Every fall my cheeks get rough and tight, and this year they barely flared at all. I put it on damp skin right out of the shower. It absorbs in about a minute and leaves no film on my pillow.
Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence
The K-beauty benchmark snail essence: snail secretion filtrate is the first ingredient on a short, no-frills list, backed by sodium hyaluronate and panthenol.
4.8 (4)100ml
$23.99 per 100 ml
- Korean-market formula
- Ships from California or direct from Korea
- Korean barcode and batch code intact
- Suited to
- DryDehydratedCombinationOily
- Helps with
- DehydrationRough surface textureDullness
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How it works
Dehydrated skin looks flat because the surface holds too little water to reflect light evenly. Unlike a rich cream that sits on top, this essence works at the water layer: snail secretion filtrate leads the list, then betaine and sodium hyaluronate, humectants that draw water in and hold it there, with panthenol and allantoin for comfort. The list runs to twelve ingredients with no fragrance and no denatured alcohol, so it layers cleanly under whatever follows. Press it into damp skin and let it set before the next step.
Key benefits
- Holds water at the surface: three humectants stacked in the first five ingredients
- Panthenol and allantoin take the tightness out of a cleansed face
- Twelve ingredients, light gel body, no oils or silicones to pill under sunscreen
- No fragrance, no parfum, no essential oil on the list
- No alcohol denat., SD alcohol or ethanol, so none of the sting
- Sourced for the Korean market, Korean barcode 8809416470009 intact on the box
Inside the formula
Inside the formula
COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence
What is the COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Essence for?
It is a hydrating essence, the watery step between toner and cream. Snail secretion filtrate leads a twelve ingredient list, backed by betaine and sodium hyaluronate, so the job is holding water at the surface rather than sealing it in with oils. Skin that reads flat and rough is short of water, and this is the step that answers it.
Is it suitable for oily or blemish prone skin?
The ingredient list names no oils and no silicones, so it adds no slip to skin already producing plenty. It names no fragrance and no denatured alcohol either, the two entries most often screened for. The full list is printed on this page.
How long before I notice a difference?
Sooner than most steps, and only while you keep using it. Humectants hold water at the surface, so what changes is how the skin looks and feels rather than anything structural, and it fades when the step comes out of the routine. Think of it as daily maintenance. The 100 ml bottle is sized for exactly that.
Can I layer this essence with acids or retinoids?
Yes. This is a plain humectant essence with no exfoliating acid of its own and nothing that competes for pH, so it sits under or over most routines without a conflict. Thinnest first is the usual order, which puts the essence before a serum. Let it stop feeling tacky before the next layer, or that layer will pill.
How does this compare to buying it from a US retailer?
We carry the authentic Korean-market formulation. What ships is the unit built for the Korean market, with its Korean barcode 8809416470009 and its batch code intact on the box, and COSRX verifies units itself: enter the batch number and expiry printed on your package on the brand's own page and confirm it.
Not on the ingredient list below: fragrance or parfum, denatured or SD alcohol, essential oils, silicones, parabens, sulfate surfactants, mineral oil or petrolatum and added color.
Full INCI (12): Snail Secretion Filtrate, Betaine, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Panthenol, Arginine, Allantoin, Ethyl Hexanediol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol
Ingredient list read from www.oliveyoung.co.kr on 19 August 2026.
12 of 12 explained
- Snail Secretion Filtrate humectant
- Snail Secretion Filtrate is the mucin a snail produces, filtered for cosmetic use, and it is the ingredient the Korean snail category is built on. It carries glycoproteins, hyaluronic acid and glycolic acid, and it is used for hydration and a smoother-looking surface.
- Betaine humectant
- Betaine is a sugar-beet-derived humectant that cells use to hold water. In a formula it hydrates and takes the edge off cleansers and acids, which is why it often appears alongside them.
- Butylene Glycol humectant
- Butylene Glycol is a small glycol that does two jobs at once: it holds water in the top layer of skin and it dissolves plant extracts and actives that plain water cannot. It also thins a formula, which is why watery Korean essences lean on it.
- 1,2-Hexanediol humectant
- 1,2-Hexanediol is a glycol used for two reasons: it holds water like glycerin, and it makes a formula harder for microbes to live in, so less traditional preservative is needed. Korean formulas use it heavily for that second reason.
- Sodium Hyaluronate humectant
- Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt of hyaluronic acid, and it is what most products labelled hyaluronic actually contain. The salt dissolves more readily and the molecule is smaller, so it sits in the outer layer of skin rather than only on top of it.
- Panthenol humectant
- Panthenol is pro-vitamin B5: skin converts it to pantothenic acid. It is a humectant that holds water and leaves skin feeling soft and less tight, and it is one of the ingredients formulators reach for when a formula also contains something harsh.
- Arginine amino acid
- Arginine is an amino acid that does two jobs here: it holds water in the outer layer of skin, and it neutralises acidic gelling agents, which is why it often stands in for a synthetic pH adjuster.
- Allantoin active
- Allantoin is a comfrey-derived compound used to condition skin and soften the outer layer so it feels smoother. It is one of the standard additions to a formula built for easily irritated skin.
- Ethyl Hexanediol humectant
- Ethyl Hexanediol is a glycol that hydrates and makes a formula less hospitable to microbes, the same double role 1,2-hexanediol plays.
