Have you ever imagined that those mollusks served with herb butter and chardonnay would help you turn back the aging clock? Well, it’s not exactly the creatures themselves – it’s the slime they secrete that truly matters. Snail slime beauty products are all the rage now. Before you turn away in disgust, it’s important that you know more about why they’re so craved:
1. Snail slime (or its cosmetic name, snail filtrate) is packed with nutrients such as hyaluronic acid, glycoprotein, proteoglycans, and antimicrobial and copper peptides, all of which are commonly used in beauty products and proven to be beneficial for the skin. These elements help to protect the snail’s skin from damage, infection, dryness and UV rays.
2. Snail slime contains 91-98% water. The slime is filtered multiple times to increase its concentration and ensure its purity: we offer products that have the highest concentration of snail serum, which means that have been filtered many times.
3. Cosmetic snail slime is normally harvested from lab-grown common garden snails or Cornu Aspersum (previously Helix Aspersa), which is considered an agricultural pest.
4. Snail mucin is best known for its anti-aging properties. It helps to stimulate the formation of collagen and elastin, protect skin from free radicals, soothe skin, repair damaged tissues and restore hydration. It can be used to treat dry skin, wrinkles and stretch marks, acne and rosacea, age spots, burns, scars, razor bumps and even flat warts.
5. Snail secretion filtrate is widely used in Korean beauty products such as serums, facial masks, moisturizers and fading creams. Most products are actually not as oozy and gooey as you may think. Most of them have a neutral look, smell and texture. Nevertheless, the best quality (purest, organic and most effective) come from Chile.
9. The use of snail slime for beauty dates back to ancient Greece, where famous physician Hippocrates reportedly prescribed crushed snails and sour milk to cure inflammation. The use of snail creams started recently when Chilean farmers who handled snails for the French market noticed their skin was visibly smoother.