K-Beauty

Famous Korean Skincare Ingredients – Snail Mucin

Nowadays there are a lot of skincare breakthroughs when it comes to ingredients and one of which is the use of snail mucin. You might be wondering what is a snail secretion doing in skincare. Just imagine putting a snail slime on your face is enough to give you weird and mixed reactions. However, there is actually scientific logic in putting snail mucus into our skin.

The snail secretion, or snail mucus is a mucus substance that covers the entire external surface of the animal and is secreted by particular salivary epidermal glands located at the level of the snail’s foot or pedal glands. For the snail, this secretion functions as adhesive, emollient, moisturizing, lubricating, protecting, and even properties for repairing.

Medicinal value

In ancient times, snail secretion is used to treat skin disorders through the direct application of the mucus. A scientific study held recently by Claudio and his colleagues in 2020 backed this ancient practice. They found out that snail mucus promotes the proliferation of skin cells by modifying the cell cycle phase distribution allowing for a significant increase in cell growth and regeneration. This cell proliferation of the mucus allows it to repair wounds in our skin. Impressive right?

Actives

Extracted mucin from Helix aspera (a variety of snail) contains a mixture of beneficial compounds. It has glycolic acid, a type of AHA (alpha hydroxyl acid) which is a type of chemical exfoliant that dissolves the bonds of dead skin cells removing them easily to reveal a smoother and younger skin below. It also has amounts of allantoin which is a known keratolytic, which increases the water content of cells. Allantoin can also increase skin smoothness and aid in wound healing. In addition, snail mucus is also rich in hydrophilic amino acids responsible for repairing skin damage, soothing the skin with its antioxidant properties, neutralizing damaging substances, and skin firming abilities.

Personal experience

Snail mucin has truly helped me promote the overall skin health of my skin. The nature of its consistency helps aid hydration. It also helped my skin heal from troubles caused by pimples and acne. Whenever I use it, I can instantly feel the soothing sensation plus the added hydration and moisture it provides. It is an ingredient that you really shouldn’t feel effy about because it truly is effective in delivering amazing skin benefits.

Here are some of the products I have tried with snail mucin: