I tried snail mucin for aging skin and it might replace my need for Botox
As a 54-year-old woman who is more than a little obsessed with skincare, there’s not much I haven’t tried in the name of achieving a smoother, firmer, and more radiant complexion. I’ve slathered, sloughed, and scrubbed my skin with an array of products from both luxury labels and drugstore brands. I’ve peeled, lasered, and injected, hoping to achieve that coveted glass skin that every Instagram beauty influencer seems to possess. And it worked — until it didn’t.
When I entered menopause, my skin began to rebel against my usual go-to products. Suddenly, I was dealing with redness, extreme dryness, and cystic breakouts. The time between Botox appointments decreased, while the units I needed to get the same, smooth results started ticking upward. Something had to change. To address my skin’s sluggishness (pun intended), I took a cue from the glass skin girlies on Instagram and turned to trendy snail mucin, specifically Re-Du by Dubose Skincare. After just a few weeks of incorporating the serum into my skincare routine twice daily, I discovered this magical ingredient from a small mollusk packed a pretty big punch. It delivers an instantaneous glow and, over time, my aging skin appears more supple and hydrated. The best part? When it was time for my quarterly Botox, I barely even noticed the need for it.
What is snail mucin?
Lauded by those in the know as a powerhouse ingredient, snail mucin has been having a moment lately thanks to the K-beauty craze dominating TikTok. But before it made its way into mainstream cosmetics, the snail trail led all the way back to ancient Greece, where people used the slimy secretion to treat everything from skin inflammation to the common cold.
“Snail mucin is the jack of all trades,” describes Elle Dubose Moe, RN, BSN, and founder of Dubose Skincare. Moe, who worked as an advanced injector before launching her line, became enamored of snail mucin after using it on her rosacea-prone skin. She explains that while it is most commonly known for its ability to hydrate, smooth, and repair the skin barrier, there is more to mucin than meets the eye. “What most don’t know is that it is also known to accelerate wound healing, improve skin healing, reduce acne scarring, increase collagen, and reduce fine lines,” she says.
How is snail mucin collected?
Snails naturally produce as many as five different types of the sticky substance as a response to stress. While there are currently no regulations regarding how the mucin is harvested, it is typically accomplished through non-invasive measures that don’t harm the snails.
“Snail mucin, also known as snail gel, is primarily harvested from the common garden snail — the cryptomphalus aspersa species — without harming the snails,” says Dr. Yoram Harth, a board-certified dermatologist and medical director of MDacne. “The collection process involves agitating live snails to produce the mucin, which is then collected in skin care products.” Snails are often placed on a surface or mesh net, where their mucin is naturally secreted as they move. Once the mucin is collected, the snails are returned to their habitat unharmed.
What are the benefits of using snail mucin?
When snail mucin first hit my radar (or more accurately, my Instagram feed), I wrote it off as another fad. Why? Because most of the influencers I saw promoting it were decades younger than me. My skin glowed, too, when I was in my 20s and 30s. I needed to know what it could do for skin that had seen better days. The answer, it turned out, is plenty, thanks to a combination of peptides, along with hyaluronic and glycolic acid. “The glycolic acid stimulates collagen formation, which not only reduces fine lines and wrinkles but also gives your skin a beautiful, young shine,” says Anna Chacon, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Miami.
Moe agrees, adding, “Although marketing suggests that snail mucin is best for young skin, it is actually one of the most impactful ingredients on the market for mature, aging skin.” She explains that not only does the skin lose the ability to retain water as we age, but the skin barrier also becomes more compromised, allowing more moisture to escape and external stressors to cause more damage. The result is skin that looks dull, dry, and dehydrated. “I believe strongly that besides sun protection, the most important thing we can do for our skin as we age is maintain hydration and protect the skin barrier,” Moe says. “The more hydrated and plump your skin appears, the more forgiving everything else is.”
What are some of the best snail mucin products?
Before you run out to your garden and start gathering goo from the nearest gastropod, you should know that as snail mucin becomes more mainstream, getting your hands on it is as easy as clicking “add to cart.” But with so many brands on the market, how do you know which one is right for you?
Not all products containing snail mucin are created equally. I chose Re-Du for the research behind it and the fact that an injector developed it to support, enhance, and even extend the results of her patients’ neurotoxin treatments. Also, if I’m being honest, I was drawn to the simple, quiet luxury packaging that looks like something you might find in Gwyneth Paltrow’s medicine cabinet without the Paltrow price tag. However, you should note that snail mucin is not an inexpensive ingredient, and products that claim to deliver it for around the same price as your average drugstore brand might not offer the same benefits as a pricier brand, so do your homework.
“When looking for a snail mucin-based product, don’t fall for marketing tactics,” cautions Moe. “A common marketing strategy is to refer to a raw ingredient named ‘96% snail secretion filtrate.’ This ingredient is typically leveraged through marketing to make consumers infer that the product is made up of 96% snail mucin. In reality, snail mucin comes in powder form, and we do not know how much of the 96% snail secretion filtrate is in the product.”
Snail mucin products range from serums to moisturizers, masks, and creams. Experiment and find what works best for helping you achieve that radiant, healthy, glass-skin glow.
Best all around snail mucin: RE-DU by Dubose Skin Care
$110 at shopdubose.com
There’s a lot to love about this product, including that it was created by a registered nurse who is also an advanced injector and skin practitioner. It delivers glow on contact and, over time, it has improved the appearance of my fine lines and wrinkles. Results aside, my favorite part is the thoughtfully designed bottle that distributes the exact amount of product needed without waste.
Best for anti-aging: Biopelle Tensage Intensive Serum 40 Ampoules
Each of these 10 tiny ampoules delivers a potent blend of snail secretion filtrate along with growth factors, and vitamins C and E to improve skin’s elasticity, texture, and overall appearance. A great product to speed up post-procedure healing.
Best for a quick fix: Benton Snail Bee High Content Mask Pack
Who doesn’t love a good sheet mask? This one, containing both snail secretion filtrate and bee venom, delivers a one-two punch that’s both soothing and hydrating. $23 for a pack of 10 on Amazon.
Best non-sticky formulation: MIZON All in One Snail Repair Cream
$21 at amazon.com
If you can’t stomach the stickiness of most snail mucin products, try this lightweight moisturizer that incorporates natural ingredients like raspberry and mugwort extract into its silky formulation that also helps control blemishes.
