We would leave COSRX out of a cruelty-free skincare routine. The deciding issue is its suppliers: in a response published by Cruelty-Free Kitty, COSRX says it does not conduct or request animal testing but cannot verify that it has been avoided throughout the raw-material process. That falls short of the assurance we'd want before recommending it.
If you also want vegan skincare, the snail range is an easy one to skip. Snail mucin comes from animals, whatever the collection method. There are plenty of ways to build a moisturizing routine without it.
Why you'll find conflicting answers about COSRX
Cruelty-Free Kitty's updated assessment includes the company's response and explains why it moved COSRX off its approved list. The company describes sourcing raw materials through several channels and acknowledges a limit in checking their testing history. The site's resulting category is a grey area, rather than a finding that a particular test occurred.
That change explains why an older recommendation can point one way while a newer assessment points another. A retailer's cruelty-free badge may also remain much simpler than the policy behind it. The useful question is whether the assurance still holds up.
For our shopping recommendation, it does not. We'd choose a brand that can account for its suppliers. This is a purchasing standard you can act on now, without claiming a specific COSRX product was tested on an animal.
COSRX belongs to Amorepacific, which began including it in group results in 2024. The supplier statement above is the more direct reason for our verdict; it concerns COSRX itself.
Snail mucin isn't vegan
The ingredient is named plainly on the bottle: snail secretion filtrate. COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence lists it first, at 96.3% of the formula. This is an animal ingredient, not a plant extract with an unusual name.
That makes the essence unsuitable for a vegan routine. It also means COSRX cannot be described as an entirely vegan brand, even if other products have no animal-derived ingredients.
The distinction is useful when a shop groups vegan and cruelty-free products together. A promise about animal testing does not remove an animal ingredient from a formula. For the snail essence, you can make the vegan decision simply by reading the label.
What happens to the snails?
A 2021 article on COSRX's website describes snails moving across a mesh in a quiet, dark room. The snails return to their housing and the mucin is collected. The account comes from the brand's research team, quoted in a guest article.
COSRX says the process does not harm the snails. That is the company's explanation of its collection method. It still involves animals producing an ingredient for cosmetics, so it does not answer the objection of someone who wants to avoid animal-derived skincare altogether.
Nor does the collection method resolve the supplier-testing issue. Those are two different decisions: whether you accept using snail mucin, and whether the company can stand behind its no-testing claim. We would choose an animal-free option with a clearer testing policy.
Do you need a snail-mucin replacement?
Only if you want to keep that extra step. COSRX directs users to apply the essence after cleansing and toning, then follow with moisturizer. It is a leave-on layer, so replacing it with a new cleanser would miss the point.
Before shopping, decide what you liked about using it. Was it a light layer under cream? The amount of moisture in your routine? Or simply the habit of using an essence because it came in a set?
For a light liquid step, look at a toner. For a final moisturizing step, choose a cream. If your routine already has both and you are happy with them, there is no obligation to buy a third product to fill the space on the shelf.
The ingredient list also gives you more to work with than the snail percentage alone. Advanced Snail 96 contains betaine, sodium hyaluronate, allantoin and panthenol. Other skincare can include some of those ingredients without using snail secretion. Matching one ingredient will not recreate the whole formula, but it is a more useful starting point than hunting for a product with the same bottle shape.
Two alternatives we'd consider first
Klairs Unscented Toner for a light liquid step
Klairs Supple Preparation Unscented Toner is our first place to look if you want to keep a liquid layer after cleansing. It comes in a 180 ml bottle and leaves out fragrance and essential oils. The listed formula includes panthenol, beta-glucan and sodium hyaluronate.
Klairs describes its products as vegan and has a confirmed cruelty-free listing. That gives this recommendation a firmer testing basis than COSRX's supplier answer.
Pick it for the kind of step it offers. A watery toner will not reproduce the characteristic feel of snail essence, and we're not presenting it as a tested dupe. Someone who wants a simpler, unscented liquid product has a clear reason to consider it anyway.
Make sure you select the Unscented version. Similar packaging within the range can make it easy to order the wrong formula, especially from a retailer that groups several variants together.
PURITO Oat In Gel Cream for the moisturizing step
If you mainly want a moisturizer, we'd compare PURITO Oat In Calming Gel Cream instead. Its formula includes oat seed water, squalane and panthenol. The official page listed $21 for 100 ml when checked on October 29, 2026.
PURITO's FAQ says its products are vegan and cruelty-free and specifically includes ingredient suppliers in its no-testing statement. We give that detail weight: it addresses the part of the COSRX policy that prompted our concern.
Choose the gel cream if a moisturizer is what you need. Buying it along with a toner and another essence would turn a simple substitution into a much larger order. Start with the missing step, then judge whether your routine needs anything else.
Compare the purchase you will actually make
| Product | Role in a routine | Bottle or tube size | Main reason to consider it |
|---|---|---|---|
| COSRX Advanced Snail 96 | Essence before moisturizer | 100 ml | The existing product being replaced; contains snail secretion |
| Klairs Supple Preparation Unscented Toner | Liquid step after cleansing | 180 ml | Vegan, unscented option from a brand with verified testing status |
| PURITO Oat In Calming Gel Cream | Moisturizer | 100 ml | Vegan gel cream with a supplier-inclusive no-testing policy |
COSRX's official US listing showed $25 for 100 ml, with that size backordered at our October 29 check. PURITO's displayed price was $4 less for the same volume. That is a useful purchase-price difference, although an essence and cream can last different amounts of time because you may use different quantities.
Compare shipping and stock before ordering. A low list price is no help if the product cannot arrive when you need it, and a separate delivery fee can swallow a small saving. Our Korean skincare guide puts these choices alongside other practical changes you can make.
For COSRX, our advice is to pass on the next purchase if cruelty-free assurance is essential. For its snail range, vegan shoppers have an additional, definite reason to choose something else.
Sources
PETA. Brand record. https://crueltyfree.peta.org/company/cosrx/. Accessed on October 28, 2026.
COSRX. All about the snail: COSRX advanced snail skincare FAQs. https://www.cosrx.com/blogs/skinsights/all-about-the-snail-cosrx-advanced-snail-skincare-faqs. Accessed on October 28, 2026.
Amorepacific. Amorepacific Group 2024 earnings summary. https://www.apgroup.com/int/en/news/2025-02-06-1.html. Accessed on October 28, 2026.
COSRX. Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence. https://www.cosrx.com/products/advanced-snail-96-mucin-power-essence. Accessed on October 29, 2026.
Dear, Klairs. Supple Preparation Unscented Toner. https://www.klairs.com/products/supple-preparation-unscented-toner. Accessed on October 29, 2026.
PETA. Dear, Klairs brand record. https://crueltyfree.peta.org/company/dear-klairs/. Accessed on October 29, 2026.
Dear, Klairs. Brand facts. https://www.klairs.com/blogs/klairs-skin-school/about-dear-klairs-brand-facts. Accessed on October 29, 2026.
PURITO. Oat In Calming Gel Cream. https://purito.com/product/oat-in-calming-gel-cream/. Accessed on October 29, 2026.
PURITO. Frequently asked questions. https://purito.com/help/faq/. Accessed on October 29, 2026.
Cruelty-Free Kitty. Is COSRX cruelty-free?. https://www.crueltyfreekitty.com/brands/cosrx/. Accessed on October 29, 2026.
