Style

Do or Don’t: Snail Masks

The other day, I was group texting with my friends, and one of them brought up her new obsession with snail masks. “They work so well,” she told us. “I look like a baby. An INFANT.”

Our jaws were dropping (snails? really?), but our friend explained that her skin has gotten tighter, less blotchy and more even. She uses Skin Food masks, which you wear for 15 minutes. Apparently, snail trails contain proteins, glycolic acids and elastin, and they help firm skin, regenerate cells and replenishes moisture. “It feels the same as any nourishing mask, but not heavy or sticky,” she wrote.

My expression still looked like this until I got her next text: “Lit from within would not be an inaccurate way of describing the results.”

And, with that, I ordered one. Snails, here we come.

Thoughts? Have you tried them? It kind of reminds me of the Baby Foot nuttiness, which I was also totally into.

P.S. A weird deodorant trick.

(Photo of Joni Mitchell by Graham Nash.)

99 COMMENTS

WRITE A COMMENT

Name*

Email*

Website

99 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Maddie

August 4, 2017 9:52pm 9:52 pm

I love this quote from above…simply ethical and kind.

” I’m not vegan/vegetarian, but I do believe in practicing critical thinking before jumping into the latest beauty fad that likely comes at the expense of another life, no matter how small.”

(I personally love Tata Harper for ethical, fresh, supreme glow)

Tammie Adams

September 25, 2016 8:23pm 8:23 pm

I just did a snail mask and my skin feel and looks great! I kept envisioning snails on my face, but got over it. They smell great, was worried about that too as I cannot take bad smells AND something from my garden on my face!! I bought a pack of 10 off of Amazon so will be doing one again, or 9 more times! ?

Katie

May 13, 2016 11:05am 11:05 am

I’m going to order some of these snail masks! Always down to try new skincare products.

Here’s a DIY mask I “discovered” and shared, if anyone is interested!

Prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet… http://www.misscunqui.com/2016/05/13/prepare-a-face-to-meet-the-faces-that-you-meet/

Skully

May 12, 2016 6:11pm 6:11 pm

I think snail stuff is in some of the IT cosmetics stuff also. My friend wanted me to check out the ingredients. Maybe the CC or the tinted moisturizer? It’s interesting to see ingredients have their own trends.

Grace Kim

May 10, 2016 8:37am 8:37 am

This is such a funny thread :) Here in Korea you can find these sort of bizarre/amazing beauty products (think: donkey milk cream, pig collagen jelly mask, salmon egg cream, fermented grain cream…the list never ends!!! ha!) literally wherever you go (shopping marts, department stores, small shops on every corner, in the underground shopping areas near most subway stops, etc.). It’s overwhelming and makes you a little doe-eyed as a foreigner at first, but it’s really fun to go and try them out. Also, a little tidbit of info: Korean beauty shops/brands are known for giving you a million samples when you buy stuff. It’s great! Enjoy the world of Korea’s beauty obsession! ;) xo

Marsya

May 10, 2016 2:30am 2:30 am

I heard of snail masks to but never get a chance to try it. Hope you’ll do a review once you tried it! Nice post :)

http://www.marsyajauzi.blogspot.my/

Lindsay

May 9, 2016 5:18pm 5:18 pm

Ohhhhh….yucky. Nope. Not doin it.

Jasmine

May 8, 2016 10:13am 10:13 am

Oh Joanna please do try it! Skin Food snail masks are super popular in Singapore where I come from :) It really does give my face a babyface glow! And “lit from within” is really not an exaggeration!!
I would use it more often if it was less expensive! (There are many other Korean beauty brands available so you are tempted to try all!)
bisous

Christine

May 7, 2016 7:14pm 7:14 pm

I’m such a sucker for a face mask that promises eternal youth! Ordered this.

Ann

May 6, 2016 1:13pm 1:13 pm

Glad you are trying out the whole Korean beauty phenomenon! I dove in headfirst and bought the Soko Glam! book about K-beauty and now I’m totally obsessed, snail masks and all. I actually wear a snail serum every single day and for the first time ever, I get lots of compliments on how dewy my skin looks!

Judy

May 6, 2016 12:57pm 12:57 pm

How about a post about Korean skin care? You could go to the new store and try some things out! I’d be curious!

Katie

Reply to Judy

March 13, 2017 11:24am 11:24 am

I second this idea!

Laura Mitbrodt

May 6, 2016 12:34pm 12:34 pm

I want to try a skin food mask, sounds amazing
xo
http://www.laurajaneatelier.com

abbey

May 6, 2016 12:27pm 12:27 pm

I’m curious if this works. Please update us!

I had made an amazon purchase of snail serum one night after researching the snails were not harmed in the making of the product — which they are NOT, thank goodness — and it did absolutely nothing to my skin. No. Thing. I’d be willing to try the mask if it gets the Joanna seal of approval though :)

Lora

Reply to abbey

May 6, 2016 4:56pm 4:56 pm

Thanks for doing the research, Abbey! Glad to hear they don’t suffer for our faces! ;)

Jane Pak

May 6, 2016 12:12pm 12:12 pm

omg yes! I do a face mask once a week as part of my skin regime :) I do them at night right before I sleep, take it off (air dry my face) and put on some night cream. The next day my skin is smooth like butter!

the animal masks are fun too!!!! :)
http://www.amazon.com/SNP-Panda-Whitening-Mask-Pound/dp/B00TX2F8FI

JIW

May 6, 2016 11:53am 11:53 am

does this mean snails crawl across your face? Because I just threw up a little bit thinking of it. I hate snails. Detest them. Want to buy a duck to eat the ones in my tiny, container garden.

