Snail slime properties

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What are the properties of snail slime? An analysis of the substances

Snail slime has countless properties: this organic, ecological and sustainable produce has benefits for the skin.

Snail slime extract is the main ingredient in many natural cosmetics. The extraction and transformation process have become more and more sophisticated and effective over time, resulting in products of the highest quality.

What is snail slime?

Snail slime is a completely natural substance that snails produce. It is in fact a kind of mucus, an external bodily secretion, discharged by the gastropod’s foot and is usually used to facilitate their crawling.

In fact, snails move with the help of a muscular long foot which produces the slime, or known as mucopolysaccharide mucus in technical terms.

The slime is used for several purposes: the secretion’s sticky properties help snails cling to surfaces, allowing them to climb surfaces and even travel upside-down. It is also very useful to repulse predators.

The snails we use in our natural farms are Helix Aspersa from which the slime is extracted via a cruelty-free process.

Although it is only since a few years that snail farming has become a recognised industry with specific regulations, the properties of snail slime have been known since ancient times.

The Greeks and Romans already made use of this secretion mainly for its therapeutic properties: it was one of the remedies for stomach aches, to heal wounds, and was even used as a soothing agent for dry and chesty coughs when taken as a syrup.

However, it wasn’t until 1980 that the transition to a cosmetic use took place, when, in Chile, the workers of a family who bred snails for a French restaurant noticed that their hands were incredibly soft and clean and that their wounds were healing quickly. Nevertheless, it took several years of studies to ascertain this correlation and to eventually discover the regenerative elements contained in the slime.

Snail slime in the beauty industry

Prevent oily skin

The exfoliating action is provided by glycolic acid and peptides which remove the most superficial layers of the skin, performing a deep cleansing and clearing clogged pores. For this reason, it is also used for oily and acne-prone skin to remove blemishes and spots.

Hydrates dry skin

Moisturising and toning: elastin and collagen are proteins and constituents that have the ability to make the skin supple and moisturised, soft and refreshed. They are substances that are naturally present in our skin, but which may be lacking in dry skin.

A natural anti-wrinkle

The vitamins – mainly C and E – are responsible for the regenerative effect. It also has important anti-inflammatory effects which ensure healing and hydration thus delaying the appearance of wrinkles.

Makes hair shine

Finally, allantoin stimulates tissue regeneration, keeping the skin looking youthful and plump and increases the production of keratinocytes. These also play an important role in hair health.