Back in the dark depths of winter, I made a mistake that we’ve all made at some point in our lives: I spoke up during a meeting. It was one of the ELLE beauty team’s weekly check-ins, and as can happen when you’re sitting in a room full of hair, skin, and makeup experts, I started complaining—er, asking for advice. “My skin is so dry!” I bemoaned. “Not even my humidifier can save me.” After some gentle chatter about which products I use, the group started to growl: “You’re not using any hyaluronic acid? Any sort of serum or essence?! No snail mucin?!!” I immediately flashed back to months earlier when the team learned I often go to bed with my hair in a non-silk scrunchie; they weren’t mad, just disappointed.
When the meeting was over, our dear associate e-commerce beauty writer Carol Lee, whom I would trust to overhaul my entire skin care routine, led me to her stash of products. She pulled out a Cosrx set that contained both the viral Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence and the 6 Peptide Skin Booster Serum. I vaguely knew they were popular on TikTok, but honestly couldn’t have told you much more. However, Carol promised they would help and sent me back to my desk, homework in hand.
Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence
Almost immediately, I started my new routine. Both morning and night, after I washed my face, I would use a few pumps of either the Snail Mucin Essence or the Peptide Skin Booster, wait for it to soak in, and then apply the rest of my products. (And yes, the texture of the snail mucin serum is exactly what you’re imagining. It comes from snails after all!) I also took the extra step of swapping out my perfectly good moisturizer for my all-time favorite, Tower 28’s Daily Barrier Recovery Cream. The brutal cold and unrelenting wind had left my skin, particularly around my mouth and eyes, battered. I had no choice but to go all out.
Then, quite quickly, I noticed a difference: I was no longer waking up with large dry patches. My skin felt more hydrated and soft to the touch; the new products weren’t breaking me out (a miracle!), and for the first time in a while, the compromised sections of my skin barrier seemed to be healing. I know now that this is exactly what the Cosrx duo is made for: The essence helps with hydration and repairing the skin, while the serum is meant to soothe, brighten, and plump. Now, when I don’t use them, I can tell that my skin is craving that extra boost—and I’m more than delighted to provide it. Though certain areas of my face might still get dry after sitting in our moisture-less office for eight hours, my skin no longer makes me want to interrupt a meeting, begging for solutions. In fact, I don’t think about my skin much at all anymore.
Spring might be here, and the weather might be warming up, but I still have no plans to change my skin care arsenal. Cold is out, snails are in.
