We’re sure you’ve heard of skin slugging, the practice designed to give you maximum hydration benefits overnight by layering a thick occlusive (such as petroleum jelly) over your usual nighttime skincare. But have you heard about using actual slugs in your beauty routine? Well, snails actually, and no, you don’t use actual snails but rather their mucus (aka snail mucin). Trust us, this unique ingredient is a serious powerhouse when it comes to skincare. Want to know more? Keep scrolling.
Meet the Expert
Ian Crumm is a New York City-based esthetician and beauty content creator. His time is shared between the content creator world and practicing as an esthetician with private clients.
What Is Snail Mucin
Yes, we know what you’re wondering—and yes, snail mucin or snail essence does in fact come from real snails. “It’s actually excretion from snails for protection. This excretion happens when the snail is under stress,” says New York City-based esthetician Ian Crumm. Given this, snail mucin is not a vegan ingredient.
You’ll find snail mucin in a ton of beauty products (mostly within K-Beauty) including sheet masks, serums, ampoules, and moisturizers. It’s a skincare ingredient loved for its moisturizing and plumping properties and ability to stimulate collagen.
Benefits of Snail Mucin for Skin
1. Soothes Skin
You’ll notice after using snail mucin your skin will feel soft and any dryness, breakouts, or redness will have calmed. “The secretion has allantoin that is an anti-inflammatory ingredient that also helps stimulate cell regeneration. This also helps with moisturizing the skin overall,” says Crumm. Because of this skin-soothing ingredient, snail mucin is great for sensitive skin types.
2. Stimulates Collagen
Simply put, snail mucin has great anti-aging benefits. It can help plump skin and reduce the look of fine lines over time. “The secretion is stress-induced and contains reparative and protective ingredients for that reason. Growth factors help trigger new collagen and skin cells,” says Crumm.
3. Rich in Vitamins + Minerals
Snail mucin is rich in antioxidants and can offer brightening benefits for your skin. “[Snail mucin] has vitamins A and E, which are both antioxidants, zinc as an anti-inflammatory, manganese for healing, and copper peptides to aid in collagen production,” says Crumm. No matter your skin concern, snail mucin can offer you incredible benefits when incorporated into your skincare routine.
Any Side Effects?
If you’re wondering about the side effects, there aren’t really any. As we mentioned, it can be a great ingredient for sensitive skin due to its high concentration of allantoin.
“Overall, it’s a very hydrating ingredient, but with all ingredients, someone might experience an allergic reaction. Always remember to spot test new products before applying to the entire face, and consult with your esthetician or dermatologist to optimize your routine before adding new products,” says Crumm.
How to Use Snail Mucin
With so many types of snail mucin products—ranging from sheet masks to serums—there isn’t an all-in-one way to use the ingredient in your routine. However, Crumm recommends one or two ways of adding it into your skin routine.
If used to prevent visible signs of aging, apply a snail mucin serum after cleansing and toning, and before moisturizer and sunscreen.
If using for its hydrating properties, apply a night cream with snail mucin after cleaning and toning in the evening.
The Best Snail Mucin Products
1. COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence
COSRX is quite literally THE Korean beauty brand. In fact, they have an entire line of snail mucin products with a serious cult following and plenty of TikTok hype.
Their Mucin Power Essence is made up of 96% snail-secretion filtrate (SSF) with the ability to fade hyperpigmentation, improve skin tone, and hydrate dry skin. “This barebones formulation gets right to the point with a super high percentage of SSF mixed with hyaluronic acid and allantoin to plump and soothe skin fast,” says Crumm.
2. BIOPELLE Tensage Intensive Serum 40
This BIOPELLE product comes with 10 individually portioned serum treatments. The key ingredients include natural growth factors, antioxidants like vitamins C and E, and hyaluronic acid. “Perfectly dispensed for single use, this serum’s first ingredient is SSF and helps add tons of moisture into the skin,” says Crumm.
3. MISSHA Super Aqua Snail Cream
This moisturizer has 70 percent snail-slime extract with a lightweight texture. It brightens by targeting dark spots, restores damaged skin, and improves moisture retention, leaving skin feeling soft and bouncy.
4. LADYKIN Affinitic Snail Cream
This moisturizer will help heal damaged skin, boost elasticity, and leave your complexion smooth and hydrated. Plus, the little snail-shaped container is just too cute! We recommend this moisturizer if you have oily or acne-prone skin as it has a light gel texture.
5. JUMISO Have a Good Cream
If you’re wondering if snail-mucin products are cruelty-free—most are! Especially this one. Of course it’s a great habit to always check your labels. This cream absorbs into your skin almost immediately and makes a great primer for your makeup.
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