Snail slime is not what you think

There is a lot of hype surrounding snail slime. It is heavily marketed as the greatest natural wonder for skin care and rejuvenation. Although there is proven scientific evidence of the properties of snail slime, there are many detractors of the snail slime products.

So, what’s the deal with snail slime?

First, we have to make the difference between snail slime and snail secretion. The slime is the fluid the snail uses to slide and that has no healthy quality for human beings whilst the snail secretion that can help delay skin aging and repair it, among other properties. Snails produce this secretion with the merely purpose to defend themselves from environmental aggressions.

And all this “as-seen-on-TV” skin creams…?

Skin creams with repairing and antioxidant properties must have been manufactured with “snail secretion”, obtained through stimulation such as radiation or mechanical stress, and not with the snail slime for sliding.

It’s proven that legitimate snail products can produce a gradual reduction of fine and deep wrinkles, improves aged skin and hydrates it. It works in two ways: it stimulates collagen production and elastin, the skin components that repair skin aging; and reduces damages produced by free radicals, responsible of premature skin aging.

Snails under stress

Not only snail breeders can get stressed out about their snail farms, but snails themselves can suffer stress too. Very snail breeder knows how delicate the process of raising snails is since they need specific humidity and temperature conditions.

The farm conditions must be the best, since they are very small animals, plastic containers and pet carriers seem like a good first solution. Snails do not feel comfortable when they are so close to each other. Cold water also causes them stress. A sponge helps create a humid space.

During the stress phase snails segregate a substance –its reaction towards external aggressions- in order to obtain the famous "snail slime” that is used to elaborate cosmetic products. 

Snails go under a registered physical stress procedure of rotation that “makes no harm” to the snails. Ten snails are needed to produce 4 mm of the snail beauty products.

Photo: Butterfly724

Snail slime as a beauty product

One of the reasons why snail farming is so profitable these days is because of its slime. That’s right; snail slime is used in the manufacturing of skin care and skin beauty products as the famosue "snail cream".

Medicinal properties of snail’s slime are known from Ancient times. It was used as syrup for cough and ulcers. But in the late 20th century as snail farming grew for culinary use, they were discovered the skin regenerating effects it had in snail farm workers for healing their wounds and the smoothness for their hands. Snail has, among other properties, regenerating its very own tissues and shell.

The slime of the Helix Aspersa specie is the one used for the beauty industry to prevent as to treat skin problems such as:

• Acné
• Warts
• Cellulites
• Scars
• Stretch marks
• Wrinkles
• Skin blemishes
• Wounds
• Burns

Dermatologists and pharmaceutics guarantee the efficacy of snail slime, but warn that for beauty products made of it to have antioxidant en regenerating properties; the slime must have been extracted when snails are stressed out.

How to obtain final snail products - Part I

For obtaining snail products ready for consumption and selling there will be necessary to follow a series of processes by stages.

The first step will be setting up a group of snail reproducers- there are two ways:

- Purchasing reproducers with sanitary certification, age and guarantee

- Recollecting snails from nature to set up the group

Buying snails increases the initial investment. Though, you have to turn to European institutions for this purchase.

This way you accelerate the process. It is way to make more viable the future selling of the snail products due to the guarantee of origin and quality that purchase supposes. It implies quarantine, adaptation period, and mortality casualties during adaptation, during transportation, possible diseases and others, adaptation to nutrition or foods adaptation. On top of this, overcoming the import processes.

Define the number of snail reproducers to buy or recollect according to:

- Expected production level

- Natural decrease of snail eggs per lay

- Natural mortality during snail reproduction

- Egg and snail discard for lack of commercial size

- Natural mortality during all raising phases

The snail mortality percentage decreases with the progressive development of the baby -considering a 35% a very bad number – depending of course on the methodology of handling and prophylactic measures.

A well-organized snail farm should NOT go beyond the 20% of mortality.