Snail extracts to promote skin health: Study

A group of snail farmers reported having a smoother skin after handling snails with their bare hands.

Iris Naturals International has now discovered the increasing benefits of snail extracts for skin health.

The firm has harvested farm-grown snails used in creating the ingredient.

Snail extracts, which were previously known to help heal burn wounds and used as an alternative to commercial topical care, now claim to reverse aging process, repair damaged skin and acne prone skin, reports cosmeticsdesign-europe.com.

Many firms from the US and Europe have recently decided to bring snail extracts from China and South America in liquid form for manufacturing and producing skin care and cosmetic products.

Said to be multifunctional, the snail extract features unique properties that promote healthy skin, allantoin, collagen, elastin, glycolic acid, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E and protein.

The ingredient also works in effective treatment of acne and acne scars as its unique enzymes rearrange acne tissue both in healing the wounds at source and improving appearance.

The report also stated that the snail extract is more effective than the traditional acne medications in helping moisturise the skin, and it is unlike the traditional acids that leave the skin dry and flaky.

Iris Naturals International managing director Irismar Henrie said that the company uses snail meat along with characteristic liquid, without bowel, gill and shell through a spray-dry process to get the powder form, which can be irradiated or non-irradiated.

However, owing to the short-lived shelf life and long durations of transportations, the firm said that it has began investment in developers that could produce the ingredient in powdered firm from a well-established Chinese laboratory.