The way we normally put these blogs together is our Creative Team will meet, and decide on a topic. It’s usually an ingredient, a specific skin concern, or a myth to be busted. Then, I’ll sit down with Isomers’ CEO, Manuela Marcheggiani, who dumbs these complex chemistry concepts down to a kindergarten level for me. Fun fact: I got a 42% in Organic Chem in the 11th Grade. Once I feel I’ve got some sort of grasp on it, I read a few articles on the topic, bug her with a few more questions, outline the blog and get to writing! Today, we’re breaking down a really unique skincare ingredient with wonderful skin healing powers!
We create these blog posts with the hopes that our customers/readers will find them genuinely informative and helpful. Personally, as the one writing them, I hope that we’re able to actually help people make the right choices when it comes to their skincare products and practices – and hopefully not bore you to tears in the process.
It never ceases to amaze me that as humans everything we need comes straight from the Earth. Obviously, I understand that we survived and thrived on this planet for tens of thousands of years under those parameters, but it’s interesting to remind ourselves.
Hungry? Make tools out of stone and wood and catch yourself a Woolly Mammoth or whatever (I guess history isn’t my thing either). Hurt? Pick that specific purple berry, extract the seeds, warm them by the fire and rub it in the infected area – and voila. It’s incredible just how many of these survival tactics we developed thousands of years ago eventually resurface and regain prominence in modern times. We live in an age where so many of the things we rely on every day are synthetic and manmade. From our phones to our cars, to the food we eat. So, sometimes I think it’s necessary to be reminded that all of our true basic needs are all around us, surviving in their own ecosystems.
That was a very long-winded and dramatic way of introducing a popular skincare ingredient, but I’m telling you – I find this snail filtrate thing really cool!
So, snail filtrate – as you may have guessed, is snail slime! It’s the trail of mucus a snail leaves behind, and it is an exceptionally potent and multifunctional skincare ingredient with amazing skin healing powers! Its uses span from Ancient Greece to modern-day Korea – but more on that later.
The story of how snail slime became a highly popular skincare ingredient began with Chilean snail farmers in the 80s.
Snail farmers – for those of you who, like me, did not know – are people who raise and harvest various species of snails. The snails are usually shipped off to France (and elsewhere) as escargot. These Chilean snail farmers noticed one interesting by-product of their profession – their hands we’re incredibly smooth and soft! Normally when you think of a farmer or anyone whose profession entails physical labor, you would imagine their hands being rough, callused, with cuts and scars. But not these Chilean snail farmers – after years of handling the snails their hands were soft and smooth! Plus, the cuts they got from the sharp snail cages healed incredibly fast and left little to no scarring.
Thanks to this family of Chilean snail farmers, the world rediscovered the potent healing powers of snail filtrate. Emphasis on rediscovered because the use of snail slime for medicinal purposes has been documented for centuries! It dates all the way back to a famous Ancient Greek Philosopher, Hippocrates. Or as his other ancient Greek philosopher buddies called him – “The Father of Medicine.” He studied the properties of snail filtrate and used the ingredient to treat a number of ailments. Using snail slime, Hippocrates treated patients suffering from skin inflammation, scarring, and pain from burns and cuts.
I would imagine that the guy they called the Father of Medicine probably knew a thing or two. So, if it’s good enough for him, we figure it must be good enough for us, and all of you!
After Ancient Greece and the rediscovery by the smooth-handed Chileans, snail filtrate has become an extremely trendy skincare ingredient! Korea and Japan are two very lucrative skincare markets; K-Beauty and J-Beauty. They’re both big-time believers in using snail filtrate for its beauty benefits! They use the ingredient in various serums and creams primarily for its ability to soften the skin. As well as its skin healing powers which are able to repair tissue that has been damaged by the environment and/or blemishes.
There’s also another technique, which is also popular in the UK and Thailand, called a “snail facial.” And yes, it is exactly what it sounds like – paying customers to lie down and have snails crawl all across their faces. They allow the snail’s mucus membrane to seep into the skin for all sorts of benefits. It addresses skin concerns such as dryness, wrinkles, acne, age spots, burns marks, scars, and razor bumps and it soothes irritated skin!
Let’s quickly break this down, so we can understand how and why snail filtrate is so good for our skin, on a scientific level. Snail filtrate is what we call a growth factor. This means it is a peptide with a high molecular weight that encourages cell regeneration and tissue repair. Among its many uses for a snail, its slime has the function of repairing its shell and healing any injuries. This healing effect that the snail filtrate has is due to its complex chemical composition. It contains collagen, elastin, glycolic acid, hyaluronic acid, copper peptides, zinc, allantoin, and natural antibacterial properties. Those sound familiar right? Those are ingredients that you will find in many of the most effective skincare solutions! So, it’s no coincidence that snail filtrate can work wonders for your skin.
To sum up, snail filtrate is comprised of various acids, lipids, proteins, and nutrients that make it an excellent healing ingredient. Healing in the classic sense that cuts are cleaned, scars are faded and pain is alleviated! But also in the sense that the microscopic cells on your face do actually become stronger. That’s why snail filtrate makes your skin texture softer, helps to deeply cleanse your pores, smoothens wrinkles, and boosts elasticity!
In recent years, the use of snail slime in skincare solutions has grown in popularity and prominence – and we’re definitely on board! We created our Problem Solvers Snail Peptide Complex and infused it with a healthy dose of lab-stabilized pure snail filtrate. It is a high-performance and multifunctional serum that is exfoliating, refining, and renewing. It really targets your skin texture; promotes your ability to retain moisture, boosts your elasticity by supporting the dermal matrix, rebalances your pH levels, and reduces the appearance of surface-level imperfections to give you a beautiful and radiant glow!
So, if you wish to harness the skin healing powers and reap the Ancient Greek Philosopher-approved skincare benefits of snail slime, you’ve got two choices. You can wait for a rainy day, and collect some snails from the ground. Then bring them home and let them crawl all over your face. OR you can head to Isomers.ca and shop our SPC Peptide Complex … up to you.