One of the first snail creams I ever curated to Soko Glam is the Missha Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail Cream, and it’s a product that I personally reach for whenever my skin feels extremely parched and I want to soothe, hydrate and lock in the moisture at the end of my routine.
It’s also one of the handful of products that has reached over 200 glowing reviews and not to mention a best-seller on Soko Glam. Clearly, no one is scared of snail slime here!
Since my addiction to snail mucin, I’ve been pretty determined to find another snail product that would offer the same benefits (or more, if possible) because hey, variety is the spice of life. But I didn’t want to just curate any snail slime. I wanted it to be consistent with the benefits of snail mucin: ultimate hydration and a visible reduction of acne scarring.
It took me quite a bit to curate the next snail-based beauty product but now I can confidently say that the COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence is a favorite and it rightfully deserves a place in the Soko Glam curation. For you snail cream lovers out there, you’re going to want to add this to your snail beauty arsenal. Here’s why:
The COSRX snail essence is a concentrated treatment product that is formulated with 96% snail mucin. It’s so much snail slime, that as you pump it out of the bottle and start applying it to your face, you’ll notice how viscous and syrupy the consistency is.
I’ll cut to the chase and tell you that after two weeks of use, my skin feels elastic and soft to the touch. And like all good essences, it’ll make your skin look bright and plump with moisture.
Now on to the details!
If you take a look at the ingredients, you’ll notice it’s very, very minimal, bare-bones skin care. That’s a good thing. Note that snail secretion filtrate is at the top and no water! Panthenol and sodium hyaluronate are humectants which literally helps your skin attract moisture to your skin like a magnet.
The official tally: Snail Secretion Filtrate, Betaine, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Panthenol, Arginine, Allantoin, Ethyl Hexanediol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol.
Scent
Some of you have asked for more skin care with less fragrance. Your prayers have been answered with this one. It has zero fragrance with no added coloring. Sensitive skin types, you excited yet?
Packaging
I honestly wish all cosmetic companies would quit putting things in jars and put everything in a pump like this one. It’s just so much more hygienic this way! The bottling is by no means luxurious but it’s easy to get the product in and it keeps your germy fingers away from the good stuff.
Price
$19 for 100ml. I’ll repeat that again. $19 for 100ml. And worth every pretty penny.
Consistency
It’s much, much thicker than most snail creams I’ve ever come across but without oil! I love how it’s water-based. I can’t get enough of the consistency because it’s thick but it absorbs quickly into the skin and doesn’t clog my pores.
Who is this for?
It’s such a universal product, I think all skin types would do well with this one (and trust me, I don’t say that often).
I recommend it for oily skin types because it’s water-based and doesn’t have much oil in the product which means it’ll hydrate your skin without clogging your pores. It’s perfect for dry, rough skin because it literally helps your skin retain moisture, while nourishing and protecting it. It’s good for sensitive skin types because of the no-nonsense ingredient list and especially, no added fragrance. And for you normal skin types— yea, you lucky ones who skated through skin issues most of your life… you’re going to love it too.
How do you use it?
This is an essence, so after cleansing and toning the skin, I apply this all over my face before locking it in with moisturizer. Could you skip the moisturizer if you feel like you’ve reached optimal hydration levels specific to your skin condition? Yes! I’m personally into layering my skin care, so I keep going and finish off with a moisturizer.
COSRX clearly snailed it with the Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence. And as I fall deep asleep with my skin perfectly cocooned in layers of hydrating snail slime, I know that my skin thanks me.