Snail Mucin: The good, the bad, and the honest review.

 

Snail Mucin: The good, the bad, and the honest review.

 

You’ve been hearing a lot about Snail Mucin. Question is: what exactly is it and does it work as advertised?

 

The answer might surprise you.  Read on to discover the good, the bad and the ugly as we take a close look at the newest social media obsession…

 

This ingredient has long been popular in South Korea, which some consider the most forward-thinking and innovative in the beauty world and has made its way to other parts of the world, including the United States.

 

“It’s a massive trend at the moment and for a good reason,” says Georgia Smith, a cosmetic chemist and founder of Skin Sister, who is based in Sydney.

 

What Is Snail Mucin?

 

Simply put, it’s the excretion from a snail, which is why it’s also known and appears on ingredient labels as snail secretion filtrate, or SSF. Snail mucin is naturally created and used by snails as a way for them to protect themselves, says Desai-Solomon. “It’s a trusted ingredient in the K-beauty world and has become a popular one because it can offer noticeable results,” she adds. Worth noting: This isn’t an excretion that comes out whenever the snail moves, but rather a substance that's excreted when the snail is under stress.

 

What Does Snail Mucin Do?

 

If you’re still not familiar with this product, let me quickly explain what it can do for you. Snail mucin is made up of components like allantoin, glycolic acid, hyaluronic acid, and peptides. Well-studied ingredients that can help moisturize and exfoliate skin, promote collagen production, and aid in skin healing and regeneration.

 

But does it work? Read on…

 

The Good

 

The best part about Snail Mucin is that it comes in a variety of products. This is especially useful when you are building your skincare routine.

 

Of course, that’s not the only good thing about Snail Mucin. Here are some other highlights:

 

Snail mucin is a mega multi-tasker, with the ability to do everything from moisturizing to boosting the production of collagen, the protein responsible for strong, youthful skin, to improving wrinkles.¹

 

• Moisturizes the skin: According to Lain, snail mucin contains moisturizing agents that work to repair the barrier function of the skin, both locking out irritants from the environment while also simultaneously locking in moisture.
• Stimulates collagen production: “Because snail mucin is a stress-induced excretion, it's comprised of ingredients meant to repair or protect from injury," Lain explains. "These include growth factors, which work by triggering the growth of new skin cells and new collagen.” And, as we know, more collagen equals fewer wrinkles and younger-looking skin. Desai-Solomon adds that it also contains glycolic acid, another known collagen-booster.²
• Soothes irritation: Allantoin is another key component in secretion, an ingredient with healing properties that calms irritation, smooth the skin, and stimulates cell regeneration.³
• Delivers important vitamins and minerals:  Snail mucin is loaded with a list of good-for-your-skin nutrients, including anti-inflammatory zinc and healing manganese. It contains copper peptides, also lauded for their collagen-increasing and wrinkle-decreasing effect.⁴ It also contains vitamins A and E, both of which are great antioxidants.

 

 

The Bad

 

There are a few things about Snail Mucin that was very disappointing for some consumers.

 

·       Can be expensive.

·       Not all snails used are farmed humanely.

·       Can cause skin irritation in some people.

·       Not recommended for those with sensitive skin

 

However, Korean skincare brand, Cosrx has Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence in their product collection. This product is the poster child for the snail mucin craze. It has gone viral on SkinTock, a popular hashtag on Tik Tock.

 

And that brings us to the last point…

 

The Verdict

 

You’ve probably already figured out the verdict by now.

 

Do I recommend Snail Mucin?

 

The answer is Yes! And that’s because I have personally used it myself and I am a true fan.

 

        Pickart L, Margolina A. Regenerative and protective actions of the GHK-Cu peptide in the light of         the new gene data. Int J Mol Sci. 2018;19(7):1987. doi:10.3390/ijms19071987

2.                     https://cleanbeautycoach.com/is-snail-mucin-worth-it/

3.                     https://www.cosrx.com/products/advanced-snail-96-mucin-power-essence