One snail slime, please!

My dear mum recently sent me the following newspaper clipping via WhatsApp with no accompanying text: "Vaginal cream! Not in the place it's made for, though, but smeared on your face. Nadja got this insider tip from her make-up artist." I look in the mirror, confused. Do I look that bad that my ever-worried mum sends me such secret tips? The writing was small and I was tired, so I called her: "Mummy? What are you sending me?"

My mum told me excitedly about what she had read about snail slime. It gets stranger and stranger. Vaginal cream made from snail slime or what? "You didn't finish reading!" was my clever mum's verdict. I've seen through it! If I had finished reading, I would have learnt Nadja's next insider tip - snail mucus creams and gels. But this is not so new to me. I already know that Korean women put all sorts of wild stuff on their faces, like snail slime and snake venom. My mum continues: "They figured it out because men who worked with snails had hands like porcelain." Meanwhile, I squint at the small font of the WhatsApp message. Snail slime helps against acne, scars, spots, skin ageing, raves this Nadja, whoever she is.

I'm about to sit down at the computer. Because of course the question arises - a snail? What does it have that I don't? Well, collagen and elastin, for example. And allantoin, which has a wound-healing and anti-inflammatory effect. Over time, snail mucus improves the elasticity and resilience of the skin. The antioxidant properties of the mucilage combat premature skin ageing and the glycolic acid ensures that excessive sebum production is slowed down, resulting in clearer skin. But that's not all. Snail slime is said to have enough regenerative power to eliminate pigmentation spots and minor redness. Wow. And no snail has to suffer or die for it. Only the mucus is extracted from snails, which was apparently already used in ancient Greece to treat skin inflammation.

Here are the experiences

Please forgive me for preferring to order online – I have to drive 40 kilometres before I come across what you might call a specialist shop. So, from the wide range available on Amazon, I chose a Korean brand. It offers countless products containing snail slime. I went for the cream.

I’m using it for the first time this evening. The next morning, my skin feels as soft as velvet. It’s not rich enough for some areas, so once it’s absorbed, I apply a bit of my usual face cream to my cheeks, but the texture is perfect for the T-zone. I actually like to layer my skincare. If you’re not familiar with this, have a look at my video – I explain how it works there. After three days, I decided to use my usual cream on top, as this one is really almost like a gel and my skin needs something a bit richer in autumn.

After about a week, I can only say that my face is noticeably less shiny and definitely looks more „porcelain-like“. My complexion simply looks much better; I need less make-up. The unsightly shine in my T-zone has gone, and I don’t need to reapply powder during the day. Minor blemishes really came to the surface in the first few days – to me, that looks like a healthy cleansing reaction.

Experiences within the family

My sister has been using her gel for about two weeks to treat acne scars. She says: „I’m absolutely delighted. After just two weeks, I can already see a HUGE difference – the scars are much paler. It’s a 100% gel, so it’s very potent.“

And here’s my mum’s experience: her dry skin is prone to eczema. She had a patch behind her ear that had been bothering her for ages. „Whilst applying the cream, I thought to myself, “I’ll just apply some to that spot as well.’ That was in the evening. And you won’t believe it – the very NEXT DAY, the eczema had gone!”

As far as I can tell, this cosmetic ingredient really does the trick. Thank you, lovely snails!