Benton's Snail Bee High Content Essence Review

please ignore the dilapidated Snail Bee High Content Essence bottle, my salicyclic acid spilled over it when traveling

I bought the Snail Bee High Content Essence about 2 years ago when the concept of snail mucin in skincare was all the rage. Of course I ended up getting swept up into the hype and after thorough researching, I decided to settle on the brand Benton.

Benton's Snail Bee High Content Essence is the first "essence" product that I've tried. Prior to this, I've only used toner and moisturizer. It's only been 2 years since I've incorporated layering of skincare in my routine and I don't think I can turn back to just using a moisturizer and toner. Using only two products in my routine seems so foreign to me now.

from left to right: Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence, Mizon Multi Function Formula All in One Snail Repair Cream, Benton Snail Bee High Content Steam Cream, Benton Aloe BHA Skin Toner

I've had the essence for about two years. I use it on and off so if you use it daily, it probably won't last you a year but since I have so many products, I tend to mix and match different products depending on my mood, weather and if my skin is sensitive.

Most essence products tend to be watery and liquidy. The Snail Bee High Content Essence has a texture that's more like a gel and less like a liquid. I would sort of call it a liquidy gel. When you pump this onto your finger, the liquidy gel does not drip down your finger. However this doesn't mean that it's sticky and dries to a hard shiny finish like other gels that I'ved tried in the past. It feels lightly moisturizing once it's smoothed over the face. After drying, it's shinier just like how a moisturizer would look like and it feels just slightly tacky but it's not bothersome like other gel finishes.

I love the packaging for this essence. It's one of the few aspects that distinguishes Korean skincare from American skincare and I wish all American skincare would come in an airtight container with a pump like this one.

Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence

For those who are sensitive to fragrance, this is scentless with no added fragrance.

What makes this essence special compared to other essence is that it is made up of 90% snail extract and bee venom instead of water. The two ingredients are supposed to help heal acne, fade scars, brighten skin tone, improve wrinkles and maintain hydration.

Putting snail secretions on your face sounds disgusting but that slime contains a number of components that's beneficial to the skin. It contains 1) enzymes that gently exfoliates to remove dead skin cells and reduce inflammation 2) hyaluronic acid that holds moisture in skin cells and 3) glycoproteins that improve skin cell communication.

One thing you need to make sure of before using this is to make sure you are not allergic to bees because this essence contains actual bee venom. Bee Venom when used in large amounts can paralyze you but when used in small amounts it causes microscopic tears in cell membrane which stimulates the body to repair itself. That in turn stimulates the production of collagen that strengthen the skin's structure.

You can check out SkinandTonics' post to see the breakdown of ingredients about this product because she definitely does it better than I do.

For me, I felt Benton's Snail Bee High Content Essence helped with healing my acne and reducing my post inflammatory hyperpigmentation. When my skin's all under control, I have no idea if this product would work or not. However last year, on vacation, my skin started breaking out badly from the combination of excessive sunscreen, sweat, increased sun exposure, and sensitivity towards the cruise's complimentary toiletries. The sides of my face  and my chest was all covered in acne. I thought, I am definitely going to scar. So I took specific care to apply the essence on the problem areas daily. At about month later, I suddenly tried to look for the scars and I couldn't find them. I can't even pinpoint where the acne occurred.

The only products I brought with me on the trip were Cerave PM lotion, Benton Aloe Skin Toner, Paula's Choice's Clear Anti-redness Extra Strength Exfoliating Solution and this essence. Of course they all contributed to clearing and helping my skin, but I felt the Snail Bee High Content Essence truly helped reduced all the scarring. Prior to using the essence, my skin always scarred when I get acne. But after using this essence, I found that the post inflammatory hyperpigmentation from acne scarring was reduced. I find that it doesn't help with scars that has already formed but prevents new acne scars from forming.

This product worked for me but since everyone's skin reacts differently. It may not work for you. This is a blogger who got bad results from benton  and I encourage you to check out the opinion on both sides. Skinandtonics says that the natural preservative in the essence is not strong enough during the summer and she advises consumers to not purchase it during the summer months due to unknown storage conditions during warm weather while it's being delivered.

I purchased the Snail Bee High Content Essence with a High Content Steam Cream together at a reduced price on ebay. I tried to look up who the seller was but couldn't the history that was that old.
I will repurchase this if my next snail cream and bee venom cream doesn't work as well as this one. I am planning to purchase Benton's Snail Recover Gel next.

expiration date on the back of bottle

I like how they have an expiration date on the bottle. Benton's site say to use the product within 6 months of opening. Of course I used the product for two years and thankfully nothing terrible happened to my skin.

Quick Summary:

This is clear fragrance-free liquidy gel that has healed my acne and prevented post inflammatory hyperpigmentation. It has a pump to easily get the product out and the gel stays on your finger without it dripping. It feels slightly moisturizing, makes my skin a tiny bit more shiny. It does not feel oily nor tight on my face. If you want something to heal your acne, this is the item that works.

Let me know if you've tried Benton's Snail Recover Gel or if you've tried any of Benton's product or want me to review any of the other products in the photo above. Is there an essence that you're in love with?

thanks for reading,