it is now the snail cream craze going on in Korea. There are so many brands coming out with snail creams and i have not tried them all.
Here's little overview on the benefits of snail cream:
(taken from http://www.acnescarscream.com/heal/81237-1129.php)
When applied to clean skin, the snail serum will fuse with your skin cells and:
* Promote the natural healing processes of your skin.
* Enhance the skin's ability to recover from the effects of dangerous agents and traumas caused by accidents.
* Dissolves dying cells, and abnormal keratin plugs, and uses their amino-acids and other elements for the rebuilding of healthy molecules to replace blemished skin.
* Triggers the orderly repair and regeneration of flawed and sun burned skin cells.
* Promotes the development of the water holding carbohydrate molecules within the skin.
* Improves the capability of skin to emit antimicrobials and kill microbes.
* The bioactive ingredient is enclosed in liposomes for deep penetration into affected cells and slow delivery to guarantee your cells are furnished the bioactive molecules up to 12 hours after application.
I thought i'd do a review on 2 brands of snail care that i've been using........
1. Elishacoy: skin repairing snail cream, skin regeneration
2. Secret Key :Snail + EGF repairing cream
Packaging, size, description
Comes in similar coloured transparent/white tubs with cocoa lids. Both in heavy glass material.
Both are 50g tubs :
Elisha's has a description on the back in English:
Elisha's has 91% snail extract, but i'm not very sure about SecretKey's. I remember reading it in their official website somewhere in the Q&A section but i can't seem to find it anymore. If i remember correctly it is about 70-85% or so snail extract. So the percentage of snail extract is considered high. Secret Key's comes with EGF too! I'll update on the exact amount of snail extract once i look it up.
Ingredients:
Ingredients list for Elishacoy's:
It has slime extract that boosts skin resilience and flexibility and forms a healthy moisture barrier over the skin. Contains adenosine and peptides to enhance skin density and glow to prevent skin cell damage and strengthen skin. Hyaluronic acid, aloe vera and 12-tea complex provide ample moisture and nutrients and enhance the moisture retention capacity of dry skin that easily feels tight . Phyto-TF, an all natural plant extract, protects and calms tired skin.
Secret Key's ingredients list:
Nada! sorry i can't read Korean. But it sure has EGF and Snail extract!
Price:
Elisha's i bought at 22500wons but it they reverted back to the original price which is about 45000-49000 wons now. They gave me free samples of their snail mask and eye masks........... good value.
They've also come out with snail essence and eye balm now.
Circled in pink below:
price for secret key's:
i got it as a set with full size toner, emulsion, eye cream, essence for about 77000 wons. Very good value considering that they are large full sized products. It also came with freebies such as the hydrogel mask sheets and sample sizes of the products.
For the cream alone it is on 53% sale at 9900 wons and this has been going on forever! The original price is supposed to be 26000 wons but it has yet to revert to the original price.
Texture
Elisha's is a thin almost emulsion-like cream in white that spreads ever so easily because it isn't thick. It's like a gooey pudding cream.
It absorbs pretty easily too.
The scent is a mild creamy scent. nothing overpowering. Overall, pleasant.
Secret key
Presents a thicker and richer white coloured cream.
It's much more thicker than Elisha's and you just need a little as it can be quite heavy for oilier skin types. I have dehydrated combo skin and i find that i only need a little to spread all over the face. The scent is strongly perfumed. My skin did not react to the scent. The cream somewhat calmed my easily agitated skin as snail extract is a natural anti-irritant and is good for acne skin types.
Again, it comes with a gooey texture thanks to the snail extract.
My experience
I've been using both alternating between them over my Hera skin care usually at night. I prefer to use Secret Key's at night because i find it much more oilier. Elisha's is a lot lighter in texture.
Snail creams gives a somewhat mattified velvet finish to the skin.
Both snail creams give a temporary effect of whitening and evening out skin tone. They also gave a "lifted" "tightened" feel to the skin! It is anti-aging! Secret Key's provide a more bouncier fuller feel, this would be because of the EGF ingredient perhaps.
I don't really have acne scars so i cannot testify as to whether they help in lightening them.
Did it refine my skin texture? I still don't see any of those effects yet. Perhaps i need to use a little longer.
Which do i prefer?
Secret Key!! I did try out the whole line of secret key's: toner--> emulsion--> essence-->cream--> eye cream
I'll tell you more about the effects of using the entire line later.
Although secret key's snail cream was oilier and heavier and much more perfumed, somehow my sensitive skin preferred this over Elisha's more natural one.
Secret Key's doesn't dry out and "pull" my skin as much and it felt more moisturising. Elisha's really pulled my skin a lot and it left me with taut pulled skin.
Secret Key left me with bouncier and juicier skin. It seems to lift sagging skin too. It must be the EGF ingredient in it.
You can see from the pics above i have used much more of Secret Key's snail cream. Elisha's tub is still pretty much full!
What propelled me to purchase Elisha's was their ingredients list and the description:
"
slime extract that boosts skin resilience and flexibility and forms a healthy moisture barrier over the skin. Contains adenosine and peptides to enhance skin density and glow to prevent skin cell damage and strengthen skin. Hyaluronic acid, aloe vera and 12-tea complex provide ample moisture and nutrients and enhance the moisture retention capacity of dry skin that easily feels tight . Phyto-TF, an all natural plant extract, protects and calms tired skin."
Reading that you'd thought that it'll be good for sensitive, easily irritated skins and provide ample moisture to dehydrated skin.
Alas, but it failed in all ways. It made my skin taut and dry. I'm not sure why. Having contained all that calming non-irritating and moisturising ingredients really contradicts the way it made my skin feel. Sad
Anyone out there had much better luck with Elisha Coy's snail cream?
However, i must add that Secret Key's, although preferred over Elisha Coy's, still gives me a taut and pulled feel. I wonder if all snail creams will this way. So i'm not particularly liking or favouring snail creams for now. I do not like how they pull my skin so.
ps: i'll not give up on snail creams yet and try other korean brands!
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For those who are Elisha coy's natural ingredient fans, it's snail line is having a sale on gmarket:
Limited edition repairing snail cream packaging 50g tub
skin repairing snail essence 40ml
snail repairing snail eye balm.
Secret Key has come out with a new Gel cream version
i suppose it'll be less heavier and oilier than the cream i'm using
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