The Ultimate Snail Showdown! Cosrx Snail Essence Vs. Benton Snail Essence!
Snail is my ride or die ingredient of choice when it comes to skincare. I honestly have not met another skincare ingredient that’s got my back more than my boo, snail.
Snail is an incredible skincare star. It soothes irritated skin, helps heal acne, boosts hydration and can help collagen production which helps fight wrinkles. Even the ancient Greeks knew the benefit of snail mucin, using it to heal irritated skin.
Throughout my skincare journey, I have always had at least one snail step (often many more) in my routine. I am absolutely sold on its ability to help soothe and heal my often irritated, dehydrated skin. It has helped me through many acne breakouts and has helped me deal with the hyper pigmented dark marks often left behind.
There are two snail serums that I have used and loved over the years, and they happen to be rather popular snail serums in the K-beauty world: Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence and Benton High Content Snail Bee Essence.*
These two heavyweight snail champions are amazing and yet different essences that have a lot to offer, so let’s dive in and find out what makes them so great!
Ingredients:
The Cosrx is 96% snail mucin! That is a very high percentage of snail mucin, making this a very pure product. The other 4% of this formula is made up of stabilizers and other ingredients that make the snail mucin fit for a cosmetic essence.
The Benton is 90% snail mucin, and while it is less than the Cosrx, it is still a high percentage of snail. This formulation includes some other exciting ingredients like bee venom, aloe, willow bark, arbutin, azelaic acid and adenosine. These additional ingredients help to fight redness, inflammation, and hyper pigmentation in addition to snail’s already impressive list of benefits.
A note about the Benton. Benton uses a self preservation system for their products which means a much shorter shelf life than the Cosrx. Make sure to check your expiration dates before hoarding this in your stash.
Texture, Consistency and Scent:
The 96% snail mucin is very evident when it comes to the texture of this essence. It’s thick and stringy. It spreads over the skin beautifully and sinks in quickly. This dries down with no stickiness and has no scent at all.
The Benton is a much thinner consistency and does not have any of the stringiness that the Cosrx has. Its consistency is more of a thin gel. This essence also spreads very easily and sinks into the skin with no stickiness. This essence does have a scent, though, one that has many people divided. When I use this I am reminded of jumping into an outdoor pool on a warm summer’s day. This smells of chemicals, reminiscent of chlorine, and a sort of earthy, wet cement smell. It has also been described as light and herbal, and some people just outright hate it. Either way, to me the smell is strong when you first start to apply it, but goes away very quickly once it is on and is not noticed again.
Cost and Value:
The Cosrx essence is a big bottle, coming in at 100ml. This retails around $20 and lasts about 5-6 months with regular use.
The Benton is a smaller amount of essence, coming in at 60ml a bottle. This retails about $15 and lasts around 3 months with regular use.
My Experience:
I reach for the Cosrx when my skin is irritated. I suffer from dehydrated skin and often feel the low key burn under my skin when it is thirsty AF. This stuff helps put out the fire. It is super soothing and hydrating to the skin, while feeling lightweight and comfortable. My face instantly feels cooled, plumped and soothed when I use this. I love how much hydration this packs in a light layer and is perfect for those who can’t stand heavy layers on their face.
I reach for Benton when I am going through a breakout. This stuff really helps with acne and has very visible results by reducing redness quickly. This also seems to help with hyper pigmentation left over after I’ve had inflamed acne and allows the dark marks to fade much quicker, thanks to the inclusion of arbutin. This can also give a very nice even glow to the skin. The inclusion of azelaic acid can help fight acne and clogged pores and can help the pores release their gunk. This is light and hydrating, but does not add as much hydration as the Cosrx.
The Verdict:
It all depends on your skincare goals.
If you need lightweight hydration, are battling dry skin, aging skin, irritated skin or dehydrated skin, go for the Cosrx.*
If you are fighting rosacea, clogged pores, black heads, acne or hyper pigmentation, go for the Benton.*
Both essences are excellent to have in your routine and I have repurchased both many, many times!
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