CosRx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence Review

CosRx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence is a lightweight essence that provides long-lasting hydration, helps improve skin’s elasticity, soothes sensitive skin and more. It’s packed with a whopping 96% snail secretion filtrate and suited for all skin types.

I love discovering, using and, eventually, loving what can be considered as unusual skincare ingredients. 

Things like mugwort (I’m From Mugwort Mask), propolis (By Wishtrend Polyphenols in Propolis 15% Ampoule), rice (I’m From Rice Toner) and fig (I’m From Fig Cleansing Balm).

They’re not as widely known in North America but have been used in Asian skincare, specifically k-beauty, for a very long time. 

And for good reason. They’re gentle on skin and they work!

Snail mucin is another ingredient I have on my love-it list. It’s sometimes called snail slime, snail mucus, snail serum, snail goo and snail secretion filtrate.

Sounds yucky? Yes, it does. Good for the skin? Absolutely. 

Let’s dive in.

What is snail mucin

Snail mucin is — you guessed it — an excretion from the snail. It’s also referred to as snail slime and often appear on ingredient labels as snail secretion filtrate, or SSF.

It comes out of the snails when they’re stressed as a way to protect themselves and contains properties like glycoproteins, hyaluronic acid and glycolic acid, all of which are great for the skin (source).

You might be wondering if the tiny snails are hurt during the process of extracting this ingredient. 

Especially when you think about the vast amounts of snail extract needed to meet the demands of the skincare and beauty industry these days, snails must be constantly stressed into releasing their slime. 

It’s worth noting though that CosRx is a cruelty-free brand. They say that their snail mucin products are 100% cruelty-free, causing no harm to the animals throughout the production process.

Which is great, but this is definitely something worth thinking about when you’re buying snail mucin products.

Snail mucin benefits

Some of snail mucin’s skin benefits include (source):

• Providing moisture and hydration. Snail mucin contains moisturizing agents that not only work to repair the skin’s moisture barrier but also work to block environmental irritants that can damage our skin.

• Stimulating and boosting collagen production. It also contains growth factors that help trigger the growth of new skin cells and collagen, resulting to fewer fine lines and more youthful skin.

• Soothing irritation. Snail secretion filtrate contains allantoin, which has healing properties that help calm irritation and stimulates cell regeneration.

CosRx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence benefits

Specifically, CosRx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence:

• Provides intense hydration and helps protect skin from moisture loss
• Improves and restores skin elasticity 
• Soothes skin after a breakout, helps improve damaged skin, and restores vitality
• Supplies important and abundant nourishment to our skin 

All while staying lightweight and non-greasy.

CosRx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence ingredients

This snail essence has a very short ingredient list. It gets all its power from the 96.3% snail mucin, though its other ingredients are powerhouse ingredients too.

The full ingredient list is below (source):

Snail Secretion Filtrate, Betaine, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Allantoin, Ethyl Hexanediol, Carbomer, Panthenol, Arginine

Other things to note about CosRx Snail Essence

• Packaging. This essence is most commonly available in a 100-ml plastic bottle with a built-in pump. It’s also available in 30-ml and 20-ml bottles, and sachets. 

• Smell. This is fragrance-free.

• Colour. The essence comes out of the bottle and applies clear.

• Texture and Consistency. Snail mucin has a very distinct texture — thick, sticky, slimy. And definitely unlike other essences I’ve tried. However, it’s very spreadable, ultra-lightweight and absorbs fast.

• Skin type. This product is recommended for all skin types, even sensitive skin. Because it’s so hydrating, it will benefit dry skin especially well. And its acne-fighting properties are great for acne-prone skin.

• Contra-indications. Snail mucin is generally well tolerated however, avoid it if you have a known sensitivity to it. It also plays well with other products. I’ve personally tried it with retinol and glycolic acid with no bad reactions.

How to use CosRx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence

I use this mucin power essence at night, at the essence stage. This means right after toner, before serums.

I pump a pea-sized amount of product on my finger tips and spread all over my face. 

I do this 3-4 times — once for each cheek, another for my forehead and the last one for my neck — then gently pat to help absorption. 

Once the product has a chance to absorb (less than a minute), I proceed with the rest of my skincare routine.

There’s always the question of when to use CosRx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence. I’ve personally only used it at night though you can use it in the morning as well.

What I like about CosRx snail mucin 

There are so many things to like about this product.

• Lightweight. While it feels thick and sticky out of the bottle, this essence is actually pretty lightweight upon application. It absorbs fast and has no greasy residue.

• Smoothing and soothing. My skin feels smooth and plump after application too. It just looks and feels healthier. And I also feel a soothing effect, especially if my face is feeling a little sensitive that day.

• Hydrating. It’s very hydrating as well that I’m sometimes tempted to skip moisturizer. That’s how moisturizing it is.

• No irritation. I’ve been using this product for more than a year and have had no irritation whatsoever. I have sensitive skin so I’m thrilled to find products that work for my skin.

• Fights acne. This essence is an important part of my fight against adult acne. My skin is the healthiest it’s ever been and my breakouts have gotten few and far between.

• Anti-aging. It helps in my anti-aging regimen too. Anything that helps my skin produce collagen and get back the elasticity it has lost is a winner in my books.

What I don’t like about it

I really don’t have any complaints about the product itself. I just wish there was another way to produce snail mucin.

I do trust CosRx though. And if they say the cute, little snails aren’t harmed in the process, it makes me feel better about using it. 

Do I recommend CosRx snail mucin

In a rating scale of 1 to 5 — 5 being awesome — this product is definitely a 5 for me.

Because I test so many skincare products, for a time this snail essence fell out of my skin care routine. When I picked it up again, I realized how much my skin missed it. 

I was able to compare my skin with and without it and what a difference. I should never have given it up (though that’s a great way to tell if a product is working for you or not — stop using it and see what happens).

Using snail mucin adds that extra oomph my skin needs. 

The journey to healthy, youthful, clear skin is a long game but having used this consistently over the last year, I definitely see improvements to a lot of my skin concerns like acne, dryness (especially when the seasons change), dullness and fine lines.

And it’s gentle enough for my sensitive skin. 

I highly recommend adding this product to your skin care routine.

Wondering where to buy CosRx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence? It’s available in the following online retailers (affiliate links):

• Amazon
• Wishtrend

Looking for a snail mucin facial cleanser? Check out CosRx Advanced Snail Mucin Gel Cleanser.

And if you’re looking for a snail cream, CosRx Advanced Snail 92 All in One Cream is a great option.

As always, remember that every person’s skin and skin type is different so what might work for me might not work for you, and vice versa.

So before trying a new product, it pays to do a little bit of research first. Pay special attention to ingredients that you might have a reaction to.

And doing a patch-test is always a good idea. Unsure? Best to consult your dermatologist.

Happy skin experimenting! Practice good skincare habits always.

Have you tried CosRx snail essence? Did it work for you? Will you recommend it? Would love to hear from you in the comments section below!

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