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Would You Slather Your Face with Snail Gel in the Name of Beauty?

July 28th, 2010 by Karen 51 Comments

Gross and ewww! Add this to the weird beauty product files — De Tuinen Snail Gel, a skincare product made from the slime of Chilean snails (!), supposedly softens, smooths and supports skin elasticity for a more youthful-looking you.

Apparently, these snails ooze a slime high in allantoin, a compound found naturally in most mammals (but not in humans). It’s an active ingredient in many over-the-counter beauty products for its purported moisturizing and exfoliating properties (it’s said to help loosen and shed the outer layers of skin).

Chilean snail farmers (now there’s a phrase you don’t hear often) first discovered the moisturizing power of the slime, and clinical tests have shown that snail secretions high in allantoin can, in fact, plump the skin.

For a mere £20.45 (about $32 US dollars), Britain’s Holland and Barrett, specialists in natural supplements and herbs, will send you your very own jar of snail goo. 🙂

Sorry, US babes — at least for the now, the company only ships to countries in Europe.

For the record, I am totally grossed out by snails, slugs and other slimy things, but I’d probably try almost anything in the name of beauty science.

Well, I don’t know about that. I keep picturing snail butts…

Would you slather your face with snail gel in the name of beauty?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Would You Slather Your Face with Snail Gel in the Name of Beauty? / Originally published July 28th, 2010

There are 51 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Just For Fun, News, Skin Care

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Comments

  1. Vanessa H says

    July 28th, 2010 at 10:10 pm

    It’s sooo gross! But I already have lol.

    My mom used to buy a cream made from snail slime, it wasnt this brand, but I used it for a while. Not as horrible as it sounds, but I probably wouldn’t do it again…I’ll stick to Aveeno 🙂
    Vanessa H recently posted … Haute Red NOTD

    Reply
  2. Natalie says

    July 28th, 2010 at 10:11 pm

    N-A-S-T-Y

    Reply
  3. Christa says

    July 28th, 2010 at 10:24 pm

    Poor snails. I can’t imagine they survive the process. 🙁

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 28th, 2010 at 11:04 pm

      I’ve read that the jar says that no snails are hurt in the process.

      Reply
  4. Rae says

    July 28th, 2010 at 10:47 pm

    Eeeeeew!! EEEEEEEEWWWW snail slime!!!!!!! 😮

    *breathes*

    Okay, I think I’m good. But still — that sounds incredibly icky! I don’t think I’d have the guts to even pick up a container once I knew what was in it :p
    Rae recently posted … The Low-Buy

    Reply
  5. Gisele says

    July 28th, 2010 at 11:00 pm

    And to think, I set out buckets of beer to rid my gardens of snails! If only I’d have known! Seriously, I cannot eat certain egg recipes or prepare chicken because of the slime/goo factor. and I do not eat snails I guess the lower life forms have much to offer us, but I’ll stick to, or uh, enjoy the use of Nivea. And if you wiki “allantoin,” the entire idea gets really gross.

    Reply
  6. Sun says

    July 28th, 2010 at 11:09 pm

    Snail skincare is all the rage here in Korea, at least according to tv shopping channels here. And no, I do not use it. I stick to me beloved SK-II. Although I think I can get over the gross factor if it really works. It is “processed” slime so I am not touching or handling snails or slimes directly 🙂 I am doubtful though, because snail slime must come cheap and it looks like people are trying to make money out of cheap ingredients.

    Reply
  7. Karen B says

    July 28th, 2010 at 11:48 pm

    Ewww. Somehow I don’t think I could do that, even in the name of beauty…

    Reply
  8. Christy says

    July 28th, 2010 at 11:52 pm

    Um, ew. No way would I use that!
    Christy recently posted … LOTD- MAC Wham Dazzle Lipstick MAC Amorous Dazzleglass Creme

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 29th, 2010 at 8:33 am

      Aww, c’mon! The snails want some lovin.

