How to Make My Morning Moisture Snail Mucin Serum

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I have finally found the perfect solution for a lightweight, yet deeply nourishing morning moisturizer. It’s my Morning Moisture Serum that I mix with jojoba oil, snail mucin, and a few drops of essential oil. It is the only thing I put on my skin, aside from concealer and blush. I used to need cover up all over my face, but my skin is so healthy now, I don’t feel the need to wear anything else.

I’ve used it every morning for a year and a half now, ever since my sister bought Cosrx for me for my birthday. NEVER would I have had the guts to try it without her strong endorsement. I ran two marathons when I lived in Okinawa, and it rains there more than it does in Seattle. I was constantly having to dodge massive snails on my runs, and the air smelled super fishy!

Thankfully, the Koreans have figured out a way to harvest the mucin, and I promise, there’s no aroma whatsoever. My sister and I aren’t the only ones in the family hooked on this obscure ingredient. My mom uses my entire skincare line, and she just renewed her driver’s license at 74. In her new license photo, she has a more youthful look than in the one from ten years ago. Like a sweet mama, she’ll tell anyone who asks that it’s my skincare.

So let’s talk about what’s in this bottle, because snail mucin does so much more than you can imagine!

What is snail mucin, exactly?

Snail mucin (aka snail slime or snail mucus) is the secretion snails produce to protect and repair their own bodies as they crawl. That slimy substance turns out to be a remarkable skincare ingredient. It’s naturally rich in active ingredients: hyaluronic acid, glycolic acid (a gentle alpha hydroxy acid), antimicrobial peptides, and growth factors that help boost collagen production. It’s prized for its regenerative properties. Snail secretions have been used on skin since Ancient Greece. The modern snail mucin trend comes out of Korean skincare, where it became a popular ingredient for deep hydration and skin repair.

The product I use is the COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence — a k-beauty product with a high concentration of snail secretion filtrate (96 percent snail mucin). COSRX is the k-beauty brand girls swear by for a reason: the snail essence is a gentle formula with almost nothing in it but the mucin itself. On its own it’s a water-based product — a clear, stretchy gel that sinks in fast and leaves a dewy finish.

Why I mix it with jojoba oil

Snail mucin gives the hydration; jojoba oil seals it in. Jojoba is the carrier oil (actually not an oil at all, it’s a wax ester) closest to our skin’s sebum. It absorbs beautifully, instead of sitting greasy on top. Mixed 50/50, the two become a complete morning moisture in one step. The mucin pulls in water and supports the skin barrier, and the jojoba locks in that long-lasting skin hydration so my face stays soft all day.

The essential oils are for skin support and scent. My personal bottle has geranium, blue tansy, lavender and peppermint, but I omit the peppermint in the ones I sell. (My eyes are severely desensitized after decades of wearing contacts, I could darn near put peppermint essential oil right into my eye and be fine!) I love the freshness it brings in the morning. Blue tansy and geranium are two of my favorites for skin. Sometimes I use a skin blend from Eden’s Garden instead, like Age Defy or Best Skin Ever. The blue tansy gives the finished serum a beautiful blue-green tint in the dropper.

The recipe

For a 2 oz dropper bottle:

• 1 oz jojoba oil
• 1 oz COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence
• 30 drops essential oil (geranium, blue tansy, lavender — or an Eden’s Garden skin blend)

I actually make mine in a 4 oz bottle. 2 oz jojoba, 2 oz essence, 60 drops of oil, and at one dropper full every morning, a 4 oz bottle lasts me four months.

To make it: pour the jojoba and the snail mucin essence into your dropper bottle. Add the essential oils, cap it, and shake. That’s the whole recipe. Because oil and a water-based essence naturally separate, it is imperative to shake well before each use.

How I use it

Every morning I wash my face with a gentle scrub and my homemade foaming soap. (Recipe coming soon!) Then I use one full dropper of serum while my skin is still a little moist and warm. Right out of the shower is my favorite. It goes on dry skin fine, but warm, slightly damp skin drinks it up better. I press it in with my palms, and that’s it!

A few notes:

• Patch test first. If you are sensitive to new products on your face, the first time you use this, try a little on your jawline or inner arm and wait a day. Most people are just fine with it, but every skin is different.
• Skin types: I have watched this serum work on dry skin, oily skin, acne-prone skin, and sensitive skin. The mucin is known for helping the appearance of fine lines, uneven skin tone, acne scars, and the appearance of dark spots. Consistent use is what smooths overall texture. This is a months-long game, not a one-week miracle (but it will feel glorious right away).
• What I’ve noticed: deep hydration that lasts, a smooth texture, and overall healthy skin. The benefits of snail mucin that people talk about (skin repair, wound-healing properties, protection from free radicals, anti-inflammatory properties) all line up with my experience of calmer, more even skin. Whatever your skin concerns, the benefits of snail mucin skincare show up with consistent use.

Is it worth buying the COSRX just for this?

If you already own the essence, this is a two-minute project. If you don’t, know that the bottle is 96 percent snail mucin and nothing else does quite what it does in this recipe — I’ve never found a substitute that gives the same dewy, bouncy hydration under the jojoba. Most snail mucin moisturizers sell the mucin already diluted down into a cream with sketchy products; mixing it yourself keeps it at full strength, with nothing but jojoba added. Most skincare products ask you to build a whole skincare routine around them — this one replaces the morning half of mine entirely. A bottle of the essence also lasts a long time at an ounce per batch.

If you’d rather skip the DIY, this is the Morning Moisture Serum I sell in my shop. But honestly? Make it once and you’ll see why I do — three ingredients, one shake, and your whole morning routine fits in a dropper.

Other skincare products you can make at home and have your best skin ever:

If you you’re new to my blog, I am an esthetician who was stuck in the tension of pursuing a non toxic lifestyle, yet still wanting beautiful skincare. I was disappointed every time I went to the natural grocery store and paid for some over-priced potion that wrecked my skin. I would suffer through it for a while, and when I couldn’t take it any longer, I’d crawl right back to my super over-priced drug of choice. In 2013/2014, I started making my own deodorant— and found the first natural remedy to work for my body odor! Then I started making my own facial bar soap and a mask that revolutionized my skincare routine. By 2018, I was making my own tallow moisturizer and oil cleanser. Here on my blog, I only put what has actually worked for me and the friends and family I’ve made these for.

If you’re wanting to totally renew your skin and commit to a week (or few) of pampering, check out my skin cycling guide.

Come back to the comments and let me know how you like this serum and what it’s doing for your skin!