In the dynamic world of skincare, certain products and ingredients captivate the industry, becoming cult favorites among beauty enthusiasts. COSRX, a brand celebrated for its innovative formulations, has taken the skincare community by storm, and at the heart of its popularity lies the magic ingredient - snail mucin.

What makes snail mucin so popular and how can you also create your own snail mucin product for your brand?

Why is snail mucin so popular?

At the time of this writing, there is no snail mucin product more popular than the snail mucin essence launched by COSRX. This celeb-loved skincare wonder is the talk of the town, riding the waves of social media and sweeping the bestseller charts. In 2023, COSRX had a stellar year thanks to a few viral videos on TikTok where influencers were trying out their Snail Mucin Essence. Later that year, it became one of the top selling SKUs on Amazon, helping Amazon achieve a record-breaking holiday week. 

And it all did not come easy. Through rigorous research and development, COSRX has earned a devoted following for its commitment to simplicity and effectiveness, and their star product, the Snail Mucin Essence, upholds this standard by providing optimal soothing, healing and reparative benefits with its simple yet exceptionally effective formula. The brand's Snail Mucin Essence has become an icon through the word of mouth, thanks to its transformative effects on the skin. 

Due to the rising popularity of snail mucin, there are many brands exploring the incorporation of snail mucin into their formulas as well. Recognizing its multitude of benefits, brands across the beauty industry, from renowned skincare giants to emerging niche brands, everyone seems to be hopping on the snail mucin bandwagon. With its proven effectiveness and growing demand among skincare enthusiasts, it's no wonder that snail mucin has become a hot topic in the beauty world, inspiring innovation and new product offerings from a diverse range of brands.

What is snail mucin?

Emily Ratajkowski credits her Vogue cover-worthy skin not only to regular facials and ample beauty sleep but also to her reliance on snail mucin for intense hydration and soothing stressed skin.

In case you haven't already seen this skin care product on your TikTok feed, you're probably wondering: what exactly is snail mucin? Essentially, snail mucin is a nicer word for snail slime or snail mucus — the sticky fluid you see when snails leave a trail behind them. It is a mucous substance that snails secrete for hydration, lubrication and adhesion purposes. In other words, it helps them to move across and stick to surfaces, among other functions. The ingredient is extremely popular in Korean skincare products, as it claims to provide plenty of hydration while soothing damaged skin. It is also utilized for inflammation and anti-aging, and has been used in skincare as far back as Ancient Greece.

Skincare Benefits of Snail Mucin: What does snail mucin do for your skin?

Gives your skin a hydration boost

Snail mucin is a potent humectant, drawing moisture into the skin and maintaining hydration. It also contains substances that trigger the production of hyaluronic acid, a natural substance that retains moisture, and is found in the eyes, skin and joints. This increased hyaluronic acid could reduce dryness and help the skin stay hydrated, says Dusan Sajic, M.D., Ph.D., a board-certified dermatologist and anti-aging specialist at deRMA Skin Institute in Ontario, Canada.

Repairs your skin

Because snail mucin is a natural excretion that snails produce to protect themselves against stressors, it contains substances meant to repair or protect from injury. With its richness in growth factors, snail mucin supports skin regeneration, aiding in the healing of scars, fine lines, and blemishes.

Delivers a range of anti-aging benefits

The combination of glycoproteins and glycolic acid contributes to smoother, firmer skin, making snail mucin an anti-aging ally. A 2020 clinical trial in the Journal of Clinical Aesthetic Dermatology investigated the effects of a skin care regimen containing snail secretion filtrate in women between the ages of 45 and 65 years. At the end of the three-month trial period, researchers found that the women who followed the regimen experienced “significant improvements in skin roughness, firmness and elasticity.

Reduces inflammations

Snail mucin is loaded with a list of good-for-your-skin nutrients, such as anti-inflammatory zinc. It helps to soothe redness or inflammation, providing relief to sensitive skin issues such as acne and rosacea.

Is snail mucin cruelty-free?

One of the common questions surrounding snail mucin is its ethical sourcing. While the extraction process does involve the secretion from live snails, Korean brands, including COSRX, emphasize ethical practices. The snails are not harmed or stressed during mucin extraction, ensuring a cruelty-free process.

So how do Korean brands extract their snail mucin? It’s all about giving these slimy buddies the VIP treatment. The snails are placed in a dark, quiet room for 30 minutes to let them wriggle around. Then they return the snails to their homes and collect the mucus left behind to create a product called mucin.

