Snail Slime and My Review of BENTON Snail Bee High Content Steam Cream
After my long stay in South Korea, I returned to France with some gifts (mostly cosmetics) for my friends, and they were all excited to try “one of those snail slime things”.
I didn’t think my friends were so keen on slathering snail slime on their faces, so I was very surprised. Actually, one of them made me a list with only snail slime products… and thanks to her, I tested and loved this magical ingredient.
What is it?
Legend has it that this magical ingredient was incorporated into our cosmetics after observing the hands of workers at a snail farm. They have super soft hands => it’s the snail slime that makes hands soft => let’s slather it on our faces.
What’s strange is that we’ve already heard this story of the “why and how” a magical ingredient was discovered, with SK-II (the workers at a sake factory have soft hands, so they discovered the Pitera bacteria – in sake, and this ingredient is now used for the SK-II brand).
Soon, if Caudalie runs out of marketing arguments, they could also use this legend “one day, we noticed that the feet of winegrowers were really soft, less wrinkled”… okay, I’ll stop.
All this to say that I was wary from the very beginning about this ingredient, as the marketing around it seems shady to me.
Moreover, no brand can tell us exactly how snail slime is extracted. Do the snails just stroll around on glass panes and someone collects their slime? Or do they get an electric shock to produce more? Or the radical method: are they ground up alive?
If the Korean beauty bible: Korean Beauty Secrets: A Practical Guide to Cutting-Edge Skincare & Makeup states that collecting snail slime doesn’t harm the snails…
The other Korean products bible: The Little Book of Skin Care: Korean Beauty Secrets for Healthy, Glowing Skin by Charlotte Cho states that it’s just a very “yummy” mix of hyaluronic acid, glycoprotein enzymes, etc., etc.: so our cosmetics would contain a chemical copy of snail slime.
What’s it for?
But the very good reviews online confirm the benefits of snail slime.
Indeed, the properties of snail slime are multiple. It can:
- hydrate the skin
- repair the skin
- boost collagen and elastin production
Thus, it is particularly suitable for skin with imperfections and for those looking for a good anti-aging product
Products I recommend
My friend asked me to bring her a pack of masks with snail slime and a snail slime cream, from any brand.
And believe me, it was harder than I thought. Korean products seem to have moved on to other things, snail slime is no longer trending in South Korea in 2018.
You can still find, in physical stores, especially Tony Moly and Missha which sell snail slime products. But the good snail slime products are harder to find, namely COSRX, Mizon, and Benton. You either have to scour all of Seoul, or order online.
After a disastrous test of the Cosrx Advanced Snail Mucin 96 Power Essence (it gave me too many pimples), I thought this ingredient didn’t suit me, until I read many reviews and my two Korean product bibles to come across:
TonyMoly Intense Care Snail Hydro-Gel Mask
I bought them just because of the very positive reviews and because there was a 50% off promo (because at 5,000won per mask, which is 4€, you kind of think twice – especially when you have plenty of Korean masks nearby for 4 times less).
But I was blown away by the results from the first use. The next day, the skin is soothed, radiant, it looked repaired…
In South Korea, the products Tony Moly can be found in Tony Moly stores.
I still think these masks are expensive, but with the results they give me, I’ll buy them again; you only live once, damn it! Note: You can save by buying packs of 5 from France
But on a fine-looking skin (tested on a friend with perfect skin), it has little effect, normal right 😀
BENTON Snail Bee High Content Steam Cream
There are very few reviews on this cream. From the brand BENTON, the toners and essences seem to be more appreciated. But I didn’t want to pay $50 for the snail cream from Tony Moly, so I bought this cream ($20) to try.
And it was like a revelation! My Japanese-Korean routine was working well so far, but with the introduction of this new cream, let’s just say it sped things up. If the dry air in South Korea made my skin very uncomfortable, this cream was able to soothe, protect, and repair it. And even during my period, I have much fewer breakouts thanks to this cream – and pimples heal faster too, leaving no marks (well, I also use other anti-stain products alongside). The skin is well hydrated and doesn’t shine. A small miracle: it helped me get rid of all the breakouts on my neck in a week. Yeah!
When you look at the ingredients, it’s not organic…
But this cream does not contain water, no parabens, no irritating agents, no denatured alcohol, etc., which is very surprising for a Korean product.Furthermore, steam is used as an ingredient to properly mix all other ingredients (hence “steam” in the product name), which is quite surprising as a manufacturing process.
- The first ingredient being snail mucin (luckily), as mentioned earlier, it boosts collagen and elastin production while being very hydrating.
- A small ingredient slipped into the formula: bee venom. Bee or snake venoms are perfectly normal ingredients in Korean products. Apparently, it boosts collagen production. Again, the collection method for bee venom is questionable, as the bee receives an electric shock to sting a piece of glass. Anyway.
Benton products are sold in the shops Aland, but not any Aland store. You’ll have more luck finding them at Aland in Myeongdong, Seoul. If you’re in France, you can buy it on Amazon for example or on Yesstyle (use the code K7BPCF to get 10% off your first order)
Another brand very well-regarded for the quality of their snail mucin products is Mizon. But some products contain dimethicone and are not as hydrating as Benton, so I didn’t bother trying it. Especially since in South Korea, this brand can only be purchased online.
Conclusion
I really think it’s a miracle ingredient. The products are not very expensive (< 20€) for a more than spectacular result. I especially recommend it to those who have tried everything without success, and who need gentleness to repair their skin (if you want to stop using heavy doses of BHA, AHA, Tretinol, it will suit you perfectly).
However, since the information on the snail mucin collection method is not transparent, those who are sensitive to cruelty-free products won’t be 100% reassured.
Related keyword: snail mucin reviews
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