If you ask any woman in Seoul, they will likely to tell you that “essence” is an essential step in their skin care regimen. I discussed it thoroughly a few months ago on my post why you should add essence to your skincare routine. And in fact, it is one of the things Alice of W2Beauty mentioned when I interviewed her about the 6-Step Korean Skincare Routine. But just like any other beauty products, Essence also has a lot of types and you need to find the right one for you.
On my quest to find the right essence for my skin type, I stumbled upon a lot of beauty blogs. The majority of them are recommending Missha’s Time Revolution Essence because of its affordable price of $39, in most stores, and a perfect dupe of the $100 SK-II Facial Treatment Essence. But there are also a handful of beauty bloggers who are swearing to a certain product called “Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence” which is much cheaper than Missha, and in my opinion, much more effective. In fact, it is listed as one of the best-selling Korean beauty product and it sold out fast!
What is it?
Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence, despite being called an “essence” it’s different from most of its kind. It’s not liquid unlike most essence, it’s more like a gel, like an ampoule. And to complicate matters even further, I like to think of it as a serum because there are so many great actives packed into it. It is marketed as being anti-acne, anti-wrinkle, whitening/brightening, and moisturizing. Plus, people with oily skin will definitely love this product.
Instead of water, Snail secretion filtrate was used, and it also contains Bee Venom, which is two of the most bizarre yet fascinating and trendy ingredients in Korean skin care. But despite that, it is for all types of skin including sensitive and troubled skin types.
Performance
Application: I use Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence immediately after my toner, before applying any moisturizer. I use 2-3 pumps (but take note that my face is small) every morning and night. Like I mentioned above, its consistency is like a gel and it is very light on the face. It also absorbs into my skin very quickly with no residual stickiness, perfect for those with oily skin type like me.
Packaging: Snail Bee High Content Essence comes packaged in a plastic pump bottle. Overall it’s not glamorous, but it does have a very refined look to it that still makes it look expensive without having an actual expensive price tag. The pump performs really well too and does a great job controlling the amount product being dispensed.
Smell: It is effectively scentless, unlike other products that are labeled “fragrance-free” doesn’t always mean “free of fragrance.”
Results: If you’re only going to try one product from the Benton skin care line, it should be the Snail Bee High Content Essence! Unlike other products with expensive price tags, this is a fantastic gel serum that actually delivers on the grand promises it makes. After two weeks of using Benton Snail High Content Essence, it has managed to heal my acne that I got an allergic reaction from not cleaning my makeup brush properly and dark spots from my old breakout have been lightened. This product just brightens my overall skin tone.
Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence also has to tighten properties that are good for those who have a few lines, but since I don’t have wrinkles yet (and I hope I won’t have) I cannot comment how effective this is as an anti-aging. But the fact that my mom has been using this too since I started, and she’s been asking me to buy her a bottle too, means that she’s satisfied with it also.
In my opinion, you don’t need to use the entire Benton line to get the flawless skin result that you want. This product alone is already effective when used with other products that you regularly use, due to the high concentration of actives in the formula.
Pros: Lots of great actives, healed my acne, brightens, lightened my post-acne hyperpigmentation, adds moisture, non-sticky, tightens, and easy to dispense.
Cons: None! Seriously!
Where to Buy
You can buy Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence in StyleKorean for $20. They ship internationally and you can get free samples for every purchase.
OTHER SHOPS:
This is also available in Go Bloom & Glow for Php850. And don’t forget to this coupon code MARIM60 to get ₱100 OFF on your entire order (minimum of ₱1000, single use only).
If you live in the US and UK, you could also purchase this at Yes Style for $11.