Slimy Skincare: The Effects of Snail Mucin on Skin
If you’ve been on the right side of TikTok for a decent amount of time, you’ve definitely
noticed an uptick in the popularity of snail mucin in skincare. The skincare industry never fails in
shifting the goalposts for women all over the world. There is always some new fad or brand that
is the “must-have” for the week and then vanishes into obscurity. Even worse, some of these fads
can end up negatively impacting your skin. I definitely don’t need to remind anyone of the
tragedy that was the St. Ives scrub (holy microtears). Usually, trends in beauty and skincare are
driven by brands rather than particular ingredients or additives, which makes the popularity of
snail mucin even more notable. Are the beauty influencers finally onto something, or is this yet
another damaging trend that no one will remember in a month?
A study done in May 2022 using hairless mice as a proxy for human skin showed that
snail mucin does in fact lessen the effects of aging. In this study, exposure to UV rays was used
as the primary variable that leads to skin aging. The physical effects of skin aging that snail
mucin was tested against were formation of wrinkles, dryness, and loss of elasticity. The mucin
was administered to the mice via oral ingestion which does differ a bit from topical products that
are commercially available today. Snail mucin lessened the physical appearance of wrinkles by
suppressing MMP-1/-13 enzyme expression. This enzyme is responsible for the cutting of
collagen in the skin. The more collagen you have in your skin, the more stretchy your skin will
be and the less wrinkles you will appear to have. By decreasing the expression of the
collagen-cutting enzyme, the snail mucin allowed the skin to retain elasticity and appear to have
fewer wrinkles. In regards to skin moisture retention, the snail mucin slowed the evaporation of
water from skin layers in a density dependent manner. Essentially, the more snail mucin the mice
ingested, the slower their skin would lose moisture.
Looks like snail mucin based skin supplements should take up some space in your
Amazon cart after all. Even though there has not been much published research on the effects of
topical snail mucin supplements, the promising results of ingestible mucin is nothing to ignore
for the future of skincare. If you want fewer wrinkles, increased elasticity, and moisturized skin,
you might not have to look further than the dirt in your garden!
Posted by: Jillian Gobbi (1)
Reference: Kim Y, Sim W, Lee J, Lim T. 2022. Snail mucin is a functional food ingredient for
skin. [accessed 2023 September 13]; 92.
link:https://www.scientificstyleandformat.org/Tools/SSF-Citation-Quick- Guide.html.
How cool that there is an actual scientific basis for the efficacy of this skin care addition! I'd heard of snail mucin increasing in popularity in South Korea but, as you mentioned, many things rise and fall in popularity in the beauty industry without any clear reason for why they should have been used in the first place. It's refreshing to have these new products backed with real science.
ReplyDelete^^ that's me (Megan Winker)
DeleteThis is incredibly interesting to me, as I actually work in a lab that works with marine predatory snails. Although the snails we use (oyster drills) are not a source of the mucin used in skincare, there are definitely a lot of things we are currently uncovering about snails. These animals are so small, they often get overlooked as a place for major scientific advancements.
ReplyDelete-Ryan Horrigan
Hi Ryan! Wow, that lab research sounds so interesting! I would love to look into the differences in composition of the mucin between different snail species. I know that there must be some major differences, but I think it would be interesting to know exactly what sets them apart from one another. Maybe it might have something to do with the environment of each snail species? It would be so interesting to look into. Thanks for your insight!
DeleteHi Jillian! I have seen so many videos regarding snail mucin on my TikTok recently and have been questioning the trustworthiness of it… so thank you for this! It is very interesting to read the science behind this newfound product and I will be purchasing it right when I’m done with these blog comments!
ReplyDeleteChloe Springer
Hi Chloe! It's so interesting to see exactly how many commenters have heard about this through TikTok. Although it does not have too much to do with biology, I think the science behind advertising in the algorithm-based age is so intriguing. Maybe it does fall in line with the science of human behavior? This might be interesting to look into. I'm glad I was able to shed some light on this particular trend and I hope you have success with your new product!
DeleteThis is so interesting, I have it in my amazon cart as I'm typing this. I have seen multiple video's reviewing this product but I have been a little skeptical as I know some people get paid for these reviews. I feel somewhat comfortable after reading this and will be emptying it from my cart and hoping to have good results too.
ReplyDelete-Aaliyah T
This is super interesting! I actually just started using snail mucin on my skin (I was successfully influenced), and I'm glad to see it's a skin care trend to stay. I'm glad to know that something in my skin care routine might actually be effective for once! It's nice to actually get to learn the science behind snail mucin rather than just seeing it as a recommendation online and to understand what effects it will have on my skin in the long run. Great post!
ReplyDelete- Sophia Rinaldi
Hey Sophia! I was successfully influenced as well.I purchased my first product with snail mucin in it over the summer with my Marshall's employee discount. Who knows exactly how authentic my product is, but I did notice a change in my skin's texture very quickly. I had the same concerns about efficacy as you did. I'm glad we could both learn something valuable and could confirm that the ads are true for once!
DeleteThis is so fascinating to me! I've been using snail mucin for a while and actually learning about the results instead of just TikTok influencers talk about their glowing skin is so much better. Thank you for bringing this to my attention! I'll keep using this product!
ReplyDelete- Nicole M.
Awesome writing, Jillian... you definitely sold me! It is always interesting to learn about the research behind products that are so commercially advertised. You always hear, "reduces the appearance of wrinkles", and "age rewind", etc., but it is important to understand the physiological mechanisms that back these claims up. I really liked hearing how snail mucin suppresses the production of an enzyme that decreases collagen levels. I have also heard that snail mucin acts as an awesome barrier to protect the skin from pollutants in the air as well. I totally want to buy this now!!!!
ReplyDeleteThis was a really interesting and informative discussion post. I had no idea that snail mucin could be used as a means of improving the overall skin health of humans. It makes you wonder what other obscure things actually have benefits that aren’t its original use. I find it rather interesting how these trends come about and how they gain popularity almost instantly, as snail mucin had seemed to take over the world of skincare.
ReplyDelete-Matthew Rosen