- Sodium Polyacrylate thickener
- Sodium Polyacrylate is a polymer that absorbs many times its weight in water. It thickens a formula and holds water in a gel against the skin.
- Carbomer thickener
- Carbomer is a synthetic polymer that only gels once a base neutralises it, which is why arginine or tromethamine sits nearby on the list. It gives the clear, non-stringy gel texture a xanthan formula cannot reach.
- Phenoxyethanol preservative
- Phenoxyethanol is the most widely used cosmetic preservative outside the paraben family. It keeps a water-containing formula from growing bacteria and mould, and is capped at one percent in most markets, so it always sits low on a list.
- Market
- Korean market, the version sold in Korea
- EAN (barcode)
- 8809416470009
- Made in
- Republic of Korea
- Volume
- 100ml
- Category
- Essence / Snail Mucin Essence
- Actives
- Allantoin, Panthenol, Snail Secretion Filtrate, Sodium Hyaluronate
- Ships from
- California or Korea
Orders ship from California or direct from Korea with tracked delivery to your door, and both routes carry the same Korean-market release. Shipping is free on orders of $100 or more. Returns are accepted for 30 days, by mail.
We split shipments free, so one out-of-stock item never holds up the rest of your order.
Where this unit came from
- 1Seoul
Bought as Korean-market stock - 2Barcode
Listed against the Korean barcode on its box - 3California or Korea
Ships to you from either, as the same Korean-market release
We stock the version of a formula that is sold in Korea, not the release a brand prepares for another market under the same name. The barcode in the specification above is the Korean-market one and it is printed on the box you receive.
Every unit keeps its original barcode and batch code intact, so the unit in your hands can be checked against the brand’s own records.
Every order ships from California or direct from Korea, and returns run for 30 days.
Every claim on this page traces to the unit in the box, the barcode, the batch code and the price you can read for yourself.
How to use
- AM and PM, after toner and before heavier serums. Apply to damp skin: humectants need water present to bind.
- Two or three pumps into the palm, then press it over the face rather than rubbing it in. Rubbing breaks the stretch and drags the essence into a film.
- Wait until the tack disappears before the next layer. Go on too early and whatever follows will pill.
- Seal it with a moisturizer, and with sunscreen in the morning.
Worth knowing
- Snail secretion filtrate is animal derived, so this is not a vegan formula.
- The finish is tacky until it sets. If you dislike slip under makeup, apply it thin and give it a minute.
- Phenoxyethanol, 1,2-hexanediol and ethyl hexanediol are the preservation ingredients here. Read the list if you screen for any of them.
Reviews
Write a reviewWrite a review
COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence
How it felt, how your skin took it, what you layer it with. Straight answers help the next person choose.
4.8/ 5
4 reviews
- 5 stars3
- 4 stars1
- 3 stars0
- 2 stars0
- 1 star0
Nice texture and a real moisture boost, but in Florida heat I'd rather use this at night only. In winter it's exactly right, my skin never felt tight once. I'd buy it again, just not in July.
I was nervous about the texture but it feels like a cool, slippery gel that sinks in immediately. My face felt so plump and hydrated when I woke up on day three. No pilling under my foundation at all!
I was a little hesitant about snail mucin but this one is different. The texture is thin and it absorbs in seconds, no sticky residue at all. My skin felt plump and calm the next morning and it sat under my foundation without pilling, which I never expected from a mucin essence. I will probably reorder.
We’re on gram!
Creators trying on authentic Korean skincare routines and products from us.
A quick honest take on the cult COSRX snail mucin essence.
Ankush Bahuguna · YouTube
COSRX snail mucin essence compared with the dual essence.
Limese Connect · YouTube
How to layer the COSRX snail mucin power essence in a routine.
Yuveraj Singh Bajwa · YouTube
Three ways to work the COSRX snail mucin essence into a routine.
Nipun Kapur · YouTube
Building a winter routine around the COSRX snail mucin essence.
Diba's Quest · YouTube
A close look at the COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence.
SkinCabin · YouTube
Rating a shelf of Dr. Althea products one by one.
Jasmine Loo · YouTube
Two hydrating serums side by side, IUNIK and Dr. Althea.
Kristin · YouTube
A walk through the Dr. Althea serum lineup and who each one suits.
auraofmahmuda · YouTube
A blunt first take on the Dr. Althea range.
Lexi Chang · YouTube
A first look at the viral 345 Relief Cream before buying.
Shelley Nayak · YouTube
A first try of the Dr. Althea serum on camera.
Hannah Ziad · YouTube
COSRX, Korean-market original
The benchmark snail essence, 100 ml, Snail Secretion Filtrate first on the list.
Verify your unit when it arrives
Verify your unit when it arrives
Korean-market stock with the original barcode and batch code intact, exactly as it left Korea.
COSRX verifies units itself. Find the verification page on cosrx.com and enter the batch number and expiration date printed on your unit. Read them off the package rather than from us, which is the point.
Source: COSRX FAQ
On the unit itself
- The Korean-market barcode, unaltered from the retail package.
- The manufacturer’s batch code, exactly as the maker printed it.
정품Genuine article, Korean-market stock
What professionals say
What professionals say
What skin-care professionals say about skin care, quoted from the medical sources linked beside each.
Your skin barrier is basically your outer layer of the skin.
Melissa Piliang, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic Pretty much every step of a Korean skin care routine is going to have some component of hydration.
Alok Vij, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic
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