Side-by-side comparison

COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser vs La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser

Both cleansers contain Salicylic Acid, but each adds something the other doesn't. Here's where they overlap and where they split.

1Shared hero active
COSRX
Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser
CleanserBudgetMorning or evening
SensitivityCongestionOiliness

A low-pH gel cleanser with a touch of BHA and tea tree oil. Gentle enough for daily use, it respects the acid mantle while lightly decongesting — a long-running favourite for those transitioning off high-pH foaming washes.

Full analysis →Find dupes →
La Roche-Posay
Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser
CleanserMid-rangeMorning or evening
OilinessAcneCongestion

A foaming salicylic acid (2%) gel cleanser for oily, acne-prone skin. Effective at cutting oil and clearing pores, but the BHA-plus-foaming combination can be drying — best paired with a good moisturiser.

Full analysis →Find dupes →
The verdict

Which should you choose?

Both contain Salicylic Acid. COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser adds Tea Tree Oil. La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser adds Zinc PCA. Pick the one whose extra matches what you're treating. COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser is the better fit for sensitive skin; La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser for acne. On price, COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser is the less expensive option (Budget versus Mid-range).

The overlap

What they share

This hero active appears in both formulas:

Salicylic Acid
The formulation

Ingredient stacks, side by side

COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser — top of the list

  • Aqua~50–80%
  • Cocamidopropyl …~5–25%
  • Sodium Lauroyl …~3–10%
  • Sodium Cocoyl I…~2–6%
  • Polysorbate 20~1.5–4%

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser — top of the list

  • Aqua~50–80%
  • Sodium Laureth …~5–25%
  • Cocamidopropyl …~3–10%
  • Salicylic Acid~2–6%
  • Zinc PCA~1.5–4%

● marks ingredients that appear near the top of both lists. Percentages are positional estimates from INCI order, not disclosed doses.

At a glance

The specs

COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel CleanserLa Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser
CategoryCleanserCleanser
Price tierBudgetMid-range
Best forSensitivity, Congestion, OilinessOiliness, Acne, Congestion
Usage notesMorning or eveningMorning or evening
Shared hero activesSalicylic Acid
Questions

Common questions

Is the COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser or the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser better?
It depends on what you're treating. Both contain Salicylic Acid; COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser adds Tea Tree Oil; La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser adds Zinc PCA.
What's the difference between the COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser and the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser?
COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser's hero actives are Salicylic Acid, Tea Tree Oil and Allantoin. La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser's are Salicylic Acid, Zinc PCA and Glycerin. They also sit in different price tiers (Budget versus Mid-range).
Are the COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser and La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser dupes for each other?
Partly. They share Salicylic Acid, but COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser's Tea Tree Oil and La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser's Zinc PCA aren't in the other, so they aren't full substitutes.
Can I use the COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser and La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser together?
They both fill the cleanser slot in a routine, so you'd normally pick one. If you like both, use one in the morning and the other at night, and patch-test when introducing anything new.
Keep comparing

Related comparisons

CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser vs COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser
1 shared hero activeBioderma Sensibio H2O Micellar Water vs COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser
No shared hero activesCetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser vs COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser
No shared hero activesByoma Creamy Jelly Cleanser vs La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser
1 shared hero activeLa Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser vs Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel
1 shared hero activeLa Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser vs La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser
1 shared hero active

Want a deeper, personalised read? Drop both products into the live comparison tool for an ingredient-by-ingredient breakdown tuned to your skin profile.

Compare these yourself →