COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence ($18.40)
I don’t know if we have the same IG algorithm, but over the last five months I have been inundated with influencers raving about snail mucin 🐌. Yes, you read that correctly.
COSRX, a K-Beauty brand, sells a serum, sheet mask, eye cream, and mositurizer all powered by snail mucin, the slime snails create. The serum in particular is made with 96% snail mucin. The serum, more like a gel, is completely colorless and odorless, and despite my initial assumption, has no stickiness. I thought for sure I’d be grossed out when it arrived, but honestly I wasn’t because it felt exactly like a gel serum would.
Influencers raved that it deeply hydrated their skin, plumping their fine lines, and giving their skin a bouncy quality. Snail mucin is used regularly in k-beauty spheres because it aids in skin repair, hydration, and brightness (all while not hurting snails in the process…or so I’ve read).
I have used two pumps (pictured in next slide) of the serum morning and night after cleansing for a little over a month. My first use I was impressed at its consitency and lack of odor and how well it absorbed into the skin. My skin looked hydrated and a tad glowier. I didn’t notice much difference in the fine lines of my forehead, but that’s okay. After a two weeks my initial thoughts were unchanged. I liked how it made my skin look and feel hydrated and temporarily glowy, but still didn’t see a difference in my fine lines. After a month, my thoughts were still unchanged.
I was impressed at how little I’ve used of the bottle, two pumps two times daily could easily push six months from one bottle, making it a great budget buy! I would definitely recommend this to those on a budget or those 25 and younger who don’t need more active ingredients just yet.
In the end, I was always comparing it to Vintner’s Daughter in my mind hoping that one day I’d notice a reduction in my forehead lines, but that day never came. I’ll still use this product up, but for my skincare needs and preferences, this won’t be a repurchase…
…but I may buy the sheet masks of it!
Original Review: September 12, 2022