Yes, snail protein. But don’t look away just yet, this unique ingredient can have your skin looking youthful and smooth at a not-so-snail like pace! It’s benefit? The snail’s special nutritional and healing properties. Though these have been known for a while, what really is not known by many is how they can be used in topical and digestible skin care products- until now.
The History
While breeding snails, the people who handled the organisms noticed that their skin healed quickly from minor cuts and wounds. These are the same properties that the snail used to heal and repair their tissue and shell damages. Snails produce mucus to help them move and keep harmful things like ants and predators away. When the snail contracts back into its shell, it secrets another special type of goo which polymerizes to block the entrance into the shell. These slimes are what seem to have the miraculous healing and skin nourishing agents!
What it Contains & How it Helps
-Allantoin: A cell generating stimulant of the skin, allantoin helps remove unviable tissue and replace it with new tissue. It also acts as an anti-irritant for the skin, and protects skin from acidic or alkaline substances.
-Glycolic Acid: Acids are popular in cosmetic treatments for removing dead, old, and damaged skin (“glycolic peels”). This exfoliating snail protein has the ability to produce a smooth elimination of the superficial layers of dead cells and helps promote the replacement of cells that are formed by the process of allantoin (above.)
-Antibiotics: Snail protein contains natural antibiotics which fight against bacteria present on the skin (even the “acne-causing” bacteria Propionibacterium acnes) and helps protect against the damage they cause. Snails never suffer from inflammation or skin infections! Not bad.
-Vitamins and Proteins: Proteins contribute to the nutritional state of the skin, and vitamins contain anti-inflammatory properties which act as natural antibiotics.
-Collagen: An important protein that helps fight the visible effects of aging on the skin, keeping it plump and firm.
-Elastin: Another protein which aids in elasticity of the connective tissue. Elastin is what makes your skin bounce back to its original shape after it’s been pinched or squeezed.
Snail Protein may also:
-minimize damaging free-radicals that cause premature aging
-help counteract skin damage from the sun
-aid in scar healing
-help open clogged pores..and more!
Though it may not sound appealing, skin care products that contain snail protein do have many health benefits, and may be worth looking into! Hey, there has to be a reason escargot is an expensive delicacy, right?
To learn more about the history and health benefits of snail protein, click here.
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