original Korean Formula, the cleansing water AXIS-Y sells in Korea, Kojic Acid and all.

Key benefits

Kojic Acid, the active this cleansing water is built around
Allantoin and Tranexamic Acid on the same list, actives
Ascorbic Acid on the same list, an antioxidant
Ceramide NP on the same list, a barrier lipid
Centella Asiatica Extract and Citrus Junos Fruit Extract further down the same list
Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract and Houttuynia Cordata Extract further down the same list

Inside the formula

Ingredients declared

No fragrance

on the list

1 of 4

31 of 33 explained

Water solvent: Water is the base almost every serum, toner and cream is built on. It dissolves the water-loving ingredients and sets how light the finished texture feels. On an INCI list it is usually first, which only means it is the largest single ingredient by weight.
Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Water plant extract: Rice Bran Water is the water from washing or steeping rice bran, the traditional Korean and Japanese rinse. It is used in place of plain water as a formula base.
Butylene Glycol humectant: Butylene Glycol is a small glycol that does two jobs at once: it holds water in the top layer of skin and it dissolves plant extracts and actives that plain water cannot. It also thins a formula, which is why watery Korean essences lean on it.
Dipropylene Glycol humectant: Dipropylene Glycol is a glycol used as a solvent and a light humectant. Its main job is keeping the rest of the formula dissolved and the texture fluid rather than adding hydration of its own.
Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate emulsifier: Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate is a mild sugar-derived solubiliser used to dissolve fragrance and oil into watery formulas.
1,2-Hexanediol humectant: 1,2-Hexanediol is a glycol used for two reasons: it holds water like glycerin, and it makes a formula harder for microbes to live in, so less traditional preservative is needed. Korean formulas use it heavily for that second reason.
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate emulsifier: Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate is a sugar-derived emulsifier and solubiliser, mild enough to be a standard choice in Korean essences. It dissolves small amounts of oil into water without any tightening feel.
Propanediol humectant: Propanediol is a plant-derived glycol used in place of propylene glycol. It hydrates, carries actives into solution, and gives a lighter, less sticky slip than glycerin at the same strength.
Hydroxyacetophenone preservative booster: Hydroxyacetophenone is an antioxidant that also strengthens a preservative system, so a formula needs less traditional preservative. Korean formulas pair it with 1,2-hexanediol constantly.
Polyglyceryl-6 Caprylate emulsifier: A polyglycerin emulsifier with a short fatty chain, which makes it more water-loving than its longer-chain relatives. It suits cleansing waters and micellar formulas.
Allantoin active: Allantoin is a comfrey-derived compound used to condition skin and soften the outer layer so it feels smoother. It is one of the standard additions to a formula built for easily irritated skin.
Panthenol humectant: Panthenol is pro-vitamin B5: skin converts it to pantothenic acid. It is a humectant that holds water and leaves skin feeling soft and less tight, and it is one of the ingredients formulators reach for when a formula also contains something harsh.

