Skin & Tonics : Skincare Guides & Product Reviews

Skincare guides & product reviews for hydration lovers & the moisture barrier obsessed

Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream Review

The Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream is the last product in my Mizon snail review series, and probably the product I was most excited about trying. I’d heard so many great things about this moisturizer; I couldn’t wait to slather my face in its soothing, snail-filled glory. Alas, the Snail Recovery Gel Cream and I turned out to be star-crossed, but I’ll get to that in a minute.

Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream

What is it?

Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream ($6) is a gel-type moisturizer, and the 4th step in the Mizon Snail Repair Skincare lineup. It promises to provide clear, firm, moisturized skin.

Mizon All in One Snail Repair Cream

Suggested order of use for Mizon Snail Repair line

Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream

Ingredients:
Snail Secretion Filtrate, Butylene Glycol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycerin, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether, Dimethylsilane, Polysorbate2-, Sodium Hyaluronate, Carbomer, Glycosyl Trehalose, Hydrogenated Starch Hydolsyate, Triethanolamine, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Dimethicone, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Caprylyl Glyocol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Polyacrylate, Centella Asiatica Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Camellias Sinensis Leaf Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Betula Platylphylla Japonica Juice, Tropolone, Copper Tripeptide-1, Allantoin, Panthenol, Olea Europaea (olive) Fruit Oil, Helianthus Annuus (sunflower) Seed Oil, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA

I was very happy to see an absence of Cetearyl Alcohol in this formula! I was also happy to see a large lineup of extracts with antioxidant properties. The ingredients in this formula that really stood out to me were:

Snail Secretion Filtrate – This product is comprised of 74% snail mucin. Snail mucin is skin friendly because it contains an array of antioxidants, and proteins as well as elastin and glycolic acid. It’s also antimicrobial, and in addition to being shown to effectively promote wound healing in a couple of in-vitro studies, there was a newer study released in April of this year that showed snail secretion to be effective when it comes to repairing photodamage. It’s especially helpful for acne, overall skin tone, and reducing acne scarring. (Study: Effects of Snail Secretion Filtrate on Photoaged Skin)

Sodium Hyaluronate – Often referred to as hyaluronic acid, this ingredient is able to hold up 1,000 times its weight in water. This humectant also does a great job attracting and maintaining water in the skin, and promotes blood circulation and nutrient absorption.

Copper Tripeptide-1 – Promotes skin regeneration and possesses antioxidant activity. Copper Trieptide-1 has been proven to increase collagen and elastin production. In one study, it was shown to be more effective than Vitamin C and retinoic acid for skin regeneration. It’s also a potent anti-inflammatory ingredient. There have been numerous studies conducted on the efficacy of this ingredient. For further reading, here’s a great summary of the anti-aging benefits of Copper Tripeptide from the Journal of Aging Research & Clinical Practice (PDF).

Olea Europaea (olive) Fruit Oil – Olive oil has been used as skincare ingredient throughout human history, and it’s a classic for a reason. It contains antioxidants such as squalene, Vitamin E, and Vitamin A, as well as skin-healthy essential fatty acids. It also contains a component called oleuropein, which possesses anti-inflammatory and antioxidant characteristics.

Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4 – This is an especially interesting ingredient – you might already be familiar with it under its occasional trade name, Matrixyl. Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4 is a cell-communicating, chain protein that has been scientifically proven to stimulate the production of both collagen and elastin. There is even one study that concluded Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4 was just as effective as retinol for repairing UV damaged skin. For more information, check out this 2005 study: Topical Palmitoyl Pentapeptide Provides Improvement in Photoaged Human Facial Skin

There are a couple of low-grade potential acne triggers in this formula according to COSDNA. One of the named potential triggers is olive oil, which, although it’s true that it can be comedogenic for some people, it’s actually very beneficial for the majority of the population. As a possible acne trigger, it scores a 2 out of 5.

Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream

 

Performance

Packaging
Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream comes packaged in a pink, plastic, no-frills tube. It’s not fancy, but it’s extremely hygienic and it gets the job done.

Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream

Smell
There is no added fragrance in this formula, and I found that it had no detectable smell.

Application
As I previously mentioned, this is the 4th step in the Mizon Snail Recovery Skincare lineup. I applied a large pearl-sized amount over my face just after my Mizon Snail Repair Eye Cream.

Even though this product is labeled as a gel cream, it looks, feels, and acts like just a gel. It’s not creamy at all, but it is very smooth, and has a nice amount of slip to it thanks to the silicone ingredients. It spread over my face easily, and absorbed quickly without leaving behind any stickiness or greasiness.

Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream

 

Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream

Results
Remember when I said earlier that this gel cream and I are star-crossed? Well, here’s what happened. I wanted to fall in love with the Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream the way others had, to wake up and see the glowing, moisturized, skin people were raving about. Sadly, that was not meant to be – instead, this product triggered several patches of cystic acne within 4 days of using it. At first I’d hoped this was just an unfortunate coincidence, so I gave it a rest until the flare-ups went away. Then I tried the Snail Recovery Gel Cream again, only to be met with more cystic acne. You’d think I’d have stopped trying at this point, but I wanted so desperately to let this product do its thing, that I tried it a third time. Again, cystic acne spots within days.

