Beauty treatments get weirder and weirder as time goes by! Tell us, if you ever saw a trail of snail slime on a sidewalk, what would you think? Would you think of putting it on your skin? No right? But it is said that snail slime is supposedly good for your skin.
Snail mucin or snail slime is now a hot ingredient and part of most skincare products. We know it sounds way too icky for comfort, but then some women swear by this product. It is the ultimate anti-aging product, and as a by-product, you get acne-free youthful skin. Let’s learn more about this snail slime skincare regime and how did it all start?
The Origin
Snail slime goes back to Ancient Greece when used for various health issues and skin inflammation. It also helps with indigestion and cough. You can trace back the serum’s first use to Greece, a popular remedy for skin inflammation. Gradually it made its way to South America and France.
The farmers who started using it saw a difference in their hands that looked younger and smoother. However, South Korea took the snail treatment forward, and today, South Korea has paved the way for snail products, finally making its way to the US and Europe. Snail products include lotions, snail serums, creams, and more.
The Science
Gross though it sounds, what is it? Slime is mucus that helps avoid the drying up of the bodies of snails. It is a lubricating substance that has protective properties and can keep abrasions and bacterial infections at bay.
Snails have two main types of mucus, one that it leaves behind in its trail and one on top of their bodies as a protective covering. The gel-like trail helps them perform many functions, right from climbing up a wall or a plant. However, the third type of slime that usually finds itself in most cosmetics is a secretion that the snail exudes when it is in distress.
The Benefits
While there are many benefits of snail slime, right from correcting sunspots to help even fine lines and wrinkles, it can even help cure acne. It’s all because of the mucus’s ability to produce more collagen in the person using the snail slime-infused products. The snail secretion contains scores of skin-friendly ingredients that can improve skin health.
It has hyaluronic acid, glycol acid, proteins, antimicrobials, peptides, antioxidants, and the works. When you apply snail serum to the skin, it helps produce more collagen and fight aging and sun damage. However, much of the information is still not scientifically-backed, and it is still not famous which of the ingredients can help improve the skin. The high concentration of proteins does the trick. It tightens and tones the skin.
In Conclusion
There are many cosmetics worldwide, natural products that come with tall claims, but we don’t know whether they effectively treat the skin. Is the snail-slime one such product? Well, we don’t know as yet. People have been singing paeans of this product, claiming it changed the way their skin looks now.
We won’t know till we try it out. However, studies are promising, and since they have become so popular, there is no harm in trying it out. Koreans have the best skin ever, and they have been using this product for quite some time now! If you go by their glass-like baby soft skin, it does convey a message. That snail-slime does work!
While the beauty world is going gaga over this product, a few have counter-arguments too. Animal rights advocates and cruelty-free product enthusiasts argue against the use of snail serums. And if that seems like an idea you subscribe to, do not worry. Numerous products in the market are pseudo snail serums made in a vegan and cruelty-free fashion. Something that would make your face glow, look youthful, and fresh!
So, have you tried the snail serum or its alternatives? Do tell us in the comments section, and do not forget to share this article with a friend who might want to try the snail serum. And they will thank you eternally for introducing them to a whole new world of skincare!
