Skin Care Updates
Beauty and Skin Healing Benefits of Snail Mucin
Snail mucin offers a ton of beauty and skin healing benefits, including hydration, collagen production, inflammation healing, and anti-aging. It naturally contains moisturising agents that work to repair barrier function, blocking out irritants in the environment, while simultaneously locking moisture in.
What are the benefits of snail mucin?
Glycolic acid, an AHA present in snail mucin, has been shown to help unclog pores, improve skin texture, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, boost collagen production, and fade dark spots (aka hyperpigmentation).
If you’ve ever spotted a snail in the wild, you’ve likely noticed the ”slime trail” they leave behind as they slide across their environment, which is what we call mucin. One type of mucin secretion is used as a lubricant that helps them move, but also a glue to help the snail stay on a surface without falling (even a vertical surface!). Another type of mucin helps the snail stay moist and comfortable even when the dry or hot weather threatens to dry them out. Snail mucin is made up of components like hyaluronic acid (a humectant), allantoin (which can calm and hydrate the skin) and glycolic acid (an alpha-hydroxy acid), all of which have documented benefits for the skin.
What are the benefits of snail mucin?
Snail mucin is made up of components like allantoin, glycolic acid, hyaluronic acid, and peptides, well-studied ingredients that can help moisturize and exfoliate skin, promote collagen production, and aid in skin healing and regeneration.
Next, according to one study, the use of cream containing snail mucin is an effective anti-aging treatment by helping to:
- Improve fine lines and wrinkles
- Improve firmness
- Increase elasticity of the skin
This is where it gets good for people who experience breakouts! While more research is needed, the antimicrobial properties in snail mucin may theoretically help treat breakouts by fighting the bacteria that contributes to acne. Glycolic acid, an AHA present in snail mucin, has been shown to help unclog pores, improve skin texture, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, boost collagen production, and fade dark spots (aka hyperpigmentation). Whew! Talk about a multi-talented ingredient. Is snail mucin really good for your skin?
According to a clinical study conducted in 2015, in which 10 subjects applied snail mucin to their left cheek area for 4 weeks twice per day, people experienced significant improvements to fine lines and wrinkles, skin elasticity, dermal density, and skin tightening after applying snail mucin to their skin. Long term follow up studies to confirm the efficacy of the treatment should be conducted involving a larger number of patients though.
What are the possible side effects of snail mucin?
Snail mucin is well-tolerated by most individuals thanks to its gentle makeup. Of course, if you have a known snail allergy you may want to stay away. Right now, there’s no known evidence to say that snail mucin may negatively interact with any other skincare ingredients. But everyone’s skin is different!
When trying a new product or active ingredient, it’s never a bad idea to test a small area of your skin before applying full-coverage.