The new elixir of youth? Snail slime! SARAH BARCLAY puts it to the test

Snail slime? Hmm. It doesn’t exactly have the same ring as past flavour-of-the-moment beauty ingredients such as Caviar and rose-stem cells.

Snail mucus sounds more like something Bear Grylls would slap on a companion to deal with a nasty sunburn.

Nevertheless, snail mucin (as it is technically known) is the hot ingredient of the moment. ‘Since our UK launch in February 2020, Cosrx sales have seen a 500 per cent increase in April compared to March,’ says Julia Marinkovich, UK representative for the K-beauty (Korean beauty) brand.

The sites stocking it — beautybay.com and feelunique.com — report it sells out as soon as it arrives.

Selfridges has had its eye on snail extract, too, according to the store’s beauty buyer Emily Saunders. ‘Our customers see great results,’ she says.

After years of heavily applied make-up, a naturally luminous complexion — Korean beauty ‘s holy grail — is what we want.

What is more, snail beauty has ancient roots. Pliny the Elder recommended putting snails on battle-mangled soldiers’ wounds and burns.

Fast forward a thousand years or so and workers in Chile, breeding snails for the French food market, noticed their hands became soft and youthful.

Chile launched its own snail-mucus brand, Elicina, in 1995. It arrived in the UK via Amazon in 2018.

‘Snails are natural healers that secrete a protective balm that helps prevent them from sun damage, bacteria and cuts,’ says Dr Organic technical director, Victoria Harrison.

Snail slime is a sticky cocktail of classic beauty product ingredients: soothing allantoin (a plant-based compound), vitamins A,C and E (collagen boosters), exfoliating alpha hydroxy acids and skin-plumping favourite, hyaluronic acid.

It even has anti-microbial properties which fight acne.

But should we be worried for animal welfare? The answer seems to be a resounding no. The snails used by top brands are treated like small shy pets.

‘First and foremost,’ says Victoria Harrison, ‘no snails are harmed in the process of making our snail gel products.’ The Helix Aspersa Muller (garden snails to you and me) are sprinkled with water to mimic rainwater which encourages the production of mucus.

‘At Cosrx we use mucin harvested from the Giant African Snail,’ Julia Marinkovich says. ‘They are placed over a mesh surface in a dark room for about 30 minutes and left to roam.’ The sanitised mucus is then filtered. Luxurious skincare brand TonyMoly’s anti-ager Timeless Ferment’s feeds its snails a six-month diet of ‘gold-infused green tea’.

So what conditions should we expect to treat using this wonder slime? All manner of woes, the brands claim: acne scars, dehydrated skin, ageing skin, pigmentation, dryness, lack of radiance and sunburn.

Despite my initial shudder at the thought of putting snail slime on my skin (I blame a bad childhood experience of finding one in my mouth while eating salad), I bravely put a variety to the test — and was pleasantly surprised by the results…

THE LUXURY REJUVENATOR

TonyMoly Timeless Ferment Snail Essence Anti-Wrinkle & Moisturising, £62, selfridges.com. 

Featuring the brand’s ‘gold ferment snail mucus’, the combination of rich hydrators plus the sealing effect of the formula is designed to lock in moisture.

With a glamorous golden pump dispenser, this cream is luxurious in texture with a hint of citrus aroma.

Don’t be put off by the swirl of contrasting serum twirling through it, this leaves the skin with a natural healthy glow feeling well hydrated and looking luminous. Rich yet rapidly absorbed, this is best for dull dry skin that wants a genuine anti-ageing boost. 8/10

THE INSTANT GLOW

Fix Cosrx Advanced Snail 92 All in One Cream (£27, feel unique.co.uk)

Promises to create a natural glow by providing nourishment and moisture to the skin.

Similar in texture to light petroleum jelly, this odourless cream is slightly gloopy and tricky to handle. Despite that, it leaves the skin hydrated and looking luminous. 7/10

THE K-BEAUTY HERO

Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence, £24, lookfantastic.com

Boasting that its formula is ‘96% Snail Secretion Filtrate’, this is the real K-Beauty snail mucus deal.

The texture is thin and slimy, reminding me that it does actually come from a snail’s undercarriage (thankfully, there is no aroma).

Not for the squeamish, but it works, offering a youthful gleam and ‘skin like glass’ look. Best for normal skin that needs a moisture boost. 9/10

THE MOISTURE BOOSTER

Benton Snail Bee High Content Steam Cream (£27, Selfridges)

Promising long lasting moisture, this helps keep your skin hydrated by using snail mucin plus bee venom, said to boost collagen. Nevertheless, this is far more of a conventional light cream, less shiny, gloopy and generally obviously snail-derived than the Cosrx and TonyMoly textures.

It offers a quickly absorbed and effective moisture boost. Better for oily or combination than dry skin as it feels lighter than others. Good for when temperatures climb and you want something less heavy. 6/10

THE VALUE MASK

Dr Organic Snail Gel Anti-Aging Moisture Mask (£1.99, Holland & Barrett)

Intended to leave skin feeling restored and radiant, this is a rich yet refreshing on application creamy mask in a one-use sachet.

Skin gobbled up the hydrating, creamy formula which left it feeling richly moisturised.

The product does have an odd slightly mushroom-like aroma, however. 6/10

THE NATURE LOVER’S CHOICE

Dr Organic Organic Snail Gel Facial Serum, (£18.99 Holland & Barrett)

Combining organically certified natural extracts such as olive leaf with the snail secretion filtrate, this aims to smooth and soften skin.

This is a deliciously scented (fresh and herbal) light lotion which absorbs quickly, has no ‘mucus’ feel to it yet leaves the skin aglow, fine lines softened slightly. A good choice for the squeamish snail beauty ingénue. 9/10