      Reply
  9. Jess says

    July 29th, 2010 at 12:00 am

    Ok that’s kind of gross, but I am slightly intrigued…
    Jess recently posted … NOTD- OPIs Over the Taupe!

    Reply
  10. Aleksis says

    July 29th, 2010 at 1:33 am

    I actually factored allantoin out of my regimen awhile ago because anything using it always gave me a rash. And no I wouldn’t do that it reminds me of people eating nasty things to help your sex drive, prosperity lol or whatever else.
    Aleksis recently posted … 5 reasons to wash your face at night

    Reply
  11. gio says

    July 29th, 2010 at 3:48 am

    Eww that’s gross! I’d never use that.
    gio recently posted … Looks- Pink Night

    Reply
  12. Tiffany says

    July 29th, 2010 at 4:04 am

    ewww, yuck! I’ll pass on that.

    p.s. BEST GRAPHIC EVER 🙂

    Reply
  13. Margaret McDermott says

    July 29th, 2010 at 4:35 am

    I only see myself even remotely trying it if someone gave it to me WITHOUT telling me what it is. Otherwise, I couldn’t get passed the fact its snail slime!

    Reply
  14. Deathica says

    July 29th, 2010 at 5:17 am

    I would do it. We put so many other horrible chemicals all over our bodies daily so what’s a little snail slime. As long as there aren’t other bad things in the mix like parabens, SLS, fragrance etc. I try to use as many natural and organic products with as few ingredients as possible. Who knows maybe snail slime actually works 🙂

    Reply
  15. Nina says

    July 29th, 2010 at 5:18 am

    Mebbe not. 😀

    Unrelated but those interested in Rock & Republic cosmetics (blush is awesome!) — they have 50% off + 99cents shipping going on now.

    Code is ROCKCOSMETICS.

    Just a lil sumfinsumfin for us girls! 🙂

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 29th, 2010 at 8:32 am

      Hi Nina,

      Thanks for the info. Is this code for a specific site? What did you get?

      Reply
      • Nina says

        July 29th, 2010 at 8:55 am

        The code is for rockandreandrepublic.com 🙂

        I got blush! Yay! 🙂

        Reply
        • Karen says

          July 29th, 2010 at 9:32 am

          Great! And yay for your new blush. 🙂

          Reply
          • Nina says

            July 29th, 2010 at 1:56 pm

            Im addicted to those blushes LOL … 😛

  16. Nancy F. says

    July 29th, 2010 at 5:43 am

    seriously? i’m all for beauty, but..*hack*…that’s gross…and how exactly did those Chilean snail farmers discover the slime’s beauty props? “Hmmm…hey, so whatda think about the slime? You go first…”

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 29th, 2010 at 8:32 am

      I’m guessing they were handling the snails and all ended up with plump, smooth hands?

      Reply
      • Nancy F. says

        July 29th, 2010 at 11:26 am

        okay, now that’s an image that’s crackin’ me up!

        Reply
  17. Kristen says

    July 29th, 2010 at 6:42 am

    Oh this is just gross. But I love the cute little smiling snail you used for the post. He looks like he came from the 70s, and should have “Keep On Truckin” written over his head.
    Kristen recently posted … Get the Look- Audrina Patridge

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 29th, 2010 at 8:31 am

      He looks like he’d be happy to plump up some skin with his slime, ha ha!

      Reply
  18. Kim says

    July 29th, 2010 at 6:44 am

    Yummy! Sign me up for some snail slime! OK, not really. Though, like Margaret and Deathica said, if it’s processed and not actually marketed as “snail slime”, I’d definitely give it a whirl. I’m sure if we knew the origin of everything we ingested or put on our skin, we’d be gagging non-stop! 🙂

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 29th, 2010 at 8:31 am

      What’s funny to me is that someone out there actually thought that enough women would be cool with slathering snail goo all over their faces. I mean, really?

