Has anyone ever stumbled upon the ingredient snail mucin in their skincare products and wondered how could this be beneficial? Because we sure have! But luckily, we now understand why skincare gurus all over our social media pages rave about this product. Here's why it is such a game-changing ingredient to incorporate into your skincare routine.
Snail mucin - or snail slime - isn't just the odd name of the ingredient, it literally does come from the slimy bug. It is the excretion from a snail, which also goes by the name snail secretion filtrate, or SSF, on the ingredient list on the back of your products. Typically snails use it to protect themselves, but for us humans, it can have many benefits to our skin barrier.
While there are many skin treatments, mucin can offer several benefits, including moisturizing the skin and promoting collagen production... you know, the thing that helps to keep our skin young and elastic. "Because snail mucin is a stress-induced excretion, it's comprised of ingredients meant to repair or protect from injury," dermatologist Ted Lain explained. "These include growth factors, which work by triggering the growth of new skin cells and new collagen."
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@sarahpalmyra Spilling the tea on snail mucin #snailmucin #cosrxsnailessence #viralskincare #skincare101 #skintok ♬ She Share Story (for Vlog) - 山口夕依
"It's a trusted ingredient in the K-beauty world and has become a popular one because it can offer noticeable results," further explained a board-certified dermatologist, Sheel Desai-Solomon. A major reason why it's so beloved by skincare fanatics is the multitude of vitamins and minerals that are naturally found in the slime. It includes anti-inflammatory zinc and healing manganese - as well as copper peptides, which may be the ingredient that helps promote collagen and reduce the number of visible wrinkles. It also contains a few antioxidants, such as vitamins A and E. We don't know about you, but this sounds like the perfect ingredient. To get these benefits, opt for a snail mucin serum and apply it both morning and night after you cleanse your face (and before any other product gets applied). And although its main advantage is hydration, researchers have discovered that it can also be used as a sunscreen to protect the skin from harsh UV rays. Stay tuned for more beauty hacks.
