When COSRX quietly reformulated its Moisture Up Pad in 2022, it sparked the kind of online debate that only K-beauty devotees can sustain for months. The original, built on approximately 70% propolis extract, had earned a devoted following among dry-skinned fans who swore by its honey-adjacent glow. The new version replaced that entire propolis foundation with Alaskan glacier water and a five-form hyaluronic acid complex. It was, effectively, a different product wearing the same blue tub.
The reformulation gamble appears to have paid off, at least on the formulation sheet. Five forms of hyaluronic acid — sodium hyaluronate, sodium hyaluronate crosspolymer, hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid, hydrolyzed sodium hyaluronate, and straight hyaluronic acid — create a layered hydration approach that targets different depths of the skin simultaneously. The crosspolymer forms a moisture-trapping film on the surface while the hydrolyzed versions, with their smaller molecular weights, penetrate further. It is the kind of multi-weight HA system that used to be reserved for standalone serums, compressed here into a pre-soaked cotton pad.
What genuinely sets this apart in the toner pad category is the inclusion of squalane. Most pads in this space are water-based through and through — exfoliation-forward products designed for oily skin that treat emollients like uninvited guests. COSRX went the other direction, recognizing that a pad targeting dry and dehydrated skin needs some lipid support. The squalane provides a light occlusive element that helps seal in the hyaluronic acid rather than letting it evaporate, which is the dirty secret of many HA-heavy products that skip the sealing step.
The dual exfoliant system — betaine salicylate (a gentler BHA derivative) and gluconolactone (a PHA) — operates at low enough concentrations that calling this an exfoliating product feels generous. The exfoliation here is more of a polite suggestion than a firm directive. The betaine salicylate offers mild pore-clearing action while the gluconolactone brings its own humectant properties to the party, making it arguably more of a hydrator that happens to exfoliate than the reverse. Combined with the textured side of the pad, you get a triple-action system — mechanical, BHA, and PHA — where each individual element is so gentle that the cumulative effect is still solidly in the mild category.
The experience of using these pads is satisfying in the way that good K-beauty products often are. Each pad is generously saturated — almost dripping — with a medium-weight essence that feels like a cross between a toner and a light serum. The embossed side provides a pleasant textured sweep across the skin without any scratching or pulling. Flip to the smooth side, pat the remaining essence in, and the skin immediately looks plumper and feels hydrated. The finish is dewy without being sticky, and it layers well under subsequent products.
Here is where the review takes a turn toward honest frustration. In a product so thoughtfully formulated around gentle hydration, the inclusion of lemon peel oil and bergamot oil is baffling. Bergamot oil contains furanocoumarins, which are documented phototoxic agents — they can cause skin reactions when exposed to UV light. Lemon peel oil brings its own photosensitivity concerns. Limonene and linalool, both present as fragrance components, are known to oxidize with air exposure and become allergenic over time. These are not trace amounts buried at the end of a long INCI list — they are prominent enough to generate a noticeable (if faint) citrus scent.
For a product positioned as a hydrating, gentle alternative to the more aggressive Original Clear Pad, these fragrance ingredients undercut the message. They narrow the suitability window considerably, pushing anyone with rosacea, eczema, fragrance sensitivity, or generally reactive skin toward caution or outright avoidance. It is the kind of decision that feels rooted in the sensory experience — someone decided the pad needed to smell nice — at the expense of the skin it is meant to soothe.
The packaging is functional if not glamorous: a sturdy blue plastic tub with a screw-top lid that keeps the pads well-saturated throughout the product's life. Some users report difficulty separating individual pads from the stack, which is a minor annoyance that most pad products share. At 70 pads for approximately $22, the value proposition is reasonable — roughly 31 cents per use for a combined toner and light exfoliant that lasts over two months with daily use.
The 2022 reformulation represents a genuine upgrade in formulation sophistication, even if it means saying goodbye to the propolis extract that gave the original its identity. The multi-weight hyaluronic acid system, the thoughtful inclusion of squalane, and the dual gentle exfoliants create a product that is genuinely more than a toner pad — it is a hydrating treatment compressed into a convenient format. If COSRX would simply drop the citrus oils in a future iteration, this would be an easy recommendation for nearly any skin type seeking hydration in a hurry.
