Snails, well you either love ‘em or hate ‘em. Personally, I love them gently sauted in garlic butter , served on a bed of rocket with some warm squidgey white bread to soak up the juices– yum! But I’m not talking snails to eat here but 80% snail secretions specifically formulated to not only enhance the complexion but to heal scar tissue. Snail secretions! I hear you exclaim. And this is the moment that I quickly point out that there are lots of other beauty ‘ick’ factors and snail cream is only the latest addition to a long line of recent bizarre ‘nature derived’ ingredients: Chicken bone marrow (moisturisers), bird faeces (spa treatments), beetles (lipstick) and even whale vomit (perfume).
Now there is quite a story and science behind snail secretions and the Elicina snail cream (or caracol cream at it is also known) is a natural hypoallergenic skin cream with proven properties that regenerate, heal and protect human skin. It’s made from the secretion of the Chilean earth snail, the Helix Aspersa Muller Snail. Elicina was discovered and formulated accidentally when the Bascuñán family of Santiago, Chile started farming the Chilean earth snail (the Helix Aspersa Muller snail) for the French export market. They noticed that when they scratched themselves handling the snail cages that their wounds would heal quickly, older scars were diminished and how soft their hands were after farming snails all day. The cream has taken 15 years to develop and the University of Chile did further analysis at independent laboratories where they concluded that these snail excretions consisted of these key ingredients: Allantoin which regenerates healthy cells and stimulates healthy tissue formation, Collagen and Elastin which gives body tissue firmness and strength, Glycolic Acid which both exfoliates and moisturises and finally a cocktail of Vitamins A,C,& E. The Bascuñán family patented the process of milking these Chilean earth snails of their secretions; and they are quick to point out that no snails are harmed during this process (!)
Elicina fell under my radar when I was looking for something to help rid me of a small new-ish keloid scar in a rather prominent position on my decolletage. I read how it is safe to use Elicina cream after surgery, on skin grafts, on burns or any area of the skin that has been damaged. So I’ve just started applying Elicina snail cream twice a day to the scar in hope that it’ll start to diminish… It really is very pleasant to use, so much so I’ve even tried it under my moisturiser (recommended to help diminish wrinkles!) It is odourless, creamy in texture and not in the least bit ‘snail-y’. My scar is very slightly smoother (only day 2) let’s see what happen by day 10. How thrilled I’ll be if my scar echoes this little boy Gregory’s scar recovery.
Elicina Original snail cream is £39.95 for 40g and available here.
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