Certain cosmetic ingredients have become extremely popular lately. For example, today a lot of skincare enthusiasts are head over heels for products with snail mucin. But is this ingredient really good for your skin or does it popularity stem from a clever marketing strategy? Let’s take a closer look at the skin benefits of snail mucin.
A lot of people think that the use of snail mucin, also known as snail secretion filtrate, snail mucus or snail slime, as a cosmetic ingredient originated in South Korea, but this is just a common misconception. Products with snail mucin did become popular because they were a hit in South Korea, but the skin benefits of this ingredient had been discovered long before South Korean brands began to successfully promote it.
The most common origin story says that the unique properties of mucin were discovered in the 1980s at a French farm producing snails for restaurants. One day, the owner of the farm noticed that the hands of the workers collecting snails had incredibly soft and supple skin and didn’t get sunburned as much as one would expect.
It took about 15 years to study the properties of snail mucin. After that, cosmetic manufacturers began to use it in their products. Today, snail secretion filtrate can be found in a variety of skincare products, such as moisturisers, serums, masks, etc. So, why is it so popular among both manufacturers and consumers?
First and foremost, let’s figure out what mucin is from a biological perspective. Mucins are a family of high molecular weight, heavily glycosylated proteins. They are produced by epithelial tissues in most animals, including humans. The key characteristic of mucins is their ability to form gels; therefore, they are a key component in most secretions produced by mucous glands.
In molluscs, including snails, mucins are a component of their protective mucus coating, which also contains other substances, such as allantoin, elastin, collagen, vitamins, hyaluronic and glycolic acids, and various minerals. As a result, the ingredient we usually call snail mucin isn’t pure mucin, hence its alternative names such as snail slime or snail mucus. And not all snail mucus can be used as a cosmetic ingredient.
The thing is, snail mucus that is believed to have the most skin benefits is produced by snails when they are under stress; this kind of mucus has a higher concentration of nutrients. So in order to obtain and collect it, snail mucin producers need to expose snails to stress.
Fortunately, this exposure doesn’t involve killing or injuring snails. At special farms where snails are grown, they are either briefly exposed to uncomfortable temperatures or slightly shaken, after which they are returned to their usual environment. The mucus they’ve secreted is collected and thoroughly filtered to remove impurities while preserving all the useful substances. The final product is usually referred to as snail secretion filtrate.
As we’ve already mentioned above, snail secretion filtrate has a wide range of skin benefits. It nourishes, moisturises and softens the skin, boosts its regeneration, evens out skin tone, relieves inflammation, prevents flaking, exhibits antioxidant properties, makes the skin smoother, reduces the visibility of wrinkles and slows down the ageing process, helps to get rid of toxins, and combats pigmentation. In addition, it helps to fight acne, reduces the appearance of pores, and tightens the skin. Skincare products with snail mucin are suitable for all skin types, but they are especially recommended for dehydrated, dull, problem, and mature skin.
As we’ve already mentioned, the most popular products with snail secretion filtrate are Korean, but there are a lot of brands that produce such products all over the world. For example, our online shop Organic Store offers face masks, scrubs and powders produced by Thai (Banna, Natriv) and Ukrainian (Beauty Derm, Dr. Sante, Green Pharmacy, WildLife) brands. We also offer affordable prices, convenient and secure payment methods, and international delivery to most parts of the world to make your online shopping experience as positive as possible.