COSRX
AC Collection Blemish Spot Clearing Serum
A propolis-first serum for blemish-prone skin, with niacinamide, ectoin and ceramide NP to care for marks while comforting the barrier.
No reviews yet40ml
$39.98 per 100 ml
- Korean-market formula
- Ships from California or direct from Korea
- Korean barcode and batch code intact
- Suited to
- DryDehydratedSensitiveCompromised barrier
- Helps with
- DehydrationBarrier weaknessBreakouts and congestionUneven tone and dullness
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- 30-day returns
- Free US shipping on orders of $100 or more
- Tracked delivery to your door
Key benefits
- Propolis extract is the first ingredient on the list
- Niacinamide sits third for a more even look where marks linger
- Ectoin comforts stressed, reactive skin
- Ceramide NP and tea tree leaf oil round out the barrier-minded base
Key actives
1Propolis Extract
the soothing, nourishing base the serum is built on
Inside the formula
Inside the formula
- 1Propolis Extract
- 3Niacinamide
- 7Ectoin
- 24Ceramide NP
Where each key active sits on the declared ingredient list, by entry number. Position is proportion: the further forward, the larger its share.
COSRX AC Collection Blemish Spot Clearing Serum
What is the AC Collection Blemish Spot Clearing Serum for?
Propolis Extract opens the list, and niacinamide sits third, ahead of panthenol and, further down, ectoin and the centella trio of asiaticoside, asiatic acid, and madecassic acid. Ceramide NP appears near the end alongside tea tree leaf oil. That order describes a serum built around a propolis and niacinamide base for blemish-prone skin, with a barrier-supporting lipid layered in behind them.
Is this serum suitable for reactive, blemish-prone skin?
The list has no fragrance, no denatured alcohol, no added silicone, no paraben, and no mineral oil. That combination suits reactive, blemish-prone skin looking for a fragrance-free, silicone-free serum rather than a heavier treatment product. Anyone managing an active, diagnosed skin condition should still read the full list above against their own known triggers.
How soon will lingering marks look better with this serum?
Niacinamide and the centella complex work toward a more even look over repeated applications rather than a single use, and ectoin's comforting effect on stressed skin follows the same pattern. Marks that have already settled tend to fade gradually across weeks of consistent morning and evening use, not overnight. Sporadic use produces a slower, less consistent result than a steady routine.
Can I layer this serum with a separate spot treatment?
Applied after toner and before moisturizer, this serum is built to sit early in a routine rather than replace a dedicated spot treatment. It can be smoothed either as a thin layer over the whole face or focused on areas with lingering marks. Whether a separate spot treatment pairs well on top depends on that product's own ingredient list, which this formula cannot speak to.
How do I check that this bottle is the genuine Korean-market AC Collection serum?
The bottle carries its original Korean-market barcode, 8809598450561, unaltered from the version sold in Korea. COSRX runs its own verification program rather than relying on a reseller's claim: the batch number and expiration date printed on your bottle can be entered on COSRX's verification page at cosrx.com. Read those two figures off the bottle in your hand, since that is what the check is actually for.
Not on the ingredient list below: fragrance or parfum, denatured or SD alcohol, silicones, parabens, sulfate surfactants, mineral oil or petrolatum and added color.
Full INCI (24): Propolis Extract, Butylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Panthenol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Ectoin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glycerin, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate, Allantoin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Asiaticoside, Asiatic acid, Madecassic acid, Helianthus Annus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Sucrose distearate, Glyceryl Strearate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Dipropylene Glycol, Ceramide NP
22 of 24 explained
- Propolis Extract plant extract
- Propolis is the resin bees collect from tree buds and use to seal the hive. It is rich in flavonoids, carries a warm amber colour and scent, and is used for the look of dull, stressed skin. It is a bee product, so it is worth knowing about if you react to those.
- 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.
- Niacinamide active
- Niacinamide is vitamin B3, and it is the most studied active in Korean formulation. It is used at roughly 2 to 5 percent for the look of uneven tone and visible pores, and it is water soluble, stable and comfortable beside almost every other active, which is why it turns up in so many lists.
- 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.
- 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.
- Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer thickener
- This is the thickener behind most gel-cream textures. It builds a soft, bouncy gel that collapses to a light fluid as it is rubbed in.
- Ectoin humectant
- Ectoin is a small molecule that microbes in salt flats and hot springs make to survive extreme conditions. In skincare it holds water tightly around itself, which is why it appears in formulas aimed at reactive, easily dehydrated skin.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate emulsifier
- Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate is a mild sugar-derived emulsifier used to keep oil dispersed in a watery formula.
- 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.
