COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser vs. Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser
Two cleansers positioned for oily and combination skin, built on very different approaches -- an active exfoliant against a soothing botanical blend -- and priced meaningfully apart per milliliter.
Criteria | COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser | Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.00 | $15.00 |
| Price / unit | $0.09/mL | $0.15/mL |
| Size | 150 mL | 100 mL |
| Price checked | 9/12/2026 | 9/12/2026 |
Both of these are positioned for oily and combination skin, and both work as a second-step cleanser in a double-cleanse routine. Past that, they take genuinely different approaches, one built around an active exfoliant, the other around soothing botanicals.
Price per milliliter
COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser runs $0.09 per milliliter ($14.00 for 150mL). Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser runs $0.15 per milliliter ($15.00 for 100mL). Despite a near-identical sticker price, Beauty of Joseon costs meaningfully more per milliliter, a real gap rather than a rounding difference.
Different formulation focus
COSRX builds its formula around betaine salicylate (a gentler, betaine-bound BHA) alongside tea tree oil and allantoin, marketed for oily and combination skin that wants light exfoliation built into a daily cleanser. Beauty of Joseon centers on a 24% green plum extract alongside mung bean, green tea, heartleaf, and lotus flower extracts, no added exfoliant, also marketed for oily and combination skin but through a refreshing, brightening-adjacent botanical blend.
The heartleaf inclusion is the more interesting detail
COSRX's BHA does two jobs at once, cleansing plus light exfoliation, a real advantage if you don't already use a separate exfoliating product, but the same active is what could push a daily-use cleanser from gentle into too active for reactive skin. Beauty of Joseon's inclusion of heartleaf (Houttuynia cordata) is notable here: it's an ingredient more commonly associated with calming, redness-focused formulas, so despite being marketed for oily and combination skin, Beauty of Joseon's actual formula leans gentler than its exfoliant-driven competitor.
Our take
If you want BHA-driven light exfoliation built into your daily cleanse and don't mind an active ingredient, COSRX is both the cheaper and more purposeful pick. If you'd rather have a soothing, botanical-forward formula with no active exfoliant, especially if your skin reacts easily to actives, Beauty of Joseon is worth the higher per-mL cost, though it comes in a smaller bottle.
For the double-cleanse method and what low pH actually means, see how to double cleanse, or browse the rest of our cleanser coverage.
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Price checked 9/12/2026
Price checked 9/12/2026
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Frequently asked
Which cleanser is better, COSRX Low pH Good Morning or Beauty of Joseon Green Plum?
Neither is universally better. COSRX includes betaine salicylate (BHA) for light exfoliation, suiting oily or acne-prone skin that wants an active built in. Beauty of Joseon has no active exfoliant and leans on soothing botanicals including heartleaf, making it the gentler daily option.
Does COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser contain an exfoliant?
Yes. It includes betaine salicylate, a gentler betaine-bound form of BHA (salicylic acid), alongside tea tree oil and allantoin.
Is Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser suitable for sensitive skin?
It contains no active exfoliant and includes heartleaf (Houttuynia cordata), an ingredient commonly used in K-beauty for calming and redness-prone skin, making it a gentler option than exfoliant-containing cleansers like COSRX's.