To Slime or Not to Slime

Lately, snail mucin beauty products have been all the rage. Snail mucin is the slime produced by snails or slugs when they extend their muscular foot across the ground to move. This slime contains glycolic acid, a compound shown to help “unclog pores, improve skin texture, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, boost collagen production, and fade dark spots,” according to Curology. 

I am by no means a scientist or skin-care expert, so I have no idea how these fancy snail products differ from my Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Hydrating Daily Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin from Amazon.

However, as a avid snail enthusiast, I can appreciate the many contributions snails make to nature and humanity. (Their impact is too often understated!) 

Though, since this strange skin craze has made its way onto my social media, I’ve been wondering how ethical the process of extracting snail mucin is. 

Contrary to popular belief, snails do feel pain. Snails’ nervous systems are centralized to a certain extent, meaning their body can carry information about pain to react accordingly. Similarly, they been shown to have a “gut reaction” when exposed to harm, similar to a human jerking their hand away when they touch a hot pan. I recommend anyone who wants to learn more about this check out this study.

Anyway, back to beauty products. 

Traditionally, snails were dunked in pots of water with salt, vinegar, or other chemicals that force them to excrete slime. Cosmetic companies thankfully don’t use these methods anymore, instead opting for more “cruelty-free” methods. 

Cosrx is among the most popular brand that supplies snail mucin beauty products. After receiving concerns about their collection process, they released a statement on their blog…

“Snails are placed over a mesh net in a dark and quiet room. As nocturnal creatures, this provides them with a comfortable space to freely roam about. After about an hour, the snails are transferred back to their homes while the mucin is collected and processed for use. Note, no external stress is applied to the snails or the mesh net...”

While I’m inclined to trust this statement, especially since South Korea (where Cosrx is based) banned animal testing for cosmetics in 2016, I still had questions about the snail’s conditions. For example, snails cannot thrive in a hyper-cleanly environment. 

So, I wanted to reach out to them myself. I emailed the Cosrx team, and I am still awaiting a response.

Whether you decide to buy and use snail mucin products is ultimately up to you.  Personally, I think snail mucin products are a bit pricy for a broke college student. I mean, c’mon, $28 + shipping for an eye cream?! No thanks. 

My 6$ face wash will just have to do for now.