How does it Benefit our skin?
Snail mucin offers a range of benefits. It does not specialise in any particular benefit but provides a few different uses, all in a small amount.
1. Anti-Inflammation
Snail mucin has allantoin. Allantoin has anti-inflammatory properties. It reduces inflammation and calms the skin.
Skin gets inflamed almost daily – maybe from exposure to the sun, for example. Inflammation on the skin is sometimes visible and sometimes not. Inflammation, both visible and invisible, can lead to problems like skin pigmentation, damage to good cells, etc.
Hence, use skincare products with anti-inflammatory ingredients regularly.
2. Hydrating
Snail mucin has good hydrating ingredients. The hydrating ingredients in snail mucin are humectants. They attract water molecules from the atmosphere and bring them to the skin’s surface. The three humectants found in mucin are:
Hydrated skin is soft and plump and heals faster. Even a small amount of inflammation and redness on the skin can get much worse if it is not well-hydrated.
Please Take Note
When you use any skincare product rich in humectants, adding a top layer of cream is always a good practice. This cream will seal in all the hydration that the humectants attract.
3. Exfoliation
Snail mucin has glycolic acid. Glycolic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid. Alpha hydroxy acids are exfoliating agents. Here’s how glycolic acid works on the skin:
Please Take Note
Snail mucin products are not classified as exfoliating skincare products. An exfoliating ingredient must be the primary ingredient in an exfoliating skincare product, but in snail mucin, glycolic acid is not the primary ingredient.
If you are after an exfoliating skincare product, snail mucin product is not your answer.
4. Well-Ageing
It has copper and zinc peptides, which boost collagen production in our skin. Collagen is a protein found in our body that gives skin its structure. As the amount of collagen reduces, the skin starts to sag. Firm skin has a youthful appearance.
Please Take Note
These peptides will be effective only if they can get to the deeper layers of the skin. There is not enough evidence to show that it can get to the deeper layers of skin.
Snail mucin is not a substitute for retinol and retinaldehyde well-aging products, which are the gold standard in this field.
5. Anti-Microbial properties
These peptides present in snail mucin get rid of some of the bacteria present on our skin. It cleanses the skin from some bacteria.
6. Healing
The hydrating ingredients, peptides and allantoin help the skin to heal. As mentioned earlier, often there is some kind of inflammation on the skin – some visible and some not. Healing ingredients help the skin to get back to normal quicker. Faster healing means good skin health and reduced signs of ageing.
Why use snail mucin if it doesn’t specialise in any of the benefits?
Skincare products that specialise in one benefit have an essential place in skin care routines – and so do products that offer a range of benefits, albeit in small magnitude. Snail mucin/cream products fit in well in the latter category.
Snails constantly move on rough surfaces but stay unaffected by these surfaces. This is due to the protection its mucin’s ingredients offer. Mucin won’t offer the same benefits to human skin as to snails. Still, even if it provides only a tiny percentage of its benefits, it’s worth including in your routine.
Snail mucin is a good skincare product, provided you don’t experience any side effects. You don’t have to use it daily – but it occasionally adds variety to your skincare.
Always top your snail mucin product with a cream or a moisturiser.
