The hack
To improve your skin, rub slime from garden snails on your face.
The promise
The beauty industry claims snail mucin (ie slime) has moisturising and collagen-boosting properties – model Emily Ratajkowski is said to be a fan. The jury’s out on the actual science, but some users on TikTok have been getting it direct from the source.
The test
I’ve had a dislike of all creepy-crawlies since my first holiday to India as a kid, where I learned that everything is out to get you. But in the name of research, I put my fears aside and go snail hunting in my communal garden. The beauty industry says it aims to harvest mucin with little or no harm to the snails themselves, but how do we really know that?
To be certain, I wipe a cotton bud over a freshly laid trail. It doesn’t yield much, but I rub it on a little area of my cheek and go to bed. There is no discernible difference the next morning, but I spot another sizable snail on the patio and gather enough slime to repeat the process.
The verdict
I’m hard to gross out, but this does it. Is it effective? Who knows. Is it worth it? No. Save yourself the hassle (and the snails’ peace of mind) and try Cosrx products, some of which include “snail secretion filtrate”. It’s thought that their mucin is collected from free-roaming snails, using a mesh.
