Snail Mucin in Skincare
Strolling around the skincare section in various stores, I’ve bumped into a lot of products containing snail mucin. To be honest, I did not know how and why it was used as a skincare ingredient. I’ve done some research and now I’m ready to tell you about all the benefits of incorporating snail mucin into your skincare routine.
What is snail mucin?
To put it simply, snail mucin is a snail’s secretion. If you want to find it on the ingredient list of a skincare product, look for “snail secretion filtrate” (SSF). What is its function? Snail produces mucin to lubricate its path and stick to surfaces. It’s also responsible for hydration and preventing infections.
On a chemical level, it consists of many substances that you might be familiar with, if you’ve read my previous articles:
- glycolic acid — used to exfoliate the skin, especially helpful in anti-aging treatments.
- allantoin — chemical compound that moisturizes the skin and promotes wound healing.
- proteins (collagen and elastin) — they appear naturally in the human body, as compounds of connective tissue. Collagen provides strength, structure and support. Elastin is responsible for providing elasticity.
- peptides — small proteins that help to moisturize the skin, boost collagen production and reduce wrinkles and fine lines.
- antioxidants — responsible for preventing the damage caused by free radicals.
Beneficial qualities of snail mucin
Since you already know what snail mucin is, let’s see why it is beneficial to use it in your skincare routine:
- it moisturizes the skin
Cosmetics that contain snail mucin have excellent moisturizing qualities. They both lock in the moisture in the skin while also keeping out all the harmful environmental factors. Moreover, they help to maintain the healthy skin barrier, which is a key to healthy looking complexion.
- it stimulates collagen production
The ingredients of snail mucin include growth factors that stimulate the production of new skin cells and collagen. That means younger looking skin and fewer wrinkles.
- it promotes wound healing
Snail mucin contains allantoin, which is helpful in treating minor cuts and scarring. It can also be useful, when it comes to acne treatments. The anti-inflammatory and soothing properties of snail mucin have also been used to treat burns.
- it gently exfoliates the skin
Thanks to the presence of glycolic acid in snail mucin, it also possesses exfoliating qualities. It gently exfoliates the skin, targeting dry and rough patches and revealing a smoother, brighter complexion.
- it soothes irritation
Apart from having an impact on wound healing processes, allantoin is also helpful in soothing irritation. It leaves the complexion smoother and calmer, while also stimulating cell regeneration.
There have been no officially reported side effects of using snail mucin in skincare. However, everybody is different and allergy reactions, to either snail mucin or other ingredients of skincare products, are possible. That’s why it is recommended to perform a patch test before introducing a new product into your skincare routine.
How to use snail mucin in your skincare routine?
Due to many benefits of using snail mucin, more and more skincare companies include it in their products. It is especially popular in Korean skincare. If you want to incorporate snail mucin into your skincare routine, you have a few options:
- essence — it is a water based product used in step 5 of the korean skincare routine. It has a light formula made to hydrate the skin and prepare it for next skincare steps. The concentration of snail mucin in the product is not high, so it might be perfect for beginners.
- moisturizer — snail mucin is often used in moisturizers. Depending on your skin’s needs, you can opt out for a light, morning moisturizer or take advantage of snail mucin’s anti-aging qualities in a richer and heavier nighttime moisturizer.
- serum — containing the highest concentration of active ingredients, might be useful if you want to target a specific skin problem with the help of snail mucin.
To learn more about natural ingredients in skincare, check out my article.
