COSRX ADVANCED SNAIL 96 POWER ESSENCE - SKINCHEM SCIENCES IN-DEPTH INGREDIENT DISCUSSION

 COSRX ADVANCED SNAIL 96 POWER ESSENCE

Hello, my beauty geeks!! Let's take a deep dive into the ingredient list of this K-beauty cult favourite product, COSRX ADVANCED SNAIL 96 POWER ESSENCE. Keep reading to find out more. 😘

Ingredients - Snail Secretion Filtrate, Betaine, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Allantoin, Ethyl Hexanediol, Carbomer, Panthenol, Arginine 

For a product review, my thoughts on this cosrx snail power essence and to find out whether it lives up to the claims,  visit - HERE

 SKINCHEM SCIENCES' DEEP DIVE INTO THE INGREDIENT LIST 

STAR INGREDIENTS - Snail Secretion Filtrate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Allantoin, Panthenol, Arginine

IN-DEPTH INGREDIENT DISCUSSION

Snail Secretion Filtrate - It is the superstar of this essence and makes up 96.3% of the formula. It is an anti-oxidant (remember argan oil and vitamin E from my last post?) and a humectant i.e. it attracts and holds water thus providing moisturization. Snail mucin alone is a mixture of multiple proteoglycans, glycoprotein enzymes, copper and antimicrobial peptides, glycosaminoglycans, hyaluronic acid and elements like zinc, copper and iron. Put on your proud, nerdy glasses my beauty geeks because we're going for a deep dive into the snail mucin (not literally phew!! )

Proteoglycans are a part of our skin's dermis and epidermis. They support hydration of the extracellular matrix ( a network of collagen, enzymes, minerals etc.) They have several benefits and are responsible for the formation of collagen fibres and improving the elasticity of the skin just to name a few. 

Glycoprotein enzymes as the name suggest, it consists of sugar (not the one in your kitchen if you're wondering) and a protein that allows growth factors and other molecules to regenerate our skin. It aids new collagen formation and catalyses skin repairing and renewal (no doubt snail mucin helps with skin-ageing and healing).  

Copper peptides promote collagen and elastin production thus reducing wrinkles, saggy skin and other signs of skin ageing. It also aids the production of hyaluronic acid (yes! it is a skin-identical ingredient i.e. it is present in our skin naturally) which hydrates and moisturizes. 

Antimicrobial peptides as the name suggests, they have antimicrobial properties and help the body against infections. There are hundreds of such peptides present in the skin with broad antibacterial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and even shows antifungal and antiviral activity. 

Glycosaminoglycans are water-binding molecules (like hyaluronic acid) that provide moisture to the skin and are the body's natural moisturisers. Their primary function is supporting collagen and elastin. 

Metals like zinc, copper and iron have several benefits in skincare which is a whole topic in itself. (Let me know in the comments section if you like a dedicated post on it) Zinc has an anti-inflammatory effect and helps with acne. Copper peptides promote collagen and elastin products and also act as an antioxidant. Iron generally does not penetrate our skin topically due to its hydrophilic nature (oil-based ingredients are more likely to penetrate into the deeper layers) but without iron, our nails would become brittle and with excess iron, the skin would produce free radicals abundantly thus speeding up skin ageing. 

It must be clear by now why snail mucin is known for its skin repairing, hydrating and anti-ageing properties but it does not end here. It can also be used for treating radiation dermatitis caused by radiotherapy which is a type of cancer treatment. 

 

Betaine - It is an amino acid derived from sugar beet. It is also a humectant and has skin protection and moisturization properties. It is also a natural osmolyte (controls cell-water balance) and osmoprotectant (attracts water away from the protein surface thus protecting them from denaturation and increasing their stability). It is also responsible for providing sensorial benefits to the formulation.

Butylene Glycol - It is a multi-tasker as it is a solvent, a humectant and provides viscosity controlling. It helps the products to absorb faster and deeper into the skin and also helps the product to spread nicely on the skin. 

1,2 - Hexanediol - It is a humectant and an emollient, gives a soft feel to the formula and acts as a solvent for perfumes in water-based products. It also helps pigments to disperse evenly in colour cosmetics products and can boost the antimicrobial activity of the preservative. 

Sodium Hyaluronate - It is a more stable form (salt) of our favourite hyaluronic acid. It is the same as hyaluronic acid the only difference is sodium hyaluronate dissociates in solution into sodium atom and hyaluronic acid molecules. Many online sources cite that sodium hyaluronate penetrates deeper into the skin due to its smaller molecular size but this is not true at all. It is pretty similar to hyaluronic acid when it comes to size and of course the benefits.  

Panthenol - It is also known as Pro-Vitamin B5 and is a soothing agent and a humectant. Vitamin B5 is pantothenic acid and Pro-Vitamin B5 is nothing but the pre-cursor to pantothenic acid. It moisturizes skin and also helps our skin to produce lipids that are important for maintaining a healthy skin barrier. It also has anti-inflammatory and skin protecting abilities and reduces irritation caused by fragrance, preservatives etc. in the product. 

Arginine -  It is an amino acid and like hyaluronic acid, arginine is also a skin-identical moisturizer i.e. it is found in our skin naturally and hydrates skin. It forms a film on our skin due to its cationic (positive) charge (our skin and hair are negatively charged) and speeds us the healing process of the skin. 

Allantoin- It is a skin-soothing ingredient and also works as a skin-softening and protecting agent. It is also found to speed up the healing process of wounded skin. 

Ethyl Hexanediol - It is a common solvent for cosmetics. 

Sodium Polyacrylate - It is yet another multi-tasker and acts as a viscosity controller, emulsifier and emulsion stabilizer. It is a polymer with water-binding abilities and it helps in thickening water-based products. 

Carbomer - It is a polymer of acrylic acid and it converts liquids into non-tacky gels when neutralized with a base like sodium hydroxide. 

Phenoxyethanol - It is a gentle and safe preservative. It also provides thermal stability to the formulation and can work in both acidic and basic mediums. 

For a product review, my thoughts on this cosrx snail power essence and to find out whether it lives up to the claims,  visit - HERE 

[ADDITIONAL FACT -  There are several types of moisturizers that provide moisturization in very different ways from each other like occlusives (think of vaseline), emollients (you'll be able to name one in the comments section if you've read my last post ; ) and humectants. Humectants like snail mucin, hyaluronic acid etc. are a class of moisturising agents that absorb and hold onto the water molecule thus providing hydration and moisturization. If you live in a dry place, these might not be the best choice for you no matter how much hyped they are on the internet. As I said, they look for water molecules to absorb and hold onto them, if these humectants do not find enough water in the atmosphere, they can draw water from deep within your skin thus doing the opposite of hydrating. It is a good idea to invest in a humidifier if you want to include these humectants in your routine but live in a not-so humid country.]

Thank you for reading. Leave your thoughts in the comments below and mention the products you want to be reviewed in the next post. 

Much Love, xoxo

Shruti,

Your own skin and hair care guide

Neither this blog nor any of the product reviews are sponsored. They depict my own honest opinion and clicking on the links mentioned won't benefit me in any way. Happy Reading ; )