19 more explained

Kojic Acid (509.49 ppm) active: Kojic Acid comes from the fermentation of rice by Aspergillus, the mould used to make sake. It is used in formulas addressed to the look of uneven tone, and it darkens in air.
Ethylhexylglycerin preservative booster: Ethylhexylglycerin softens skin and boosts a preservative system, which is why it is nearly always sitting beside phenoxyethanol or 1,2-hexanediol. It also cuts down the odour bacteria produce, so it turns up in deodorising products.
Sodium Citrate pH adjuster: Sodium Citrate is the salt of citric acid, used as a buffer: it holds a formula at a steady pH rather than pushing it in one direction. It is also a mild chelator.
Citric Acid pH adjuster: Citric Acid is used in tiny amounts to bring a formula to the pH its actives need, not as an exfoliant at that level. It is an AHA, so at much higher concentrations it can also exfoliate.
Disodium EDTA chelator: EDTA is a chelator: it locks up trace metal ions from water and packaging that would otherwise turn a formula cloudy, off-colour or rancid. It does nothing to skin and appears at a fraction of a percent.
Ascorbic Acid antioxidant: Ascorbic Acid is pure vitamin C, the most researched form and also the least stable: it needs a low pH and airtight packaging to stay active. It is an antioxidant used for the look of dullness and uneven tone.
Tranexamic Acid active: Tranexamic Acid is a synthetic amino acid derivative used for the look of stubborn discolouration and post-blemish marks. It is water soluble, stable and comfortable next to niacinamide, which is how it is usually paired.
Glycerin humectant: Glycerin is the most used humectant in skincare. It draws water into the outer layer of skin and holds it there, and it is one of the very few ingredients whose hydrating effect is settled science rather than marketing. Higher amounts feel tacky, which is why it is usually blended.
Hydrogenated Lecithin emulsifier: Hydrogenated Lecithin is lecithin with its unsaturated bonds filled in, which makes it far more stable. It emulsifies and is the standard shell for the liposomes that carry actives into the outer layer of skin.
Centella Asiatica Extract plant extract: Centella Asiatica is the plant behind the whole cica category, sold as gotu kola or Madagascar centella. Its extract is the anchor of Korean formulas built for easily reddened skin, and its work is done by four triterpenes: asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic acid and madecassic acid.
Citrus Junos Fruit Extract (100 ppb) plant extract: Yuja fruit extract, the Korean citrus preserved as yuja tea. It carries vitamin C, fruit acids and flavonoids.
Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract plant extract: Licorice Root Extract carries glabridin and liquiritin. It is one of the classic plant ingredients used for the look of uneven tone and redness, and it appears in almost every brightening formula that avoids synthetic actives.
Houttuynia Cordata Extract plant extract: Houttuynia Cordata is heartleaf, and it is one of the two or three anchor plants of Korean calming skincare. Its extract carries quercitrin and other flavonoids and is used for the look of redness and blemish-prone skin.
Ceramide NP barrier lipid: Ceramide NP is the most used cosmetic ceramide, the same class of lipid that makes up roughly half the mortar between cells in the outer layer of skin. Added to a cream it slots into that structure, which is why ceramide formulas feel less leaky rather than merely greasy.
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract plant extract: Camellia Sinensis is the tea plant. Green tea leaf extract carries catechins, among the most studied plant antioxidants, and is used for the look of redness and oily shine.
Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract plant extract: Polygonum Cuspidatum is Japanese knotweed, the main commercial source of resveratrol. Its root extract is used as an antioxidant plant extract.
Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract plant extract: Scutellaria Baicalensis is Chinese skullcap. Its root extract carries baicalin, a well studied plant antioxidant, and it is used for the look of redness.
Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract plant extract: Chamomile Flower Extract is one of the oldest ingredients in skincare, carrying bisabolol and chamazulene. It is used for the look of redness in formulas for reactive skin.
Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract plant extract: Rosemary Leaf Extract carries rosmarinic and carnosic acids, both effective antioxidants. It is often there to keep the oils in a formula from going rancid.

How to use

Soak a cotton pad properly rather than dampening it, since a dry pad drags on the skin.
Hold the pad against the eyes or lips for a few seconds before wiping, so the makeup lifts instead of smearing.
Follow with a rinse or a gentle cleanser, since a wipe off step leaves a small amount behind.
Do not rely on it alone after a full day of sunscreen, because that needs an oil cleanse first.

Worth knowing

Patch test this cleansing water on a small area and wait a day before using it more widely, especially with Kojic Acid on the list.
Introduce this cleansing water on its own for the first week, so anything your skin does is traceable to the Kojic Acid rather than to three changes at once.

Complete the routine

This itemAXIS-Y Kojic Yuzu Cleansing Water 250ml$62.50
The treatment step of this routineAXIS-Y Artichoke Intensive Skin Barrier Ampoule$16.46
Cleanse first, so the next step meets bare skinAXIS-Y Quinoa One Step Balanced Gel Cleanser 180ml$32.50

Total for 3 items$111.46

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AXIS-Y Kojic Yuzu Cleansing Water 250ml

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AXIS-Y, Korean-market original

The Original Korean Formula cleansing water from AXIS-Y, 250ml formulated with Kojic Acid and Allantoin, shipped from California or direct from Korea.

Verify your unit when it arrives

Korean-market stock with the original barcode and batch code intact, exactly as it left Korea.

On the unit itself

The Korean-market barcode, unaltered from the retail package.
The manufacturer’s batch code, exactly as the maker printed it.

정품Genuine article, Korean-market stock

What professionals say

What skin-care professionals say about skin care, quoted from the medical sources linked beside each.

Your skin barrier is basically your outer layer of the skin.
Melissa Piliang, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic
Pretty much every step of a Korean skin care routine is going to have some component of hydration.
Alok Vij, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic