June 1, 2021

To the Snail That Crawled On My Yoga Mat Today……….

What are the benefits of snail mucin and why should you use it is a very common question I get. As well as questions like Why do you like snail mucin so much? Why do you use it? When do you use it? Aren’t you grossed out by it?

This one is for the snail that decided to take up resident on my yoga mat early this morning. You’ve inspired an entire post. Who says snails don’t move fast? Because I swear I laid that mat down, went back to my car really quick for my water bottle, and there you were sunning yourself on my mat. I mean, I don’t mind snail in my skincare but I’m not digging your presence on my mat early in the AM. You kind of grossed me out. It took a lot of plotting and planning to move you from my mat to a safe place by me and my fellow classmates. That was a lot of eewww gross squealing. We as women are powerful humans but put a snail in front of us and we need someone to swoop in and rescue us.

Why a snail grosses me out but not the idea of applying snail mucin on my face is the mystery of the moment! But I’ll take the inspiration this gave me to post about the benefits of snail mucin.

I use a lot of different snail secretion filtrates in my skincare because it has some great benefits. Although, I do think the main demographic for snail mucin is for those with irritated or inflamed skin or even oily skin. I’m personally on the anti-aging side of the snail mucin fence.

How is snail mucin collected?
Now before we get into any of this we should discuss collection of mucin. How snail mucin is collected is always a popular question for those concerned about animal or in this case mollusks cruelty. You may well know I’m a massive fan of CosRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence. In the case of CosRX products, they place snails on a mesh net in a dark, quiet room and just allow them to chill out and roam around leaving little mucin trails. They do this for about 30 or so minutes. Snails aren’t put under any stress to to force mucin production plus snails produce mucin best when they are in a stress-free environment. CosRX stabilizes the mucin to make it suitable for skincare.

What skin types can use snail mucin?
I personally think it’s suitable for any skin type but it tends to be promoted towards oily or acne prone skin since it provides hydration and healing benefits but doesn’t produce excess oil or greasiness. I always highly recommend it for drier skin like my own as I feel like it’s very hydrating.

Benefits of snail mucin
Aside from the moisture snail mucin actually promotes collagen production and also, aids in skin healing and regeneration. Some folks even say it can brighten your complexion but there’s no known evidence of this. It does contain some anti-inflammatory agents like manganese as well as peptides and Vitamins A and E which are great anti-aging ingredients. If you have a compromised skin barrier or sensitive skin snail mucin is an excellent way to repair damage and keep skin hydrated without irritation.

When do you use snail mucin?
I tend to use it in the AM after my Vitamin C and allow it to fully absorb before I go in with my SPF. I’ve been known to use in the evening as well on retinol-free nights. I’ll apply it after cleansing and while it’s still dewy to the touch I’ll go in with my HA and use that dewiness to my advantage as the HA can absorb moisture from the mucin.

Am I grossed out by it?
Not really…I’ve used essences from the beginning of time which makes me very familiar with the thicker, sometimes sticky feel of an essence and that’s how I see mucin. It’s doesn’t have a fragrance, it doesn’t feel like slime, it just has an essence-like consistency. I don’t really see it as slime that came from a snail but just another essence I’m applying to my face.

If you’re skin is drier or in need of some repair and comfort after a too harsh time with acids or exfoliation this is definitely a product you’ll want to add into your current routine.

I understand it seems gross but I promise the benefits of snail mucin outweigh the gross factor.

Do you use snail mucin skincare in your current routine?

Got a question about it?

Ask away!

Do share!

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Ann Marie

    I tried so hard to love this but I just CAN’T with the snail stuff …. I have a whole bottle I can send you. I used it one time. I.Just.Can’t.

    • Isabella Muse

      Oh no! So sorry to hear that Ann 🙁 What do you hate about it? Aww thank you but I tend to keep several handy lol! 🙂

      • Ann Marie

        I bought the CosRX one that you recommended. We have these slugs on our porch that leave this trail ….. every time I pick up the bottle I think of those slugs. It’s the texture. And the slugs. 🙁 I wanted to love it!

        • Isabella Muse

          OH no….! You sort of have to distance yourself from that haha. If I thought about it I’d totally be grossed out too! 🙂

  • Mariele

    Haha, I’ve never been bothered by slugs/snails… always loved holding them and frogs as a kid. But spiders or any kind of insect or creepy-crawly in general? Totally different thing. I love earthworms and moths and will tolerate June bugs, but that’s as far as my creepy-crawly love goes. I definitely wish I had someone around who could protect me from the spiders and house centipedes that find their way into my home (and sometimes my bed :'( )!!

    Distancing yourself from the source is only too common with everything nowadays, right? Snail essences are fine when snails are removed. A burger is fine when the blood, filth, and gore of butchering an animal are removed. A salad is fine when the hands, bug repellents, bugs, and runoff in the water used to grow and harvest it are removed. A stone countertop is fine when removed from the labor and health dangers (such as silicosis) of unearthing it and cutting it. Everything tells a story. This is a tangent from your single line that you don’t know why snail serum is fine, but snails gross you out. 😉 Distancing yourself from the origin of something is something we all do, every day… but we didn’t use to anywhere near so much! What was that James Burke said, “Never have so many people understood so little about so much”?

    I will say that I’ve used a snail serum before, but I never noticed much difference, and I hated the texture on my face. It always made me think of my pet snail, too, lol. Maybe I’ll give the CosRX one a try. Maybe I should have just let my pet snail crawl all over my face. 😛

  • Miska

    Every time I see or hear the words “snail mucin”� I cringe. I am very very very allergic to snails it seems. The first try was the COSRX snail mucin essence. A few minutes post application and my face was on fire. I had a bright red rash. I should’ve patch tested. Another fail was Benton’s Aloe Toner. Another that I didn’t patch test and I didn’t realize that there was snail mucin in it. The same issue happens with anything containing snail, burning bright red rash. I make sure to read every ingredient listed now and cannot stress to everybody enough the importance of patch testing. That being said, 2 of the friends that I gifted my snail fails to found their HG product. And I’ve been witness to their skin’s improvements. Eh, everybody’s skin reacts differently from no changes to allergic reactions to the coveted holy grail status. As for me, when I see snail mucin in a product, I drop that shit like a hot potato and run in the opposite direction as fast as I can. And for peeps who can’t take the texture of the COSRX’s snail essence, try the Benton Aloe Toner as it’s watery.

  • kjh

    The ew factor is offset by the purification. Kind of like clams. There’s a lot of ew in the sea, but clams that have been inspected by the shellfish police will be fine. The sea ew made me believe that digging might not be safe anymore. Did you see that Cosrx has an essence with snail/ niacinamide?

    • Isabella Muse

      I DID! I have it 🙂 been using it since December! Preparing for a review soon 😀 and yes, that’s def where the ew factor stems from!