Snail Flail? Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream Review

Are we still feeling scandalized by snail secretions in our skincare? I've actually never been very squeamish about it, but either way, late last year (sic!) I decided to purchase this Snail Recovery Gel Cream ($6-10 for 45ml from Amazon or eBay) from Mizon, a Korean brand famous for its snail extract products. I'd had some good luck with snail sheet masks in the past and was looking for an inexpensive hydration booster to add to my routine, and this seemed to fit the bill.

The Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream is actually a difficult product to categorize. It's a multipurpose product containing 74% Snail Secretion Filtrate that can be used as a serum, after sun, sleeping mask, soothing salve for irritated/ blemished skin. It's definitely not a moisturizer; this light, clear gel sinks into the skin almost immediately and doesn't provide much nourishment like a standard Western cream does. If you wanted to incorporate it into your skincare routine, I would use it either instead or together with a serum/ essence, and follow with a moisturizer. Apart from the snail extract, it also contains hyaluronic acid, soothing plant extracts like gotu kola, green tea, lotus and white birch, as well as peptides, allantoin, panthenol and adenosine towards the very end of the ingredients' list.

I've been using the Snail Recovery Gel Cream on and off for months now, and here's what I found. Yes, I do think this airy, fragrance-free gel provides a soothing boost of hydration to the skin - I especially like to use it when my skin is acting up for one reason or another (seasonal dehydration, breakouts, redness and sensitivity, dryness resulting from treatments containing salicylic acid/ retinols), and I either leave it on the skin for the entire day/ night, or rinse off after 20 minutes to an hour. It sinks in very fast and doesn't leave a sticky residue, so even my skincare-hating husband wouldn't mind using it on his face :) I would liken it to an aloe vera gel in terms of its versatility and results, but on my skin, it's even more effective. It would also be a terrific option for anyone who's allergic to aloe vera, which is actually more common that you would think.

All in all, I think it's a handy little product to have in your medicine cabinet, but I don't think it's a miracle worker. I do own other products that are more effective in their respective categories; for example, Laneige Water Sleeping Mask (click!) is a better hydrating overnight mask, or the Hada Labo Hyaluronic Acid Gokujuyn Lotion (click!) is a better hydrating serum/essence than this Snail Gel. However, if you were on a limited budget, wanted to streamline your routine, or looking for a single multipurpose product to pack for travel, the Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream is a great option. Have you tried any products with snail filtrate? What is your favorite 'do it all' skincare product?