Holika Holika Prime Miracle Snail Hand Cream

Today I am reviewing a hand cream. I knoowww it might seem weird to do a review of a hand cream, but hear me out! First off, people do reviews on body butters right? This can’t be too different. Secondly, this hand cream is special; it’s got snail mucin in it! That’s not your common hand cream ingredient now is it? (Well, in the West at least.)

I have very dry hands, so when Oppa and I spotted this hand cream we were quite curious to say the least. Should you also be curious about this snail hand cream, allow me to shed some light!

Quick Facts:
Brand: Holika Holika
Name: Prime Miracle Snail Hand Cream
Size, Height: 80mL, 14cm
Price: 9,900KRW

If you’re new to the concept of snail mucin, the front of the tube has a decent introduction to this phenomenon, which overtook Korea in craze last year. It reads:

When injured, Snail retains the miraculous renewal energy to heal the wound with naturally constituted snail secretion. The secret of self-healing power of the snail comes from the naturally constructed secretion called ‘Mucin’.

Essentially, snail mucin = good moisturizing ingredient.

Texture: This product’s texture lies in between thin, watery lotions and thick, creamy emollients. It’s a light texture, but is easily spreadable in ample amounts. (You know how runny lotions usually spread thin? It’s not quite like that.)  It absorbs within 15 seconds or so and leaves no oily after-feel.

Moisturizing Ability: [Before you read on and evaluate my results using this hand cream, please keep in mind that my hands are in fact quite hopeless. They’ve been dry my entire life, no matter what I try.]

It’s quite light in texture, so while it does a nice job of smoothing my skin to make it look good, it doesn’t do much to soften it or make it actually feel good. For me, it’s only mildly moisturizing and ever-so-slightly softening. After all, it has a much lower concentration of mucin than other snail products do. I believe it is only 5%, although I’m not sure since the product info lists two inconsistent values.

It is, however, much better than the super-cheap and overly fragranced hand lotions I have tried from Avon way back when!

Lasting Power: On me, it lasts no longer than an hour or so before my skin’s dryness starts to re-emerge.

Scent: Faint, indescribable. Nothing to remark.

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Notes to self: As someone with papery-dry hands, this hand cream is wonderful for a quick fix. With its fast absorption and non-oiliness, it's very efficient at making my hands look presentable on-the-go. (The non-oiliness is a plus; leaving grease marks everywhere sucks!) As far as actual moisturizing goes though, it falls short. I like it enough to repurchase it, though certainly not before trying other hand creams first. J

That's it! I hope that gave you some insight on another, less talked about, beauty product from Korea! Thanks for reading~

Say, what is your favorite lotion?