Intro

Snail slime, or snail mucin, has become a popular product in skin care.

Some claim it has anti-ageing properties, but if the early research shakes out, snail mucus could have even more significant uses.

Norman and Tegan discuss why snail gunk has become a hero of cosmetics, and what else it might be capable of.

References:

• Why Snail Mucin? Or, How This Ancient Practice Became a Skin Care Sensation
• Chemical composition, mineral profile, anti-bacterial, and wound healing properties of snail slime of Helix aspersa Müller 
• Extraction, structure, pharmacological activities and applications of polysaccharides and proteins isolated from snail mucus
• Antimicrobial Activities of Different Fractions from Mucus of the Garden Snail Cornu aspersum
• Antimicrobial efficacy of Egyptian Eremina desertorum and Helix aspersa snail mucus with a novel approach to their anti-inflammatory and wound healing potencies
• Reviewing The Potential of Snail Extract to Accelerate and Improve Burn Wound Healing: A Literature Review 
• HelixComplex snail mucus exhibits pro-survival, proliferative and pro-migration effects on mammalian fibroblasts
• The efficacy of Helix aspersa Müller extract in the healing of partial thickness burns: A novel treatment for open burn management protocols
• Helix aspersa maxima mucus exhibits antimelanogenic and antitumoral effects against melanoma cells
• 849 Snail mucus increases the anti-cancer activity of anti-PD-L1 antibody in melanoma 
• Snail Mucus Enhances Chemosensitivity of Triple-negative Breast Cancer Via Activation of the Fas Pathway
• Snails and Skin: A Systematic Review on the Effects of Snail-based Products on Skin Health
• From Nature to Nurture: The Science and Applications of Snail Slime in Health and Beauty
• Artificial Snail Mucus Could Advance Cancer Treatments – Johns Hopkins University

If you enjoyed this episode, check these out!

• Does anti-ageing skincare actually work?
• Should you be avoiding perfumes and fragrances?
• What we do (and don't) know about tinnitus