Love! Serum

Review: Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence – The Silent Guardian

14 April 2016

Benton - SBE

I’ve no idea why I’ve not written about this product yet, considering the fact that I’m currently on my second bottle. Yes – second bottle! I almost never repurchase products because there are just too many interesting and different things out there to try, but #onlyoneface. So when I repurchase something, you can be damned sure I love it. A lot.

Benton is a pretty small Korean company, so it won’t be surprising if you’ve not heard of it before. Some of their products (like this one) started to gain attention due to the ingredient list (lots of actives and no fillers), then word spread, and that was how I got to learn about it.

Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence

Although this is named “essence”, it really is more like a serum. It has a clear gel-like texture, and not watery like most essences are. It absorbs well into the skin and barely leaves a trace.

Benton - SBE2

Originally, I would describe SBHCE as scentless, but in my latest bottle (manufactured on 2016.01.20), my nose picks up a bit of scent that faintly reminds me of coconut oil. As far as I know, they didn’t change the formula, so I’m not even sure what’s going on. I don’t even particularly like coconut oil!

Now, as for what SBHCE does for my skin… It’s not like my skin is suddenly sparkling with radiance or I look 10 years younger. No, nothing like flashy like that. Rather, I like to think of it as a strong, stout guardian, silently providing the best it can for my skin while staying in the shadows. Like a ninja, it’s there one moment, gone the next, but its work is done.

Then how do I know it works? Because before SBHCE, I would get at least 4-5 pimples a month, no thanks to periods, stress, and what not. But since I started adding SBHCE into my routine (while keeping the rest of my skincare routine the same), I’ve had like TWO pimples in the past 7 months! (and I’m almost 100% sure one was from trying a new product) The active ingredients are really pulling their weight here and it’s so awesome not having to deal with spots!

Something else I noticed, while subtle, is that my skin is generally smoother all around. It used to have a few small bumps here and there, but now they are all smoothened out!

When I finished my first bottle, I thought to maybe try something else, and while I was SBHCE-less for about a week while I searched for something else, my skin definitely suffered a little. My skin looked and felt a little lacklustre, and it was then I realized how important SBHCE was in my skincare routine. I promptly placed an order for another bottle, and the wait till it arrived was quite painful, to be honest! I guess you only really appreciate things you usually take for granted when they are gone!

There’s something worth noting though: Benton uses natural preservatives that become unstable in extreme temperatures. I have only purchased this during cooler months, but I might have to stock up before summer since Japan’s summers can get very hot. If you live in a place with extreme temperatures, then Benton products might not be suitable for you.

Also, in the past, there was an incident where a batch of this very product was contaminated and had mold in them. Many people who received the contaminated batch suffered bad reactions (breakouts, etc) but Benton refunded all those affected and promised that such a thing will never happen again. Well, let’s hope it never does because I love this one quite a bit!

Verdict

LOVE THIS. It works really well on my skin and with the power-packed ingredients, I do think of it as a foundation of my skincare routine. It has definitely earned the spot as a mainstay and I don’t see myself doing without this anytime soon! I just need to be a bit mindful of temperatures (don’t order in summer!) and maybe store it in the fridge when summer rolls around.

Rating: 5/5

ratings-bt

Price

I bought my latest coconut-oil-smelling bottle from RoseRoseShop for about $14 (price on item page does not include shipping) but I think I might go back to buying on eBay like I did for my first bottle because without a coupon, RRS is more expensive and I find they process orders slower than eBay sellers I have dealt with.

For all you lucky people in the US who can get Prime delivery, you can buy it on Amazon. (Man, I miss my days in the US with Amazon Prime!)

Read the disclaimer regarding reviews here.

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2 Comments

  • Reply Eva 28 March 2017 at 3:36 am

    Hello! I bought this for my very sensitive skin thinking it would help, but I’m not sure it’s helping. It’s not doing anything wrong either, so that’s good :D
    I think I’m not using it correctly. Could you help me with it? When should I use it?
    Thanks!

    • Reply Rin 3 April 2017 at 9:57 pm

      Hi Eva, this is how I use it:
      1. Cleanse face
      2. Toner
      3. This essence
      and then the rest of my routine (oil, cream, etc).

      Basically you should apply your products in layers from the thinnest consistency to the thickest.

      I hope this helps! :)

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