Versus

Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Water Gel Versus COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence

General Moisturizer
Essence
Korean Brand South Korea
Korean Brand South Korea

Updated on July 04, 2024

Overview

What they are

These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe . They have a total of 6 ingredients in common

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for dry skin, sensitive skin, scar healing and dark spots

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, fragrances, parabens or sulfates

We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that needs an update? Let us know.

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and see relevant ingredients

About this product

About this product

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Benefits

Ingredients Side-by-side

found in both products
Red Bean Water Gel

Phaseolus Angularis Seed Extract

Antioxidant
Antioxidant Icon

Water

Skin Conditioning

Butylene Glycol

Humectant
1 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Glycerin

Humectant
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps brighten skin Icon

1,2-Hexanediol

Skin Conditioning

Methyl Trimethicone

Skin Conditioning
Silicon Icon

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Emulsion Stabilising

Tromethamine

Buffering

Glyceryl Glucoside

Humectant

C12-14 Alketh-12

Emulsifying

Maltodextrin

Absorbent

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Skin Conditioning

Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Emulsion Stabilising

Ethylhexylglycerin

Skin Conditioning

Betaine

Humectant
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Dark Spots Icon

Panthenol

Skin Conditioning
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconHelps reduce irritation Icon

Allantoin

Skin Conditioning
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Humectant
Helps reduce Skin Redness IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Dark Spots Icon

Polyquaternium-51

Skin Conditioning

Xanthan Gum

Emulsifying

Disodium EDTA

Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer

Humectant

Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract

Skin Conditioning

Glucose

Humectant

Sodium Citrate

Buffering

Beta-Glucan

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconHelps reduce irritation Icon

Hydrolyzed Corn Starch

Humectant

Citric Acid

Buffering
AHA IconGood for Oily Skin IconGood for Skin Texture IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconGood for Scar Healing IconHelps brighten skin IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Sucrose

Humectant

Caprylyl Glycol

Emollient

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Emollient
0 / 0 Oil IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Tocopherol

Antioxidant
0-3 / 0-3 Vitamin E IconAntioxidant IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

Cyanocobalamin

Skin Conditioning

Glycine

Buffering
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Serine

Masking

Glutamic Acid

Humectant

Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate

Antioxidant
Vitamin C IconAntioxidant IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Skin Texture IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconHelps brighten skin Icon

Aspartic Acid

Masking

Leucine

Skin Conditioning

Acetyl Hexapeptide-8

Humectant
Peptide IconHelps with Anti-Aging Icon

Alanine

Masking

Lysine

Skin Conditioning

Arginine

Masking
Good for Scar Healing IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Tyrosine

Masking

Phenylalanine

Masking

Proline

Skin Conditioning

Threonine

Valine

Masking

Isoleucine

Skin Conditioning

Histidine

Humectant

Cysteine

Antioxidant
Antioxidant Icon

Methionine

Skin Conditioning

Sh-Oligopeptide-1

Skin Conditioning
Peptide IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

Sh-Oligopeptide-2

Skin Conditioning
Peptide Icon

Sh-Polypeptide-1

Skin Conditioning
Peptide Icon

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Humectant, Masking, Skin Conditioning

Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

  • It is a solvent, meaning that it helps to dissolve other ingredients. This also enhances the absorption of the product into one's skin.
  • It is a humectant, which means that it helps attract moisture into the skin.
  • It helps improve product application.
  • It has mild preservative properties.

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.

Skin Conditioning, Solvent

1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse. 

It is a:

  • Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
  • Emollient, helping to soften skin
  • Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
  • Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives 
Humectant, Skin Conditioning

Betaine is a common humectant (a substance that promotes retention of moisture). It's known to be gentle on the skin and can help balance hydration.

This ingredient is best for improving hydration and soothing irritated skin. Studies also show it helps even out skin tone.

Fun fact: Betaine is naturally created in the skin and body. The kind found within cosmetic products can be either plant-derived or synthetic.

Learn more about Betaine
Skin Conditioning

Panthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.

There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.

D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.

Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):

Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.

This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.

Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.

This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.

Learn more about Panthenol
Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Soothing

Allantoin plays a role in soothing and moisturizing the skin. Because of this, it is often added to products with strong active ingredients.

Some studies have shown this ingredient can promote wound healing with higher concentrations.

Allantoin is derived from the comfrey plant but produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.

Learn more about Allantoin
Masking, Skin Conditioning

Arginine is an amino acid that is important for human development. Your body uses is it to produce hair keratin and skin collagen.

As a cosmetic ingredient, Arginine has antioxidant properties and can also help repair damaged skin. This ingredient is derived either synthetically or from animals.

Arginine isn't fungal acne safe when used in the presence of other lipids (fats, fatty acids, oils, esters, etc). Oils and fats occur naturally within the skin, so take caution when using Arginine if you're prone to fungal acne.

Learn more about Arginine

When to use

1,080 Routines
55% use in am
44% use in pm
96% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->
20,757 Routines
48% use in am
52% use in pm
97% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Water Gel 56 ingredients

3.2 /5
from 37 ratings
Absorbs Well (17) Light (15) Hydrating (12)
enecr's avatar

enecr

1 year ago
Review

My combination-to-oily skin loved this water gel moisturizer. It's so lightweight and moisturizes well enough for morning use. It doesn't do anything else, but it is unlikely to irritate sensitive skin, either. It is somewhat expensive in my country. So, I will repurchase if I cannot find a cheaper and similar moisturizer, but it has become my favorite one so far.

#hydrating
#light
#absorbs well
#no scent
AnoukG_396's avatar

AnoukG_396

1 year ago
Review

Great for summer, young skin
This one is great for the youthful skins. It sinks right in. For the cold weather, this one is too light for me.

COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence 12 ingredients

3.6 /5
from 331 ratings
Hydrating (93) No Scent (75) Works Well (64)
cgi's avatar

cgi

1 year ago
Review

this snail mucin essence really is one of the best ones out there— it's a holy grail. this product was my very first impression of cosrx, and the short ingredient list is very surprising with how effective it is. i've been using it for about a year now, and it's become a staple in my routine. after my first couple weeks of use, a lot of my dark spots disappeared and calmed down my hormonal acne & Show more

#expensive
#hydrating
#light
#absorbs well
robinorr's avatar

Robin Orr

9 months ago
Review

This ruined my face! I didn’t know that my dust mite allergy also made me allergic to this. I used it for five months and everything seemed fine, but then I started to get a goatee of fungal acne with big red patches. I’d also been getting a lot of big pimples in my hairline from it. It’s taken me months to understand what happened and to soothe my sad skin. Be warned not to jump off the bridge Show more

#broke me out
#irritating