Ingredient glossary
Snail Secretion Filtrate
On your shelf ✓What Snail Secretion Filtrate does for your skin, who it suits, and what to watch for.
INCI: Snail Secretion Filtrate · Also: SCA, Snail Mucin
In short: Snail Secretion Filtrate delivers hydration and barrier support, suits most skin types, and the evidence behind it is moderate.
- What it does
- Hydration, barrier support
- Best for
- Most skin types
- Evidence
- Moderate
- How long
- 8–12 weeks
The Glow take
Genuinely worth a spot in your routine.
When your goal is softening fine lines and keeping skin firm, Snail Secretion Filtrate pulls genuine weight, with a solid amount of evidence behind it. Gentle enough that most skin types can reach for it.
— Maya
What it does
- hydration
- barrier support
- repair
- anti aging
moderate evidenceRandomized vehicle controlled studies using eight to forty percent snail secretion filtrate report reduced transepidermal water loss improved elasticity and periocular wrinkle depth with few adverse events.
On a label: usually effective at 8-40%.
Who it's for, and who should skip it
Tends to suit
- dry
- normal
- combo
- photoaged
- compromised barrier
Approach with care
- mollusk allergy
- very sensitive
- Clogs poresLow
- Irritation riskLow
- Allergen originComes from a mollusc
How it fits each skin type
- DrySuits
- CombinationSuits
- OilySuits
- SensitiveTake care
Often chosen for photoaged, compromised barrier. Take extra care if any of these apply to you: mollusk allergy.
Where it fits in your routine
Give it eight to twelve weeks, and possibly less: that is simply when it was measured.
What was measured, and in whom
Measured on: periocular rhytide depth measured on silicone skin impressions, split-face against placebo.
A two-centre double-blind randomised 14-week study treated 25 patients with moderate-to-severe facial photodamage using an 8% SCA emulsion plus a 40% SCA serum on one side of the face and placebo on the other for 12 weeks. Silicone impressions of the periocular rhytides were taken only at baseline and at week 12, so the p=0.03 separation is the study's single measurement of that endpoint and 12 weeks is a ceiling, not an onset - nothing was measured in between that could have shown it earlier. Two softer signals sit at week 8 and should not be read as the same thing: texture was better than placebo at 8 and 12 weeks with no p-value reported, and subjects themselves rated fine lines significantly improved at week 8 (P<=.05), which is self-assessment rather than an instrument or an investigator. The sample is 25 people, the filtrate is one species (Cryptomphalus aspersa) rather than whatever a given snail-mucin label contains, and 8% plus 40% sits at or above consumer use levels.
PMID:23652894 - Fabi SG, Cohen JL, Peterson JD, Kiripolsky MG, Goldman MP. The effects of filtrate of the secretion of the Cryptomphalus aspersa on photoaged skin. J Drugs Dermatol 2013;12(4):453-7.
Plays well with
- humectants
- ceramides
- antioxidants
Snail Secretion Filtrate, answered
Is Snail Secretion Filtrate safe during pregnancy?
Yes. Snail Secretion Filtrate is considered safe to use during pregnancy and breastfeeding. As with anything, if you are unsure it is worth a quick word with your doctor or midwife.
Who should avoid Snail Secretion Filtrate?
Approach Snail Secretion Filtrate with care if any of these apply to you: mollusk allergy and very sensitive.
What concentration of Snail Secretion Filtrate actually works?
Snail Secretion Filtrate tends to do its job in the 8 to 40% range. Much lower and it is likely underdosed.
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