Snail slime in skincare, what is it?

Snail mucus has a historical use in the treatment of various skin conditions, mainly to cure, relieve or prevent inflammation, irritation, infections and wound healing. It is also reported to have been used in ancient Greece for its anti-inflammatory and wound healing effects. In modern skincare, it has been seen in more and more different skincare products and the mucus commonly used in cosmetic products is one that is secreted when the snail is stressed or injured, but snail eggs are also an ingredient. This is secreted to protect the snail and to counteract and heal injuries that occur. The snail slime often comes from a species called Cryptomphalus Aspersa, also known as the spotted vine snail. This is found naturally in a few places in Sweden, but the ingredients are not produced in Sweden.

Snail mucus contains mostly water, usually more than 90%, and various large molecules that give the mucus its texture such as glycosaminoglycans, proteoglycans and glycoproteins, which are sugar-based large molecules that bind moisture. Collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid are other large molecules that may be present. These substances are so large that they do not penetrate the skin barrier and therefore cannot exert a moisturizing and softening effect other than on the surface of the skin. Smaller substances with reported presence are allantoin, glycolic acid, and various antimicrobial peptides and minerals such as zinc, iron, copper and manganese. These substances could penetrate the skin barrier and exert an effect. 

Does snail slime work in skin care?

Det finns vetenskaplig litteratur som visar på att snigelslem skulle kunna ha en effekt i huden, men få om ens någon kontrollerad studie där en effekt har visats efter användning av produkter på en normal oskadad hud.
De flesta vetenskapliga studier på snigelslem är s.k. mekanistiska studier där ingredienser från sniglar testats för olika hudvårdande egenskaper där syftet är att förstå effekten av enskilda extrakt eller ämnen i extrakten samt effekten i olika modeller. Det finns endast ett fåtal studier som är utförda genom randomiserade kliniska studier på människa, vilket innebär att studien gjorts enligt en högre vetenskaplig standard och med kontrollpreparat. I en av dessa studier har man studerat effekten av extrakt från snigelslem och snigelägg, men även tillsammans med andra aktiva ingredienser vilket gör det svårt att särskilja vilken effekt som kommer från vilken ingrediens och om effekten kommer från snigelextrakten som användes.
Det går därför inte att utesluta att den redovisade effekten kommer från något annat av de ingående aktiva ämnena.

It is good to know that there is a risk of allergy with snail mucus, but it does not seem to be common. However, because snail mucus is a mixture of many substances, it is more likely to cause skin problems, especially if the skin is already affected or sensitive.

Summary

Efter en grundlig genomgång av tillgänglig litteratur framstår snigelslem som en så kallad "story ingredient",
d v s en ingrediens som framför allt tillsätts i produkten för att skapa en spännande berättelse och ge en känsla av innovation. Mekanistiska studier har påvisat potentiella positiva effekter av snigelextrakt på huden, och kanske framför allt om huden är skadad. Emellertid är det viktigt att notera bristen på studier som visar att dessa effekter verkligen kan realiseras när ämnet används i hudvårdsprodukter på normal hud.

Although some minor constituents of snail mucus, such as allantoin, organic acids and minerals, have the potential to cross the skin barrier and provide beneficial effects, it is probably more appropriate to use these isolated substances. Using pure substances reduces the risk of side effects and other potential problems.

Further research is needed to provide a clearer picture of the effects of snail mucus and to understand which specific substances potentially provide these benefits. It is also valuable to investigate whether using the whole snail mucus provides any unique benefits over using individual isolated substances. Thus, more extensive studies are needed to establish whether snail mucus is indeed an effective alternative for skin care and whether it offers added value compared to using some of the substances contained in snail mucus. from Our view is that it is better to use scientifically studied and proven ingredients from both a skin health perspective and an environmental perspective, so that we don't have snail farms and don't have to worry about the well-being of the animals.