Slime & Snails: Goodbye Slugging, Hello Snail Mucin
If you’ve not heard of Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence, then stop what you’re doing because this is going to revolutionize your skincare routine.
Taking the beauty world by storm, the latest skincare ingredient to go TikTok viral has been snail mucin. While this ingredient might not sound appealing to some, there’s a lot of skincare specialists who have sworn by slathering snail excretion into their skin.
Wait, what?! Yes, you heard right. The latest beauty trend on the block is snail slime. Apparently, it’s time to ditch slugging (not that it involves slugs) and pick up some snail mucin instead.
But what actually is snail mucin and how does it work in skincare? What’s more, are any snails hurt in the process of creating this interesting product? We have SO MANY questions. So let’s dive in.
What is snail mucin and where does is come from?
Snail mucin is also known as snail secretion filtrate (SSF), or less scientifically, snail slime. And it turns out this slime is really packed full of goodness such proteins, hyaluronic acid and even copper peptides.
As well as sometimes being pesky garden guests, snails have had several uses throughout the years. While there were a few mentions of snail slime in Ancient Greek literature for their healing skin properties, the aesthetic benefits of snail mucin were allegedly first discovered in the 1980s by a family of snail farmers based in Chile. By chance, the family is said to have noticed how soft their skin felt when handling their slimy guests.
This ingredient was slowly adopted into the skincare industry in the early 2000s when it was heavily used in K-Beauty, skincare that comes from South Korea. Of course, it wasn’t long before western skincare brands began to take notice of the benefits of the slimy product as well.
A number of scientific studies have since emerged that confirmed that snail mucin has lots of benefits. A study in 2013 found that using snail mucin regularly over a period of weeks actually contributed to “a significant degree of improvement in fines lines.”
Snail Mucin and skincare - The benefits
Snail mucin is made up of a wealth of ingredients that have proven benefits when applied to our skin. Some of the most noteworthy components include proteins like:
Collagen
Hyaluronic acid
Copper peptides
What this means is that snail mucin can serve as an all-in-one skincare remedy that provides all the benefits of using these ingredients independently.
By understanding what the benefits of hyaluronic acid, proteins and peptides, we can identify that snail mucin can help to hydrate and smooth your skin, reduce dark spots and encourage cell rejuvination. It’s also been touted to provide cleansing benefits which reduces the chance of bacteria and skin infections.
What’s great is that you can use snail mucin once or twice daily, and it can work well with other skincare ingredients like vitamin C. This can be seen as hugely beneficial because vitamin C isn’t always compatible with certain skincare ingredients such as retinol, salycic acid and AHAs. That’s because vitamin C is also an acid and sometimes the pH balance of mixing such acids can cause severe irritation.
Are any snails harmed in the making of snail mucin?
The historical method of extracting snail mucus wasn’t the most ethical. However, in recent decades snail farms have introduced ‘cruelty-free’ ways of getting the mucus in ways that claim to not hurt the snail.
In fact, many farms claim that it’s actually important to make the snail’s environment as pleasant as possible to get the best mucin. As a result, some farms let the snails freely roam over mesh before gently collecting the extracts left behind.
There’s plenty of skincare brands that now offer snail mucin-infused products, but we recommend that you always do your own research and look into the ethics of the products you choose.
Best products including snail mucin?
CORSYX Snail Mucin range
In July 2022, the skincare brand COSRX broke it’s own sales records and announced a 491% sales increase on Amazon Prime year over year. This impressive growth can be largely credited to the boom on social media and the huge popularity of its Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence.
COSRX’s formula uses 93.6% SSF and combines it with sodium hyaluronate and allantoin. The highly concentrated serum leaves users with brighter, glowing skin and doesn’t leave you feeling sticky at the same time. What’s even better is that CORSYX states that there is no harm done to the snails. The company lets the snails roam around on a mesh surface and produce their trails, which is then collected to be used in their products. According to CORSYX, the snails are not forced to produce the mucin...
There’s also plenty of other products on the market that can help to give your skin an extra glow. These include;
Biopelle Tensage Intensive Serum 40, which does come with a hefty price tag, but claims to show results within 24-hours.
Another fan favourite is
Peach Slices Snail Rescue All-In-One Oil Free Moisturizer, a weightless moisturizer that is made up of 95% snail mucin and also claims to be cruelty free.
The bottom line…
Snail mucin has received a newfound fame in recent years and is certainly buzzy ingredient in the beauty product world thanks to the influence of TikTok.
While there are a few studies about the benefits of snail mucin, it’s likely that we’re going to hear a lot more about how it helps your skin in the future.
Thankfully, snail mucin tends to be quite a delicate skincare product to put on your face, and a lot of people are noticing the benefits of adding this into their daily routine. The final question is, are you ready to add snail mucin in your skincare routine?
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