When your skin feels itchy and tight, you likely reach for a moisturizer designed for dry skin. Or maybe you pick up a serum infused with hyaluronic acid, a humectant ingredient known to hold a thousand times its weight in water. Or you could be smearing on a hydrating face mask to infuse your complexion with precious moisture. They’re all good options—but TikTok would like to try one more.
Popular creators on the platform are recommending you pickle your face with snail mucin.
Yes, influencers want you to coat your outer layer with the slime of a slug. If you’re thinking that sounds too strange to consider, you could be in the minority on this one: The hashtag #snailmucin has more than 800 million views on the app. And though its trending now, the ingredient has been around for several years, first brought Stateside during the K-beauty craze of the early 2000s. “Snail mucin is a natural compound and a trusted ingredient in Korean skin care products,” says Dendy Engelman, MD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. “It’s trending on TikTok because its ability to give skin the popular glass-like appearance.”
Meet the experts: Dendy Engelman, MD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. Hadley King, MD, clinical instructor of dermatology at the Weill Medical College of Cornell in New York City. Kimberly Landstrom, spa manager at the Conrad Spa in the Conrad Hotel in Los Angeles.
But is the trendy ingredient any more effective than the ones dermatologists have been recommending for years to treat dryness? To find out, I turned to Dr. Engelman and two other skincare gurus—here’s what they had to say.
What is snail mucin?
It’s quite simple, really: “Snail mucin is an excretion from a snail,” says Hadley King, MD, clinical instructor of dermatology at the Weill Medical College of Cornell in New York City. “It contains ingredients like glycoproteins, hyaluronic acid, and glycolic acid, all of which have long-documented benefits for skin. It also helps to seal in moisture and allow active ingredients to efficiently penetrate the skin.”
In cosmetic products, you’ll most likely find the ingredient listed as snail secretion filtrate high up on the ingredient list (meaning it’s in there in relatively high concentrations). It’s usually paired with other stabilizers, emulsifiers, preservatives, and, sometimes, with other hydrating actives such as hyaluronic acid, allantoin, and glycerin. You’ll find it in a variety of types of products, from serums to more traditional creams, depending upon your preference.
How is snail mucin harvested?
If you’re like me, you’ve likely been wondering about this. Turns out, the slime is gathered in snail farms (where escargot comes from) where the creatures are left alone to wander atop a mesh screen for a period of time. They leave mucin in their wake, which is then collected to be added the products you add to your Amazon shopping cart, says Kimberly Landstrom, spa manager at the Conrad Spa in the Conrad Hotel in Los Angeles.
Are the snails harmed in the process? In most cases, companies take great care to ensure the answer is “No,” but one thing’s for sure: These products are not vegan.
The benefits of snail mucin for skin
Hydration is the big benefit of snail mucin products, but there are others: “It's full of many wonderful constituents, including growth factors that are high in copper peptides, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that assist in wound healing and proteoglycans, which help the skin maintain hydration and support collagen and elastin," says Landstrom. "With all of this you’re left with hydrated, more even-toned skin and fewer fine lines and wrinkles.”
5 Snail Mucin Products To Try
But does it work? While snail mucin isn’t as studied as some of its more well-established counterparts, “the hyaluronic acid and peptides in snail mucin may stimulate the production of collagen and elastin,” says Dr. King. (You’ll remember that collagen and elastin are two structural proteins found in skin that are responsible for keeping it smooth and line free.) In fact, one small study published in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology found that women between the ages of 45 and 65 who used products with snail secretion and snail egg extract experienced improvements in skin roughness, firmness, and elasticity. Though Dr. King is quick to note that “there haven’t been any large, controlled trials or long-terms studies showing that it’s effective for anti-aging,” so when it comes to a more youthful appearance, don’t expect a miracle.
Additional research showed that treatment with snail mucin resulted in an improvement in wound healing—another interesting benefit worth considering.
Are there any downsides to using snail mucin skincare?
While data confirming snail mucin’s effectiveness is limited (something that’s true of many trending skincare ingredients), the risks to using it are also minimal. “There are no documented negative side effects, and the ingredient is generally well-tolerated,” says Dr. Engelman. “However, since it’s only recently been widely used, more research is needed. If you have sensitive skin, I always recommend doing a patch test when trying a new ingredient, though snail mucin is not known to trigger breakouts.”
It's also worth noting, as I did above, that there is some glycolic acid naturally found in snail mucin, and that this powerful exfoliating alpha hydroxy acid may be irritating to some skin types, says Dr. King. Another reason why particularly sensitive types should proceed with some degree of caution here.
How do you use snail mucin on skin?
Consider it just like any other product you’d use. If it’s a serum, slather it on after cleansing and before applying a thicker moisturizer. If it’s in the form of a more occlusive cream, you can use it as your last skincare step (before sunscreen, if it’s during the day). Feel free to use it twice day since, as our experts mentioned above, the ingredient is generally well-tolerated by most people.
The bottom line: Is it worth using snail mucin skincare?
That depends: What does your hard-earned money mean to you? While snail mucin contains an interesting mix of components, many of which have proven skin benefits, there are other better-studied ingredients that will likely be as—or more—effective as snail mucin, says Dr. King.
Looking a smoothing effect? Try retinol. Antioxidant protection? Go with a vitamin C serum. Straight up hydration? You’d likely get incredible results by using a serum with just hyaluronic acid or glycerin. But, look, if you happen to love a product with snail mucin—go ahead and use it.
As for me, I’ll leave it for the sidewalks.
Brian Underwood
Beauty Director
Brian Underwood is the beauty director at Women’s Health. He is an award-winning journalist with more than 15 years of experience covering beauty and lifestyle for several national media outlets and previously served as beauty and wellness director at Oprah Daily. His work has appeared in Woman’s Day, Life & Style Weekly, Good Housekeeping, and many more. He also serves as a member of the Skin Cancer Foundation’s gala committee and lives in New York City with his daughter.