10 more explained
- Sodium Hyaluronate humectant
- Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt of hyaluronic acid, and it is what most products labelled hyaluronic actually contain. The salt dissolves more readily and the molecule is smaller, so it sits in the outer layer of skin rather than only on top of it.
- Asiaticoside active
- Asiaticoside is one of the four active triterpenes isolated from centella and the most studied of them. Korean formulas name it separately when they want to show which fraction of the plant they standardised.
- Asiatic acid active
- Asiatic Acid is the third of centella's four triterpenes and the aglycone form, meaning it has no attached sugar. It is oil soluble, so it turns up in cica creams and balms more than in watery layers.
- Madecassic acid active
- Madecassic Acid is the fourth centella triterpene. A list that names all four is telling you the extract was standardised rather than simply pressed, which is the difference between a cica claim and a cica formula.
- Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil emollient
- Macadamia Seed Oil is unusually high in palmitoleic acid, a fatty acid that human sebum also contains, which is why it absorbs faster than most nut oils. It is a cushioning emollient for dry skin.
- Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil fragrance component
- Tea Tree Leaf Oil is an essential oil from an Australian shrub, carrying terpinen-4-ol. Korean formulas use it in products aimed at blemish-prone skin; it is potent, aromatic, and one of the essential oils most likely to bother reactive skin.
- Sucrose distearate emulsifier
- Sucrose Distearate is a sugar-based emulsifier that is mild and gives a light, silky feel. It also conditions skin.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Market
- Korean market, the version sold in Korea
- EAN (barcode)
- 8809598450561
- Made in
- Republic of Korea
- Volume
- 40ml
- Category
- Serum & Ampoule
- Actives
- Allantoin, Centella Asiatica, Ceramide NP, Ectoin, Niacinamide, Panthenol, Propolis, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tea Tree
- Ships from
- California or Korea
Orders ship from California or direct from Korea with tracked delivery to your door, and both routes carry the same Korean-market release. Shipping is free on orders of $100 or more. Returns are accepted for 30 days, by mail.
We split shipments free, so one out-of-stock item never holds up the rest of your order.
Where this unit came from
- 1Seoul
Bought as Korean-market stock - 2Barcode
Listed against the Korean barcode on its box - 3California or Korea
Ships to you from either, as the same Korean-market release
We stock the version of a formula that is sold in Korea, not the release a brand prepares for another market under the same name. The barcode in the specification above is the Korean-market one and it is printed on the box you receive.
Every unit keeps its original barcode and batch code intact, so the unit in your hands can be checked against the brand’s own records.
Every order ships from California or direct from Korea, and returns run for 30 days.
Every claim on this page traces to the unit in the box, the barcode, the batch code and the price you can read for yourself.
How it works
Blemish-prone skin often ends up torn between addressing active spots and calming the redness they leave behind. This serum opens on Propolis Extract, with niacinamide third, ahead of panthenol, ectoin, and the centella complex, and Ceramide NP near the end. That order pairs a soothing, barrier-minded base with niacinamide's tone-evening role rather than a harsher acid. Used consistently, marks and redness tend to look calmer without the sting some acid-forward spot products cause. Smooth a thin layer over the face or on marks after toner, morning and night, before moisturizer.
How to use
- Use the AC Collection Blemish Spot Clearing Serum after toner and before moisturizer, morning and evening.
- A thin layer over the areas with marks, or over the whole face if that is where the congestion sits.
- Toner first, this second, then moisturizer, and sunscreen last in the morning.
- Twice a day. Do not use it on the marks alone and skip the rest of the routine; the moisturizer over the top is what keeps it comfortable.
Worth knowing
- Propolis and/or honey are animal-derived, so this is not a vegan formula.
Reviews
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COSRX AC Collection Blemish Spot Clearing Serum
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COSRX, Korean-market original
Blemish-care serum, 40 ml, with Propolis first on the list, Niacinamide and Ectoin.
Verify your unit when it arrives
Verify your unit when it arrives
Korean-market stock with the original barcode and batch code intact, exactly as it left Korea.
COSRX verifies units itself. Find the verification page on cosrx.com and enter the batch number and expiration date printed on your unit. Read them off the package rather than from us, which is the point.
Source: COSRX FAQ
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 professionals say
What skin-care professionals say about the key actives in this formula, quoted from the medical sources linked beside each.
Ceramides are part fatty acid and part amino acid and are able to be the grout that keeps the building blocks of the skin together and functioning as a barrier between the inside and outside world.
Amy Kassouf, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic Niacinamide helps reduce the appearance of pores in a few ways. By strengthening the skin barrier and improving elasticity, pores appear less noticeable and more even.
Ashlyn YankeAesthetician, Cleveland Clinic
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