Annie G

May 6, 2016 11:49am 11:49 am

Nobody needs this. Drink more water and get outside on the fresh air. With the snails.

Joanna Goddard(@joanna)

Author

Reply to Annie G

May 6, 2016 11:53am 11:53 am

hahaha, you make a good point, annie! still, i can’t help trying it :)

Alex

Reply to Annie G

May 12, 2018 3:19am 3:19 am

Yesterday I actually tried to put a real snail on my face, particularly on an awful zit on my cheek and now the zit is much smaller!

May 6, 2016 11:09am 11:09 am

I want to try this out! Also, I love that picture of Joni :)

Eva

May 6, 2016 11:07am 11:07 am

Sheet masks are my obsession—snail masks included. I get the Beauteque monthly “Mask Maven” subscription, which sends you 10 masks each month from various Asian brands for $15. It’s a great way to try things out and I have a MASSIVE mask backlog to use whenever I want to:

http://www.beauteque.com/subscriptions/

Ann

Reply to Eva

May 6, 2016 1:15pm 1:15 pm

SO glad to know about this. My mask habit was getting expensive! Thanks!

GRACE

May 6, 2016 10:59am 10:59 am

I live in New York City and noticed the other day that they opened a shop entirely devoted to face masks in Korea Town (near the Herald Sq./32nd St.). They also opened a “Face Shop.” Like many have mentioned, these masks are a must for every Korean (even men!). “Skin Food” has yet to open a stand alone shop in the city but Face Shop is just a good an option for masks and other skin care needs! I’m a huge fan of their Aloe Vera tub!

Angela

Reply to GRACE

May 6, 2016 11:20am 11:20 am

Ooooh. Do you know the name of the face mask one in KTown?

Katie

Reply to GRACE

May 6, 2016 6:00pm 6:00 pm

is it the tony moly flagship shop? i go to the skin foods in flushing, it’s been there for decades and has a lot of great products.

May 6, 2016 10:58am 10:58 am

Something about prizing the properties of an animal for beauty reasons really creeps me out. Where is the regulation on an industry collecting snail excretion? A quick look on Amazon also shows products that use both snails and bee venom — I’m guessing the bees don’t make it past the extraction process alive, and that’s a scary thing because they’re fairly essential to an ecosystem. These obsessions with magical/medicinal properties of animals have also led to extreme rhino poaching, leading them to the brink of extinction (look up Save the Rhino. org). I’m not vegan/vegetarian, but I do believe in practicing critical thinking before jumping into the latest beauty fad that likely comes at the expense of another life, no matter how small.

Geny

Reply to TC

May 6, 2016 11:38am 11:38 am

Very interesting thinking!

Katherine

Reply to TC

May 6, 2016 12:48pm 12:48 pm

Good points. Lots of makeup emphasises that it is not tested on animals. Not sure how these types of products, which are also just to beautify, and not for medical benefit/nutrition, should be different. I would also like to see proof of your friend looking like an infant ;)

Erin

Reply to TC

May 6, 2016 12:57pm 12:57 pm

Here is how bee venom is collected:
“Beekeepers start with fabric-covered plates that have conductor wires stretched flat across them. When a bee lands on the plate, the wires deliver a mild electric current that agitates the bee just enough to make it sting, causing the venom to drop onto the plate. Since the fabric on the plate is very thin, it doesn’t trap the stinger the way plastic or rubber used to do, leaving the bee free to fly away unharmed. “More venom is collected when other bees sense the chemical odors of the freshly-released venom, which signals them to start stinging, too,” says Karen Wassmer, a beekeeper and owner of K&W Apiary in Jacksonville, Florida.

And in case you were wondering, collecting bee venom does not contribute to colony collapse disorder.”

NSH

Reply to TC

May 6, 2016 12:58pm 12:58 pm

Thank you for the thoughtful comment! I agree.

Jennifer

Reply to TC

May 9, 2016 11:04am 11:04 am

I agree with you completely. It’s the first thing that came to mind after reading this.

Lauren

May 6, 2016 10:46am 10:46 am

Yep, it’s all about the snail masks here in South Korea. I was given a free snail mask when I bought some makeup remover the other day, and I will probably go back to get some more soon.

Flor

May 6, 2016 10:36am 10:36 am

Do a before and after pic!!

Amanda

May 6, 2016 9:21am 9:21 am

I have used your “deodorant” trick several times since you shared it! Perfect for refreshing before I run into the coffee shop after yoga!

Heather

May 6, 2016 8:56am 8:56 am

Do a before and after!

katie

May 6, 2016 6:28am 6:28 am

Ah, what amazing timing you have! I’m traveling in SE Asia and am always buying the weird $1 masks at the drug stores to try to fix my crazy skin (sunscreen + constant sweat + pollution = breakout central). I’ve seen so many snail masks but didn’t know what they would do! I actually thought they were for whitening skin, since that’s what most masks here do… anyway, guess I’ll have to try it out!

More to Love