If you have ever seen a snail sliding and leaving behind a trail of slimy substance, and thought that it was something digusting. Well, now it is a popular skincare ingredient . Yes , people are paying to put the snail slime on their face due to its skin care properties. It is popularly known as snail mucin. Korean beauty industry is always advanced when it comes to beauty and skincare. This industry has popularised unconventional skincare ingredient to the world and snail mucin is one such ingredient that hyped across the globe for k-beauty.
What is snail mucin?
In the United States, snail mucus (also known as the “mucus” of a snail) is a milky substance secreted from the bodies of land snails and slugs. This secretion is exuded through the moist respiratory tract after the snail has been disturbed or pleasured and can be seen as a thin, white, sticky fluid that collects on the snail’s skin. The liquid, which contains the amino compounds mucin and galactomannan, has some of the properties of a lubricant; in that sense, it is often called “slime”.
Snail mucin is a type of secreted mucus used in skincare products to help soothe the skin. It also helps to keep skin soft, supple, and smooth. When the snail exudes the mucin, it is collected and sold as a product.
This slime can be found in nature in the form of slime trails, threads and pellets. The ingredient usually comes from the viscera of the earth snail, which is often produced in the laboratory. It is sold in many health food stores as a beauty ingredient.
History of snail mucin (in skincare):
More than thousand of years ago acient Romans and Greeks used to let snail move around their their face, so that thier mucin helps to improve the quality of their skin. Sometimes they even crushed snail shells in an ointment to treat their skin issues.
Its benefit:
Snail Mucus is widely used in skincare due to its skin benefiting properties such as:
- healing
- moisturizing
- regenerative
- brightening
- anti-acne
- cell regeneration
- repair
- diminish fine lines
- stimulates collagen productions
- anti-aging
Snail slime or snail mucin powered with moisturising agents, ergo a healthier skin barrier. It is a powerful ingredient enriched with healing properties, glycolic acid, allantoin, and copper peptides and antioxidents.
