Snail Mucin For Skin

                                                             Photo by Hannah Jackson on Unsplash

I am officially starting my LSP K-Beauty topic as of today The first post is on snail mucin for skin. Snail mucin aka snail secretion filtrate, one of the hyped skincare ingredients in Korean skincare. It is considered among the hyperpigmentation skincare ingredients that people swear by and is equally suitable for both men and women. This post from Lifestyle Prism will cover everything you need to know about snail mucin ingredient in skincare. I have converted snail mucin FAQs into a complete guide for you so that you are covered in every way, or almost. I am excluding only one detail which I will mention at the end of this post. So stick around! ☺

What is snail mucin

Snail mucin, or snail secretion filtrate (SSF), is a substance that a snail excretes. The main component of snail mucin is 'Chondroitin Sulfate' that is behind all the nutrient benefits.

Snail mucin purpose

Snail mucin is a multi-functional and versatile ingredient. It has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. Moreover, it has three main functional properties, and benefits.

1. Hydration
2. Anti-inflammatory
3. Regenerative properties.

Every other word you see on the internet are only derived out of these three attributes. So don't get confused with wordy details. To explain the three properties, it is a great hydrating ingredient. Anti-inflammatory means that it would treat acne, and skin injuries. Regenerative means that it is anti-aging. It would reproduce collagen, thereby reducing pigmentation and wrinkles.

The history behind snail slime

As much as snails love their own slime, humans love it for its nutrients. The idea originated back during ancient Greeks' and Romans' as they used to let snails move about on their faces. They did this to reduce redness and wrinkles. This history leads to how snail mucin gets in beauty products.

Does snail mucin work

So snail mucin does work. It is a lightweight ingredient that hydrates the skin without clogging pores and causing a breakout. It repairs skin damage, reduces redness, and stimulates collagen production. It also helps with atopic dermatitis and shingles.

Who should use snail mucin

Snail mucin is an ingredient for all skin types including sensitive and acne-prone. Due to its hydrating properties, it is a chosen ingredient especially for dry skin and winter weather, but equally suitable for dehydrated oily skin.

Tip: Remember! Oil and water are two separate things. To get the right snail moisturizer for the oily but dehydrated skin type, all you have to do is to get a water-based formulation. It should not include oils to avoid clogging of pores, and then enjoy the product do the magic! ☺

What results can you expect using snail mucin

You can expect your dehydrated, acne-prone, scarred, aging, and damaged skin to get improved, but with time. It would improve your skin's elasticity and soothe your acne-prone skin. 

What kinds of snails are used

As snail mucin products are applied topically, popular edible snail species are used such as Roman snail (Helix pomatia), garden snail (Helix aspersa), and giant African snail (Achatina fulica).

Who collects snail mucin

Cosmetic companies have three segments. One that manufactures raw materials. Two, that develops the finished product. Third, that market them. Snail mucin is collected by cosmetic companies that make the raw material available for second in line, to develop the product out of them. 

When do snails produce mucin

Snails are nocturnal creatures that love their own mucin. They produce the slime for three reasons;

1. When they move
2. In pleasure
3. In stress

How is snail mucin collected

Initially, mass-scale collection of mucin resulted in snails’ death. Only until recently, safer practices were given focus. In 2017, Simone Sampó, an Italian inventor, came up with a safe method to collect slime. He invented a snail slime extraction machine, called the Cherasco snail method in which snails are given a spa bath so that they produce mucin. Having said that, raw material manufacturers for cosmetic companies have their own methodologies to collect slime. They create a suitable environment for snails to optimize mucin production. As snails are nocturnal creatures, some manufacturers let them be at night to leave mucin in their trails, while others hire farmers to look after them.

Is snail mucin cruelty-free

Recent practices of harvesting snails and methodologies to produce and extract mucin are mostly “cruelty-free” if not all. Yet, this is to confirm that it is not the snail itself in the product i.e. it is only their mucin getting used. Regardless, there could be external stressors. Few good companies are following safe practices but not all companies can be vouched for doing the same. Also, laws on animal testing and killing differ from country to country. If you are in doubt, then by all means choose other products. In this time and age, most innovations are vegan products that are loved and preferred by consumers.

The Best Product Ingredients with Snail Mucin

There is limited research on combining skincare ingredients with snail mucin. A few advocates are saying that snail mucin can be combined with every skin ingredient. So far, results have shown that it can be applied with a few actives. Debate continues that as a hydrator, snail mucin can be combined with drying ingredients such as Retinol, AHAs, BHAs and antioxidants such as Vitamin C. I would suggest you to do patch test to see what suits your skin, or switch your AM and PM skincare routines. Yet, snail extract applies very well if worn after BHAs such as salicylic acid. Even more so, it makes great combinations with hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 aka niacinamide, and plant derived antioxidants.

If you want to know all the superstar ingredients you would like to pair it with, see this checklist.

How does the quality of snail mucin differ among products

The main component of snail mucin is Chondroitin sulfate with all the benefits. The rest depends on the quality of the product formulation itself.

 

My last popular post was dealing with hyperpigmentation. I talked about fading dark spots and acne scarring. I thank you for the love you expressed on that post!

The one detail I did not mention above is the texture of snail mucin. This I will cover in a future post along with K-beauty products. I have a lot of K-beauty skincare to show you, so make sure you subscribe to my blog to stay updated. There is also a checklist was on pigment inhibiting skincare ingredients to fade dark spots which you can get after signing up. The next post would be on fashion wear. If you liked this post, pin it, and share it with your social media friends. Check out my dedicated Pinterest Skincare Board which I hope you like. Follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. Stay updated on my blog so that you don’t miss out on any of the detailed and informative posts, and helpful tips. Let me know your opinion in the comments section below, and also what you would like me to cover in upcoming posts. Thank you all very much for being here. Stay Safe. Bye! ❤

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