Snail Slime For Skin Care?

If I haven’t completely freaked you out the eff out with the title of this post, stay a while and listen! (Anyone get that reference? :P )

Snail mucin is what snails use to heal their bodies from cuts when they’re traveling over rocks and rough surfaces–in skin care products, it helps to replenish moisture + support cell regeneration, which aids in fading acne scars + reducing hyperpigmentation. In clinical trials, the hyaluronic acid + peptides in snail mucin have been shown to stimulate the production of elastin + collagen.

Snail Slime For Skin Care?

No makeup or filter. Just me, my snail slime, and my phone’s front-facing camera at the end of a long, long day.

As I discussed in last week’s post, I think it’s important to know what’s in the products you’re using and how to design a skin care routine that addresses your concerns. My main skin care issues are from occasional hormonal acne that results in acne scarring (sigh), and dryness in the winter.

One of my #treatyoself moments this year led to me finally putting together an actual skin care routine by way of BeautySesh, a small company located in Aiea, Hawai’i that specializes in offering Asian beauty/skin care products at affordable prices! (P.S. This is not a sponsored post.)

(It used to be just cleanser, maybe-toner, moisturizer and done.) If you’ve ever heard of the 10-step Korean Skin Care Regimen, I basically altered that to fit my needs. (I swear it’s not as complicated as it sounds!)

Traditionally, it’s these steps:

1. Oil-based cleanser
2. Water-based cleanser (Double-cleansing)
3. Exfoliate
4. Toner
5. Essence
6. Ampoule
7. Serum
8. Sheet mask
9. Eye cream
10. Moisturizer

Ain’t nobody got time for that though, ..right? I certainly didn’t think I would, given my usually-horrible schedule, so I picked up a couple products during a sale on BeautySesh and slowwwwly incorporated em’. I’m so not a morning person, so this is part of my winding-down process at night (vs. my daytime “routine,” which consists of splashing my face with water + slapping on some sunscreen or BB cream…).

I actually got a snail mucin sheet mask about 3 years ago out of curiosity and was going to blog about it but the trials and tribulations of med school continued, so I never got around to it (so what else is new? :[ ). Better late than never though…?

COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence

The snails COSRX uses aren’t harmed for their mucin other than being in captivity (but considering that they’re often thought to be pests, this arrangement might actually be better for em’?). The snails are washed and the mucin is collected after they roam around freely in a dark box for ~30 minutes to 1 hour. No external stressors are used to force mucin production since animal testing is illegal in Korea and optimal mucin production only happens when snails are well-rested and comfortable.

This “essence” has a gel-like consistency that’s perfect as a day moisturizer or as a lighter nighttime moisturizer. 96% of it is snail mucin and the rest of the ingredients = moisturizing agents. My skin went a little bonkers while I was studying for boards and my nightly use of this has really helped to calm it the hecks down! I can’t speak for anti-aging properties at this point since I’ve really only been using it for a month, but I definitely do feel an improvement in my skin’s overall hydration status!

5/5. $19 on BeautySesh

COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All In One Cream

This is similar to the Power Essence, with a number of the same ingredients, but in a thicker consistency (cream vs. gel-like). It’s unscented and super moisturizing without leaving my skin looking oily or shiny! I love and adore this cream, enough that I’m not sure I’m going to be looking for another night cream for a while.

This cream is 92% snail slime and leaves my skin superrrrrr crazy soft (the kind of softness where you can’t stop touching your face) without making it feel weighed-down or oily. It comes with a little spatula for hygienic purposes and a little bit goes a long way. I think it’s going to be especially perfect for winter since my skin tends to get pretty dry then. I’ve been alternating with this vs. the above one depending on how dry my skin’s been feeling (and how much little water I’ve been drinking ._.).

5/5. $17 on BeautySesh

COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid

Salix alba (willow) bark water, butylene glycol, betaine salicylate, niacinamide, 1, 2-hexanediol, arginine, panthenol, sodium hyaluronate, xanthan gum, ethyl hexanediol.

This one has absolutely nothing to do with snails, so if you’re looking for non-snail products and have issues with intermittently inflamed skin and/or blackheads, this will be your best friend! Willow bark has been used for its anti-inflammatory effects since around 400 B.C. and contains salicin, a chemical very similar to aspirin (remember my DIY honey aspirin mask?).

This is a chemical exfoliant that helps to prevent breakouts, clear dead skin cells, and minimize the appearance of pores–gentle enough for everyday use (at least in my experience)! I use 1-2 pumps of it onto one of my reusable cotton rounds almost every night after my cleanser + toner and it doesn’t leave my skin feeling super dry. My nose used to be where blackheads liked to appear and this has drastically reduced em’! :]

4.5/5 (I wish it were cheaper). $20 on BeautySesh.

• Have you ever tried any skin care products with snail mucin? If not, would you ever? :P
• Want to try out a new skin care product? Get 10% off at BeautySesh using my referral link!
  This is not a sponsored post, but I do get a whopping 100 (which equates to ~$2.50, har har) reward points if you make a purchase using my link. Mainly just sharin’ the wealth with this post + yay for supporting small companies!