Have you ever thought about putting snail mucus on your face? While it may sound a little weird, this ingredient can actually be hugely beneficial to the skin. The Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence is probably one of the most well known snail secretion products on the market, and for good reason. This product contains a whipping 96% snail secretion filtrate, making this one of the most concentrated formulas available. This heavy dosage of snail mucin helps to repair and hydrate the skin in a very gentle way, which is why it’s become so popular, especially in K-beauty. Snail mucin as an ingredient is most well known for its repairative properties, and because of this, has been used to treat just about any skin condition you can imagine. This includes dryness, skin sensitivity, acne, hyperpigmentation and even signs of aging. While this ingredient isn’t nearly as fast acting as actives like retinol or exfoliating acids, if you’re looking for a reparative, staple product to add to your routine, this is an excellent option. Retinol can cause side effects skin irritations, erythema, skin peeling. It is recommended to use a small amount every other week during an adjustment period then increase it gradually.

The key ingredient in COSRX Oil Free Moisturizing Lotion is birch juice sap (betula platyphylla japonica juice). Birch juice sap contains 11 different amino acids, sugars, and minerals, which enable this ingredient to provide excellent moisturizing effects. In fact, birch juice sap is able to mimic your skin’s natural NMF (natural moisturizing factor). This helps improve moisture retention, as well as maintain a positive oil-moisture balance in the skin. One of the most well known snail based products is without a doubt the CosRx Advanced Snail 92 All In One Cream. This product was designed to utilize all of the amazing benefits of snail mucin or snail secretion filtrate, alongside a slightly more occlusive base to form a nourishing, all-year moisturizer. Like most of the products from Cosrx, the emphasis within this formula falls on the active ingredient, while keeping the rest of the formula relatively minimal for ease of use. As the name would suggest, the Advanced Snail 92 All In One Cream contains 92% snail mucin, which can help with everything from fading signs of hyperpigmentation to calming redness and reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Snail mucin got its claim to fame because of how effectively it produces results without compromising the health and balance of your skin. Because of this, snail mucin and products that contain snail mucin are extremely well suited to almost any skin type. With that said, because this is more of a cream based formula, we’d recommend this product in particular to those with more dry or dehydrated skin types. In simple language, it means that retinol derivative needs at least 4 times the amount of retinol to obtain certification for wrinkle improvement effect in Korea. Reference] Effects of 13-Cis-Retinoic Acid, All-Trans-Retinoic Acid, and Acitretin on the Proliferation, Lipid Synthesis and Keratin Expression of Cultured Human Sebocytes In Vitro, J Invest Dermatol. 1991, 96(5):792-7. As the name implies, the key ingredient in COSRX Centella Blemish Cream is Centella asiatica leaf water. Centella asiatica, also known as gotu kola and tiger grass, is a perennial plant native to the wetlands in Asia. It is a rich source of natural bioactive substances, including triterpenoid saponins, flavonoids, phenolic acids, amino acids, and sugars. The most important compounds in tiger grass are asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic acid, and madecassic acid. The Centella asiatica leaf water in COSRX Centella Blemish Cream should enhance moisturization, calm inflammation, and stimulate collagen synthesis after topical application.Using retinol may cause skin reactions that have not been easily seen in other ingredients. Depending on the skin type, skin reactions such as stinging, burning, skin peeling, and redness may occur. These skin reactions are phenomena that can occur when retinol works effectively on the skin. This is not a phenomenon that occurs in all skin and can be disappeared after enough period of adaptation. It is recommended that you pay more attention to your skin condition while using retinol. The COSRX Snail Essence is said to be “like a multivitamin for your skin”. This lightweight, highly concentrated essence contains 96% snail mucin, providing nutrients that support repair and maintain skin moisture. COSRX Snail Essence is recommended for all skin types, especially dull, dehydrated skin and acne-prone skin. Recently, an ingredient called “Retinal” is also used in cosmetics, but the ingredient that has been studied for skin efficacy for a long time is known as retinol. Therefore, the most recommended ingredient for proper efficacy is retinol. Because the concentration and formulation types of retinol are different, you can choose the product depending on the effect and after-feel that you want.

The COSRX Snail Essence contains 96% snail mucin as the key ingredient. It has been theorized that applying snail mucin to the skin could provide skin-regenerating benefits. Many of the snail mucin benefits come from three key components: hyaluronic acid, glycolic acid, and allantoin. According to researchers at the University of Nigeria, snail mucin plays an important role in wound healing as it enhances the skin’s natural regenerative response on the formation of new tissues, probably through immune response. Due to these healing properties, snail mucin has been shown to help with acne, rosacea, scars, razor bumps, and even signs of aging. Reference] UV Irradiation and Cutaneous Vitamin A: An Experimental Study in Rabbit and Human Skin, J. Invest. Dermatol. 83, 401–404. However, in the case of pregnant and lactating women, it may cause side effects to the fetus, so please avoid using it during that period. COSRX has two retinol products, and both are derm skincare products that compound retinol in high concentration. These are a cream containing 0.1% or 0.3% Retinol and an oil containing 0.5% retinol. After the use of retinol, the skin may feel stingy and may show signs of reddening due to deep skin exfoliation. Irritation is a temporary and normal symptom. If irritation persists, reduce the frequency or stop the use of the product.Reference] An Advanced, Physician-Strength Retinol Peel Improves Signs of Aging and Acne Across a Range of Skin Types Including Melasma and Skin of Color, JDD, 2019, 1;18(9):918-923. One of the most popular COSRX skincare products is the Acne Pimple Patch. Designed to cover breakouts while you sleep, the COSRX pimple patches are waterproof spot patches that protect blemishes from bacteria and absorb impurities overnight while encouraging healthy skin hydration. Increasing sebum production in the pore results in skin problems like acne, and re tinol can not only improve skin problems but also improve hyperpigmentation caused by skin problems by reducing sebum to suppress sebum cell propagation. In fact, in Korea, retinol and retinyl palmitate(retinol derivative) are included as the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's notification ingredients that prove to be effective in improving wrinkles, and the notification content of these two ingredients is 4 times different. A high concentration of retinol can cause skin irritation such as redness and itching, however it’s not harmful effects but it’s burning accompanied by blood vessels to widen. It has nothing to do with skin problems.