Review: Etude House Darling Cream (Snail Healing)

I'd heard that snail products were the latest rage in Korean skin care products so of course, I had to pick up at least one item to try while I was in Korea! In general, snail mucin is supposed to be beneficial for skin due to its anti-aging and acne-reducing properties. Naturally I was both curious and eager to see if it would actually work for me. Most Korean skin care brands carry at least one snail mucin product so there are many options to choose from. I decided to try the Etude House Darling Cream (Snail Healing).

Description

Nourishing facial cream specially formulated to regenerate and protect skin cells damaged by stress and environment. This product is void of artifical dyes, paraben and alcohol.

Key Ingredient

 70%+ natural snail mucin/snail secretion filtrate

Ingredients

Please click on the image below to enlarge and read the ingredients list.

Use

Dispense onto toner pad and use pad to wipe facial surface. (I actually just apply it directly on my face.)

Price:

 23,000 krw for 50ml/169oz (about $20 usd)

Where to Buy:

Etude House shops, Gmarket, Amazon, etc.

Pros

♥ affordable
♥ moisturizing
♥ only need to use a small amount
♥ does not irritate my dry and sensitive skin
♥comes with spatula and has English on packaging

Cons

♥ sticky but most of it absorbs
♥ the peachy scent reminds me of drugstore body products (but that could just be me)

My Thoughts

At first, I did feel a little squeamish at the thought of putting snail mucin aka snail mucus on my skin, but I got over it and now this cream feels like any other. Luckily the cream is not very slimy in texture. It is on the rich and heavy side, and feels a bit sticky so I like to use it only as my night cream but you can use it for daytime also. It's really a matter of preference and depends on skin type, climate, humidity, etc. I've been using it for about two months now.

I don't experience any dryness with it, but truthfully I don't see much improvement in my skin other than retaining moisture well. I was hoping it would fade small blemishes and smooth out my skin texture more but no such luck. I don't get a lot of pimples so I can't comment on it drying out any pimples. Aside from not being an amazing miracle product for me, I have nothing bad to say about this product.

Would I repurchase?

If I'm out of options, then yes because it is affordable and a good moisturizer. However, I feel that there are other moisturizers out there that can offer more visible skin benefits so I'm sure I'll try other products, especially since I have a whole slew of moisturizers waiting in queue to be used.

What's your take on the snail mucin skin care trend? Have you tried any and did you see improvement with acne, blemishes, wrinkles or experience any other visible effects?