In case you’re new to this blog, it might help to know that my skin type is dry, sensitive, and very acne prone. I know that larger amounts of Cetearyl Alcohol will trigger breakouts for me, but I’m beginning to suspect the same is true for Cyclopentasiloxane. Cyclopentasiloxane is a silicone ingredient that’s actually pretty harmless – and even beneficial for most people. However, there are some folks that are sensitive to it, and it’s looking to me like I’m one of those people. It’s been fairly high up in the ingredient list in many products that have broken me out this year. There is no Cetearyl Alcohol in the Snail Recovery Gel Cream, so I know that wasn’t the trigger, and I’ve had no problem with using olive oil on my face in the past, so I don’t believe that was an issue here either.

Acne aside, I did not find the Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream to be moisturizing enough for me, even when using it in conjunction with the rest of the Mizon Snail Recovery lineup. In fact, my skin felt downright dry when I woke up in the morning. I was willing to stick it out, even with the dryness, just to see what would happen, but once my Mizon party was crashed by a gang of zits, I decided to switch out the Snail Recovery Gel Cream for Argan Oil for the rest of my Mizon testing period.

Pros:
+ Non-greasy
+ No Cetearyl Alcohol
+ Absorbs quickly
+ Fragrance-free

Cons:
– Triggered cystic acne breakouts on my dry, acne-prone skin
– Not very moisturizing

Skin & Tonics Rating:

Performance: 1/5 – Not moisturizing enough for my dry skin, even when used in conjunction with the rest of the Mizon Snail Recovery line. Caused cystic acne breakouts.

Quality: 3/5 – Despite my own sensitivities, this product does have a good ingredient list with a fair amount of beneficial skincare ingredients.

Value: 1/5 – It would be a super deal at $6 if it had worked out for me even a little bit, but no amount of money is worth repeated cystic acne.

Overall: 1.7/5

Where to Buy

I bought my Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream from eBay seller f2plus1, where I paid $11 + $2.50 shipping for 2 tubes. Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream is also available from the following Skin & Tonics approved sellers:

Iamlove-shop (eBay seller, $6 + free shipping)
W2Beauty ($15 + free shipping, get a $5 voucher by entering my sponsor code at sign-up: 025605)

 

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18 comments onMizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream Review

  1. Ah! It didn’t work for me either =[ instead of a lovely moisturised face I woke up to an oil slick! Worst part was that I would start to oil up an hour after using this! After a week I gave up on it!

    • Kerry

      Wow, that sounds terrible! It never ceases to amaze me how differently people respond to products. What is your skin type normally?

  2. Ugh, cystic acne is the absolute worst. Obviously this product didn’t work for you, but what did you think of the line as a whole?

    • Kerry

      I thought it was just okay. I had much higher hopes for it, though. I genuinely liked the ampoule and the eye cream, but the recovery gel and the all-in-one cream were such letdowns! it’s bound to happen sometimes, I suppose, but doesn’t make it any less disappointing. 🙁

  3. Disappointing! I consider my skin somewhat sensitive, but luckily the recovery gel cream worked well for me. Everyone has their triggers. Damn unpredictable bodies, huh? Lol.

    • Kerry

      Agreed! I really wish I wasn’t sensitive to this gel. I was looking forward to some radiant results!

      • Christel

        I seem to be having the same issue. I’m about 5 days in. I love how it makes my skin feel, but I am getting really odd breakouts. I thought that maybe by skin is purging, but I don’t know if I want to continue use. Have you found any other snail cream that has worked for you?

  4. Well thank god I went for the Benton snail bee essence instead of this one :O I’m extremely sensitive and acne prone (including cystic acne *sobs miserably*) and the ingredients list just doesn’t look very clean

    • Kerry

      Yeah, for me, the Benton lineup blows this one out of the water. However, I do know of several folks who have had great luck with this line! I just wasn’t one of them.

  5. I wanted to buy this but I think I won’t since I have sensitive and oily skin. I can’t use products with oil or silicone such as primers because I will breakout. Anyway, I love products with snail secretion because they are beneficial for the skin. Thank you so much for sharing this ^_^

  6. I think the silicons are the ones who cause your reaction. I know other people who get those types of reaction from silicons in skin care.
    It seems I am one of those lucky people because this looks absolutely fascinating on my skin. I am using it for around 5 months already and I have a back tube of it. It makes my skin so glowing ad healthy and most importantly it doesn’t clog my huge pores on nose. But I don’t have sensitive or oily skin in first place. I never ever had acne. Sadly just clogged pores and hormonal zits from time to time.
    I also loved the ampoule. I would like to try the rest of the products too.

    • Kerry

      Hey Teti! Yeah, the Cyclopentasiloxane is a silicone, and I’m 80% sure it’s the source of my woe. Other silicones don’t cause problems for me, thankfully. In fact, I really like them for sealing in moisture! If you try the All-in-One Cream, I would love to know how it works for you!

  7. The mizon snail cream works pretty ok for my chin acne and I agree the recovery snail gel is a let down. I used it for 2 weeks with new flare up . Till I switched to my usual moisturizer, the acne were tamed

  8. wow hun i love how you do review on your blog…I just subscribe to you!! mind following me back ? http://www.cindysplanet.com

  9. Aw, it’s unfortunate that this product didn’t work for you. Cystic acne is always my fear when testing out new products!

    After having issues with CeraVe PM, this was the 2nd moisturizer I decided to try. So far, no breakouts and it seems to moisturize my combo/dehydrated skin enough. Will probably add a cream moisturizer at some point.

  10. K

    Same it also happens to me. What will you suggest a good moisturizer to lessen having a breakout?

  11. daisy

    Hi! Just want to ask if it’s okay to use it even without the other steps for this Snail Recovery Gel Cream? ?