There is also more reason to pamper these sluggish little friends, as optimal mucin production is known to occur when snails are well-rested and content. So, pampering them isn't just ethical—it's essential for top-notch skincare results.

How to create a snail mucin product for my brand?

Utilizing a private label or a white label skincare manufacturing service offers a streamlined pathway to creating your own snail mucin product. Through this method you can leverage the existing expertise and resources from private label skin care manufacturers to develop a unique snail mucin formulation tailored to your brand’s specifications. From sourcing high-quality, cruelty-free snail mucin extract to formulating the perfect blend of complementary ingredients, the private/white label service handles every step of the process. 

Take 4PM’s Snail Niacinamide Essence for example, it was created by MAYK with an innovative blend of 95% snail secretion filtrate and 2.8% niacinamide. This golden ratio of snail mucin and niacinamide works to keep the skin hydrated, healthy and blemish-free. By tapping into MAYK’s network of established manufacturers and suppliers, you can also customize a skincare formulation for your own unique snail mucin product. Or just rebrand 4PM’s snail mucin essence as your own with a shorter lead time!

The Power of Private Labeling

Create customized formulation

Private labeling cosmetics allows small businesses and new, budding brands like 4PM to create unique formulations tailored to their audience's preferences.

Option to use our formula, but with your logo

Private labeling enables brands to maintain control over their product identity, ensuring consistency in quality and messaging. Even though the formulas are existing, ready-made formulas, brands can rebrand them as their own and maintain a coherent brand representation on their products.

Saves time and costs

By leveraging existing, ready-made formulations, private label brands can bring products to market more swiftly and cost-effectively. Even if you’re looking for a customized formulation, you can benchmark an existing formulation and tweak it by adding or reducing certain ingredients based on your audience’s preferences. At MAYK, we make it even easier for you to tweak existing formulations. Just navigate to any of the products on our catalog, and select the customization options!

Flexibility 

Private label partnerships offer more flexibility, allowing new beauty brands to experiment with various cosmetic products without the need for extensive research and development or a large investment. Usually, formulating a new product from scratch takes months and months of testing and trials to get the right formula. However, this is no longer the case with private labeling as having access to ready-made formulas means you get to save a lot of time in product development, and still have the power to experiment and tweak existing formulas. 

Branding Opportunities

Private label brands can build a strong, cohesive brand identity, distinguishing themselves in a competitive market.

MAYK's Snail & Peptide Cream

Indulge in skin rejuvenation like never before with our Snail & Peptide Cream, meticulously formulated to unlock your skin's innate beauty. Packed with potent ingredients like Snail Secretion Filtrate, Arginine, Adenosine, and Peptide, this cream epitomizes the fusion of science and nature, offering unmatched skincare benefits. Harnessing the brightening prowess of Snail Secretion Filtrate, it fades dark spots and evens out your complexion, revealing a radiant glow. Combined with Adenosine, our anti-aging hero, that smoothens away fine lines and wrinkles, leaving behind a youthful visage. Peptides jump into action, boosting collagen and elastin production for firmer, lifted skin. Plus, the dynamic duo of Snail Secretion Filtrate and Arginine delivers deep hydration, ensuring your skin feels supple and revitalized. Embrace a youthful radiance and embrace smoother, firmer skin with our transformative face cream, a testament to nature's wisdom combined with cutting-edge science.

Your next steps in creating the next bestseller

In conclusion, the rise of snail mucin in the skincare industry epitomizes the dynamic nature of beauty trends, showcasing how certain ingredients can captivate the imagination of beauty enthusiasts worldwide. Brands like COSRX have spearheaded this phenomenon, demonstrating the transformative power of snail mucin through iconic products like its Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence. As snail mucin continues to gain traction for its numerous benefits, numerous brands such as 4PM are exploring its incorporation into their formulas, reflecting its widespread appeal across the beauty landscape. 

By leveraging MAYK’s private label manufacturing service or custom formulation service, aspiring skincare brands can seize the opportunity to create their own snail mucin products, tapping into the expertise and resources of established Korean skincare manufacturers like MAYK. This not only offers a streamlined pathway to product development but also underscores the flexibility and branding opportunities afforded by private labeling in the ever-evolving world of skincare. With snail mucin poised to remain a prominent player in the beauty industry, the future holds boundless possibilities for cosmetic brands and beauty consumers alike to explore its transformative potential in skincare rituals worldwide.

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