      Reply
      • Kim says

        July 30th, 2010 at 4:57 am

        I agree! Kind of a marketing “fail”. 🙂

        Reply
  19. mkdallas says

    July 29th, 2010 at 8:11 am

    Um, not just “no” but “hell no!”

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 29th, 2010 at 8:30 am

      Ha ha! Wait… that mean no, right?

      Reply
  20. lo says

    July 29th, 2010 at 8:30 am

    I’m not really squeamish, but I think it all depends on the presentation… if it’s actually slimy, rather than a gel-like consistency that I’m picturing in my head (like aloe gel or something), then no. Also, smell is a huge factor. If it smelled like snails (even though I don’t know what that smells like), I wouldn’t use it. But if it smelled, looked, and felt like any average beauty treatment, then sure. Honestly, the fact that it’s $32 a jar is more of a deterrent at the moment haha.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 29th, 2010 at 8:34 am

      All good points, Lo!

      Reply
  21. Melissa W. says

    July 29th, 2010 at 9:44 am

    Well… so long as I don’t have to actually pick up the snails. I’d probably rather use a standard moisturizer though. 😉
    Melissa W. recently posted … Perfume Review- Kenzo Amour

    Reply
  22. Glosslizard says

    July 29th, 2010 at 10:11 am

    I don’t consider myself squeamish, but slugs and snails are a bit of a button for me! I just don’t think I could bring myself to use it knowing what was in it! Eeeeeeeeerrrrgh!

    Reply
  23. Sara says

    July 29th, 2010 at 10:13 am

    I think this is fine. Its natural and as long as it wasnt hurting the slugs I think it would be fine and if it worked… Even better.

    Reply
  24. Rinnie says

    July 29th, 2010 at 11:29 am

    Obviously this product isn’t considered vegan and I know many would not use it on that factor alone. So many cosmetics and skincare have used by-products from other industries anyway… fishscales in lipsticks to add sparkle ring a bell? I wouldn’t be totally against it if it was a purified form, and yes, didn’t smell funny. It’s the knowledge of the source factor that gets to most. Remember that uber-expensive-must-be-the-best coffee harvested from primate poop? Yeah, blow it up all you want, I ain’t drinkin.

    Reply
  25. Trisha says

    July 29th, 2010 at 11:47 am

    Umm…no…probably not. Not jut because of the eww-factor, but I jut don’t think I’m dry enough to warrant getting something so expensive and weird.
    Trisha recently posted … Do You Ever Wear False Eyelashes

    Reply
  26. cecy says

    July 29th, 2010 at 1:01 pm

    Hey! I’m Chilean and snail skincare stuff is not gross…
    it’s actually really good and doesn’t hurt snails 🙂
    it’s really common here..and people use it for scars. I would def. give it a go!
    its expensive though…but cmon…we use tons of products with “heaven knows” it contains…so why not snails? lol

    Reply
  27. Krista Nicolson says

    July 29th, 2010 at 1:17 pm

    Considering the miraculous biophysics involved with snail goo to allow them to move I can totally see its possible benefits for someones skin. And it doesn’t sound like they’re crushing up the snails or anything (i.e. it’s not hurting them) so I don’t see why not. Heck it can’t be worse than some of the things we put on our skin lol.
    Krista Nicolson recently posted … Makeup4Alls Summer Beauty Magazine

    Reply
  28. Sarah says

    July 29th, 2010 at 1:44 pm

    I’m in the UK and there’s a Holland and Barrett up the street from where I live. But I somehow can’t imagine that I would purchase this product – I can picture myself smoothing it on, and then having a sudden reality check and racing for the bathroom to wash it off again! £20 is quite pricey too, although it’s nice to know that the snails aren’t harmed.
    Sarah recently posted … Radiant Gradient! Blue gradient nails NOTD

    Reply
  29. Wendy says

    July 29th, 2010 at 1:51 pm

    I used this because my dermatologist recommended it and it works like a charm especially on scars and for me it was acne scars from pickin my face and you notice the difference in like two weeks.

