I've reviewed Biore UV Perfect Protect Milk previously and I've mentioned how difficult it was to find a sunscreen product that hit that sweet spot between comfort and function. Sunscreens that do what they're supposed to do, which is to protect the skin, often has trouble staying matte and breathable. I guess it makes perfect sense, considering sunscreens work as shade and to be able to filter as much sun rays, they need to be thick and unavoidably non-breathable. When you're in a hot and humid country like the Philippines, thick and non-breathable are just not what you want on your skin.
I bought two variants of the COSRX sunscreen and decided to test All Green first because it was more promising. I also wasn't a big fan of Snail Mucin, which is what this yellow variant contains.
Snail Mucin isn't all bad. I just wasn't impressed by it. I remember Snail Secretions being so huge in the beauty product industry in 2016. It was in soap, in makeup, in essences and creams. I bought them all and did not find any remarkable difference in my skin. Snail White Soap was okay. It did not do anything for my blemishes and dark spots. For something that was a little expensive, it dried my skin and did nothing on my issues. It probably whitened my skin a tad bit, but that was it. I did not understand what all the hype was about.
The hype has died down, but I still find snail mucin in a few products. What is Snail Mucin exactly?
Snail Mucin is what you expect it to be ~ it's the slime produced by snails. That slime trail they leave in their paths. That icky, gooey mess.
Trivia: Snail Mucin was discovered by Chilean snail farm workers who noticed that their hands felt incredibly soft after handling snails. They started selling hand creams. This was in the 1980s so it took over 2 decades for Korea to incorporate this wonder ingredient in their skincare products.
What it does, like what the Chilean snail farm workers claim, is hydrate and soften skin. It does this due to the hyaluronic acid content of the slime which locks in moisture. It also has glycolic acid that helps with collagen production and makes skin glow. Anti-inflammatory zinc, and anti-irritation allantoin also add to the benefits.
I was initially intimidated by all the moisture talk. I have oily skin, it's summer, and the air is unforgivingly humid. I wasn't going to put slime on my face for sun protection. I'd rather wear a hat, face mask and sunglasses, which would be hot, but then at least I don't have slime on my skin.
I don't remember what got me to finally try it one hot summer morning before heading out to the humid hell that is the Philippines in April. But I'm glad I finally did because this is surprisingly refreshing to wear.
I don't mean it has mint and some cooling properties or whatever. It's just lighter than most sunscreen products I've tried. It feels light and looks light on skin. It also does not leave a white cast both in person and on photos. The skin just generally looks healthy and smooth.
I haven't tried it under make up as I no longer wear make up these days (who does that? Face masks give us a free pass to be ugly.) But I feel like this would work nicely as a primer for both BB creams and heavier formulas like liquid and stick foundations.
Like the other COSRX sunscreen, this has a scent, but it's negligible. It smells light and citrusy.
What it is is essentially a cross between a serum and an essence. The other sunscreen from COSRX is a cream so it's thicker and tackier. This one is easier to spread and absorbs well into the skin.
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