COSRX Snail Mucin Review: Before & After, 1 Month Later
Skincare fanatic or not, if you're someone who spends wayyy too much time on TikTok, chances are, you've bumped into the COSRX snail mucin range more than once on your FYP. Known for its unusual slime-y consistency, the Korean skincare brand's ‘Advanced Snail’ product line-up has the entire beauty community obsessed thanks to unique formulas and surprisingly transformative effects. Need proof? #COSRXsnailmucin has over 97 million views on TikTok (and counting).
But we get it – when something like ‘snail mucin’ goes viral, it naturally raises all sorts of questions: what is snail mucin? Is it ethical? How on earth do you go about introducing it into your skincare routine? And of course, the grand question: does it actually work? That's what we're here for.
As a firm lover of all things K-beauty, I've decided to put the COSRX Advanced Snail range to the test and use two bestsellers for an entire month: the COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence and the COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All In One Cream.
I swapped my usual skincare routine around and used both products religiously over the course of November to see if they're indeed worth the hype. Plus, I couldn't have picked a better time to test out skincare on my sensitive-to-dry skin type – after all, the colder it is outside, the more my skin craves that extra T.L.C.
COSRX Snail Advanced review: at a glance
- GLAMOUR star rating: 8 out of 10
- Pros/Reasons to buy: affordable, non-greasy formula, suitable for all skin types.
- Cons/Reasons to avoid: unusual sticky consistency.
- Our verdict: I was really impressed with the hydrating and soothing formula of both products, but my favourite has to be the Snail 96 Power Essence. Throughout the month, it's helped reduce my redness and soothed my dry patches, leaving me with an even skin tone and a lit-from within glow.
What is snail mucin and what are its benefits?
First things first, let's make one thing clear – snail mucin is nothing to be scared of. In fact, it's been around for quite some time in the K-beauty world and is actually a common ingredient found in some of the best Korean skincare products.
"Snail mucin is an excretion from snails, and is naturally made up of properties like
glycoproteins, hyaluronic acid and glycolic acid, all of which have long-documented benefits
for the skin," says COSRX spokesperson and UK representative Julia Marinkovich.
As skincare lovers are already aware, hyaluronic acid is an essential ingredient for hydration and locking in the moisture to support your skin's natural barrier – while glycolic acid helps stimulate collagen production. "Not only does it provide intense hydration and nourishment, but [snail mucin] also helps soothe the skin, as well as improve its elasticity," Julia explains.
How is snail mucin extracted? Is CORSX cruelty-free?
“No snails are harmed — or even stressed out — in the making of the Advanced Snail line," says Julia. "Snails are placed over a mesh net in a dark and quiet room. As nocturnal creatures, this
provides them with a comfortable space to freely roam about. After about an hour, the snails
are transferred back to their homes while the mucin is collected and processed for use."
"No external stress is applied to the snails or the mesh net for two different reasons. First, it is
prohibited to manufacture, distribute and sell products that have undergone animal testing in
Korea. Second, optimal mucin production occurs when snails are well-rested and content.
So, no snails are hurt during the collection process.”
GLAMOUR road test
As someone who has dry and sensitive skin, I've always struggled with dry patches, irritation and redness. On the daily, I tend to reach for extra-nourishing and hydrating skincare products that contain ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and cica, which is another popular component in Korean skincare products. That said, I'm definitely new to snail mucin, which, to my surprise, turned out to be one of the best things I've used on my skin (without exaggerating).
I've been using both the Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence and the Snail 92 All-In-One Cream everyday as part of my daily skincare routine for exactly four weeks during both daytime and just before bed. I've started noticing the biggest improvement after the second week: the redness was definitely a lot calmer and my skin tone was overall a lot more even than before. I also noticed a lit-from-within glow on my bare skin even prior to applying any products post-cleanse (which, given how dry my skin is, is a rarity).
That said, I have to admit that I wasn't the biggest fan of the consistency, which is really sticky to the touch and takes a while to get used to. However, both products paired surprisingly well with the rest of my skincare products (including my trusty facial sunscreen) and acted as a nice and hydrating base for my makeup – no lifting or patching whatsoever.
One of the best pros of this duo was just how soothing it was for my sensitive skin after the use of liquid exfoliants and retinol serums, as well as other actives that my skin tends to react to. It really felt like a gentle and moisturising veil that cocooned my skin overnight (or during the day), leaving it soothed, plumped and hydrated.
Our final verdict
All-in-all, I'd say that if you can get over the unusually sticky consistency, the COSRX Snail Advanced range is definitely worth considering, especially if you're on the market for a quality K-beauty top-up. Not to mention, each of the said products is priced under £35, making them affordable enough to purchase as a pair to completely re-vamp your skincare routine.
And if your skin (like mine) is more on the dry or sensitive side (or both) – even better. This pair will soothe and moisturise your skin like a dream and have it looking like a glazed donut in no time.
For more shoppable makeup, skincare, hair and perfume content from Glamour UK Beauty Commerce Writer Denise Primbet, follow her on Instagram @deniseprimbet.
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