    Reply
  30. sparklehead says

    July 29th, 2010 at 4:02 pm

    Really Wendy? I have hyperpigmentation from acne too. I like the results I get from the Ivo Pitangy lightening serum but it still takes about a month for the scar to go away. Is it gone in two weeks, or just starting to go away? How does it smell? Lots of questions I know haha.

    Reply
  31. Erin says

    July 29th, 2010 at 4:36 pm

    I use Elicina, a snail cream, on my face every day. I have a keloid scar and a skin condition (that so far is untreatable via doctors) near my mouth. I have had it for about 6 or 7 years now and nothing, but Elicina, has done a thing to it. After a month of using the snail cream, the scar is smaller, less hard and the damaged skin due to the condition is slowly fading. The skin is repairing for the first time in YEARS. I am so thankful for this stuff. I am finally getting my confidence back!

    Reply
  32. Giselle says

    July 29th, 2010 at 6:24 pm

    Oh ladies, please don’t be such little girls about it. I’ve used Elicina before and I still have the jar in my bathroom. It actually completely cleared up my friend’s bacne!

    Reply
  33. Juliana says

    July 29th, 2010 at 6:46 pm

    Hmm…if it could make my sun-beaten 31 year-old skin look 19 again, I’d buy it in a hearbeat! Of course that would be highly unlikely so, no.

    Reply
  34. shelby says

    July 29th, 2010 at 9:55 pm

    Tyra Banks spoke about this in her talk show not too long ago, apparently it really works, not too sure how I feel about putting it on my own skin though, I think if it wern’t advertised as “snail goo” I would have much easier time putting it on my skin

    Reply
  35. Michel says

    July 30th, 2010 at 6:06 am

    We put all kind of animal fats and bone powders, etc. on our skin, faces, and lips all the time. I think a little snail slime isn’t any worse than say, the animal fats found in most lipsticks…..And probably didn’t kill the snail to get the slime. If it works, I think it’s a great idea!

    Reply
  36. maru says

    December 29th, 2010 at 5:11 am

    I previously used elicina after I had gotten over what it was.. And after I had tried everything else. A combination of dermalogica and elicina got rid of my severe acne scarring included those nasty pitted ones !! I think its the glycolic acid in the gel tht helps

    Unfortunately during recession my pockets aren’t quite as deep so I’m going to Start using vichy normaderm range and Holland n Barrat snail cream… Hope it works…

    Reply
  37. Saysa says

    October 23rd, 2011 at 7:21 pm

    It actually isn’t bad…it looks like a clear gel and smells hella good O.o I used it for my legs to get rid of some scars. Now my legs are smooth and hydrated. People need to get over the whole “Omg! ew! SNAILS and SLIME” thing. People put honey on their face too O.o that’s almost as nasty.

    Reply
  38. Cath says

    February 16th, 2013 at 8:57 pm

    The Snail Gel is brilliant! Great for scars, pigmentation problems and wrinkles. Have been using it for a month and a bit and can’t believe the difference in my skin. I’m 51 and I swear it’s the best my skin has ever looked. I purchased a 50 gram tube on eBay from Korea for $8.96, best money I ever spent. Give it a try, it is not gross just a gel. 🙂

    Reply

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Hi there! I’m Karen, your friendly neighborhood beauty addict, and I’m a Bay Area girl who hoards brown eyeshadow and covets coral lipstick. Every morning, I wake up and say, “I’m going to do something other than a smoky eye today.” Then…I end up doing a smoky eye anyway (most days). When I’m not putting on makeup, taking pictures of makeup or writing about makeup, which I’ve been doing daily since 2007 (!), you’ll find me hanging out with my hubby (“El Hub”), my four-year-old daughter (Connor Claire) and my torbie girl cat (Pretty Girl Rosie, a.k.a. PGR).

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