Review: Favorite Weird Things in a Skin Care Jar

Seeing weird things in skin care is so common nowadays that it takes a lot for a regular avid consumer to be freaked out. In their advent of course, one would most likely say, “eww, why would I want to put that on my cheeks?” Well, I say to that, because it works. And really, once you start slathering on the gooey goodness, you will really see results.

Below are my time-tested favorites.

1. Snail cream. Snail cream was my first exposure to strange things in a jar. I have always looked at snails in the garden with a suspicious eye. The idea of touching their mucus and slapping it on my face was just ridiculous in so many levels. A few years and many rave reviews after, I finally caved. The main catalyst was the testimonial of my aunt, a woman who pre-snail had no particular love for skin care experiments. She was forty and loving the slime. I had to try it.

After some research, I got Nature Republic Snail Solution Set. I never turned back. The set comes with a Skin Booster, Emulsion, Essence and a Cream, applied in that order.

• Nature Republic Snail Solution 90 Skin Booster. Apply after double cleansing, effectively replacing toner or lotion. Do not bother with a cotton pad. Slap it on with your hand. 
• Nature Republic Snail Solution 80 Emulsion. Wait for the Booster to dry then apply the Emulsion.
• Nature Republic Snail Solution 70 Essence. Replaces my serum. On a particularly humid day, I use this only on extra dry areas, like around the eyes to replace night cream, and pimple spots.
• Nature Republic Snail Solution 70 Cream. Replaces cream and sleeping pack. Given my oily skin, I apply this sparingly all over the face, but in happy amounts around the eye area.

This pretty much condenses the entire 10-step routine to half, and I welcome the change on weekends when I feel like my skin needs reboot and refresh. The slime does take some getting used to, particularly the Skin Booster which is supposed to replace the toner/lotion. And we are used to liquidy variants of that. It gets slimier as you move to the Emulsion, Essence, and the prime pot, the Cream, which I sometimes skip. But snail cream promises to Revitalize and Moisturize (the official Nature Republic blurb), and I can attest to that. It also promises whitening, but I find this effective only because it soothes pimple spots and lightens them really quickly.

My super favorite function of snail cream, however, is its anti acne properties. When all else fails, including my go-to Dermglow set, snail cream does the job. Just recently I had an unsightly occurrence of bumps on my cheek and upper lip area, and even a small burn under my eye (from a misuse of strong toner during the high sun month. Smart move, I know). I’ve tried all the moisturizers in my arsenal, but a healthy application of the Skin Booster and Emulsion was what worked.

Tip: There are a lot of snail creams in the market, specially from Korean brands. You will find an array of affordable to more expensive ‘premium’ lines. But the key factor is the percentage of snail mucus, which should at least be 70% (usually expressed as a number without the % sign, i.e. Snail Solution 70 Cream). Otherwise, you will paying for the fillers.

P.S. The Snail Solution mask is heaven.
2. Placenta cream. I had greater apprehensions for this weirdo than with the snail slime. This is human placenta guys, if the picture of a baby on the packaging isn’t clue enough. At least the Japanese were very transparent. And as usual, they own up to the strangeness. This was one thing I swore I would not touch for so many self-explanatory reasons. But as a sucker for personal testimonials, I braved a dip.

My sister swore by MICCOSMO White Label Premium Placenta Cream during one of her bouts with pimples. Unlike my cystic ones, she gets the really small, multiple ones that live just under the skin. Fascinating mental picture, isn’t it? You are welcome. Desperate for a cure, she took a chance on this Japanese cult hit (100% human placenta, no fillers!) and it paid off.

• White Label Premium Placenta Essence. Replace toner/lotion stage with this. Again, don’t waste product by using a cotton pad. Pour a good amount on your hand and slather on.
• White Label Premium Placenta Cream. After the essence has dried, gently dab this rich gel cream.  

Expect some stickiness, duh. But the gel consistency of the cream was a good balancing factor. My sister stripped down her routine to double cleanse and just these two placenta babies (pun intended) at night, and a light toner, serum and just the cream in the mornings. Goodbye landmine of tiny pimples. The Japanese blurb promises whitening, regeneration, and skin smooth as a baby’s bottom, and these products come very close to that. Like with the snail cream, placenta products soothe the skin, dries up pimples and lighten pimple marks quickly.

So when I repurchase and use, I just close my eyes on the baby in the picture.

Embrace the slime.

Store Directory:

Nature Republic. Bought a tester set at about KRW50000 in Korea, and a full size set of Booster and Cream with a 1+1 deal. It’s always better to buy Korean products in Korea. But until your next Seoul adventure, Nature Republic is available in Landmark and other department stores, and online via w2beauty.

White Label Premium Placenta. Available with your favorite online stores, such as Shibuya Online Shop and Casa de Mori.