Holy crap what a long name. And holy crap x 2 what an incredible product. It’s affordable, it’s versatile, and it makes my skin feel sooo good. Long live the amazing COSRX Snail Essence!
- What is it
- A gel that protects skin from moisture loss and keeps skin smooth and healthy without heavy oils.
- First Impression
- Looks boring AF, but 96% snail goo? Sold!
- How I use it
- 1 pump for the entire face, morning and night after my serums but before moisturizer.
- Best suited for
- All skin types, seriously
- Size & Price
- 100ml for $15.2 – $18
- Where to buy
- WishTrend, Amazon
Ingredients
Snail Secretion Filtrate, Betaine, Butylene Glycol,1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Panthenol, Arginine, Allantoin, Ethyl Hexanediol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol
Can we talk about the fact that this contains 96% snail goo?? While there’s not as much research behind the benefits of snail secretion filtrate, what’s done show promising results when it comes to improving photodamaged skin. The remaining 4% includes hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and panthenol + soothing ingredients like allantoin and arginine.
Just looking at this ingredient list it should be pretty obvious why the COSRX Snail Essence is an excellent post-sun skincare product. And this time, sexy ingredients really does mean one sexy bottle of snail goo.
Holy crap this is incredible
It’s what made me fall in love with snails and with the COSRX brand to begin with. First, it’s cheap. $15 for 100ml, and at 1 pump per use, a bottle can last you a whole year. Second, it feels delightful on the skin. You expect snail goo to feel gooey but this has a beautiful texture. It’s light, blends beautifully, and leaves a natural finish with no stickiness. It actually helps tone down the stickiness of my serums in some cases!
Please ignore my awful unmanicured fingers. I’m ashamed.
On a regular day, this gives a nice boost of hydration and keeps my tretface in check. If it’s really hot or humid, I can even skip my moisturizer and use this as the last step.
Now where the COSRX Snail Essence really shines is when you use it after a long day in the sun. My skin definitely felt hot and irritated after a day at the beach this past Memorial Day Weekend, so I lathered this on my face and body (guilt-free because it’s so affordable) and my skin immediately felt better. My husband got a small sun burn and after using this, the heat and redness went away. Our go-to post-sun skincare product used to be aloe vera gel, but snail goo works so much better. All hail the power of the snail!
As a total packaging elitist, the COSRX Snail Essence bottle has got to be its biggest letdown. Don’t get me wrong, it’s very practical and fairly travel-friendly, but it’s also…boring. Like really boring. But I’m so impressed by how well this works that I don’t even care anymore. Give me all the snail goo in ugly bottles!
Final Verdict
- Packaging7.5/10
- Ingredients8.5/10
- Texture/Application9/10
- Performance8.5/10
- Price9/10
Forget aloe vera, this is the post-sun skincare product you need! It's also doubles as a serum/essence or even a moisturizer, and my goodness it feels so soothing on the skin. If you've never tried snail goo before, or if you just need some extra hydration, or heck you just want to add a new product to your routine, you can't go wrong with this. Plus did I mention how affordable it is?? So much win for the snails right now.
Hope you enjoyed this post!
Hi! Would you recommend applying this before or after a cream based retinol? Thanks!
You can do both! Applying it before helps provide a buffer between your skin and retinol, I recommend this to minimize potential irritations. Applying it after helps moisturize your skin and prevent dryness without impacting the strength of the retinol. Hope this helps!
I actually adore how minimalist, clinical and straightforward the packaging is (i color coded with stickers on top to set them apart), but its defnitely a contrast from all my cute packaging and don’t mind a cute little Mr. Rx peeking at me either. >_< Ahhh, I just started using the stuff after no allergy reaction and I am freaking amazed at how it made active breakouts less red and flatter.
That’s such a smart idea! The bottles do look so similar that I often get them mixed up. Glad to hear this is working so well for you!
I also use the Cosrx advanced snail 96 mucin. I feel like it helped with my acne and scars, but for some reason my skin still has a lot of texture. When I apply products during my regimen my skin is soon smooth but when I look into the mirror I can see the texture in the bathroom and sun lighting. I have no idea what it is and acids don’t seem to help. They are pimples that’s for sure. Do you know how I could get rid of that?
Just curious but what type of acids are you using? AHAs like glycolic acid and lactic acid can help remove dead skin cells and smooth out the skin. Unfortunately I’m not a dermatologist so I can’t say for sure what the correct treatment should be, just that AHAs have helped smooth out my skin.
I’m using bha
I’m thinking about using the Cosrx aha 7. How long should I keep it on my skin before I continue with the rest of my regimen
Some people say to wait at least 15-20 minutes for the actives to work, but others say no waiting is required. I personally wait only 2-3 minutes, but according to this super helpful guide, you’ll want to start with no wait time to minimize any potential irritation, then work your way up.
From my understanding of BHA, it’s helpful to clear out our pores and prevent acne, but if you’re looking for smoother skin, you might want to try AHA (glycolic acid, lactic acid, or the gentler mandelic acid) which helps remove dead skin and improve skin cell turnover. You’ll want to start off slow and definitely make sure to apply SPF in the morning as AHAs can make your skin more sensitive to the sun.
I meant to say *aren’t pimples
Is it just me or is everybody super impressed with COSRX products? In my opinion, that brand makes some of the best products in the market for a little price, kudos to them
That does seem to be the general opinion of the brand! It’s not easy to come across one that consistently makes great and affordable products! Kudos to them indeed :)