Sotecna’s Nutrelix snail extract sees growing popularity for skin care and beauty-from-within trends

18 Jan 2022 --- Sotecna is spotlighting its Nutrelix snail extract to address a host of nutraceutical applications, targeting beauty-from-within and cough syrup formulations. 

Though the product has been available for a few years, it is now getting “trendy” due to its popular use in Korea, Adèle Nowak, account manager at Enzybel Group, tells PersonalCareInsights. 

Enzybel group and Sotecna are sister companies, both part of Belgian industrial holding, Floridienne.

“In Korea, they use it in cosmetics. Thanks to the active substances that you can find in the snail, you can make good skincare masks, creams, masks and serums.”

Beyond cosmetics, the ingredient also has applications for beauty-from-within, as well as a joint health food supplement, with the latter proving especially popular in Europe, she notes. 

For nutraceutical applications, the company makes the item available in powder for pills, capsules, tablets and gummies and available in liquid form for syrup formulation, Nowak adds.The ingredient is popular in Korea for cosmetics and Europe for joint health. 

Harnessing snail extracts
Snails produce active substances that allow them to regenerate their own shells when broken. These include natural allantoin, hyaluronic acid and glycosaminoglycans, Nowak explains. The ingredients can be used to target health and skin care which can be helpful in regenerating skin and lessening the appearance of wrinkles. 

Specifically, allantoin contains healing properties, which can help with wounds and scars, Nowak underscores, explaining its use in creams. To obtain the ingredients, snails are tickled so as to begin secreting. The substance is then collected and harnessed for the used products. 

Nonetheless, the use of snail extracts is not a new phenomenon, she points out. The idea of using snail extracts to treat coughs and throat infections dates back to ancient times when it was used as a rub. Syrups made from snail extracts are now on the market in countries such as France and Italy, according to Nowak. 

Snail-based ingredients have also been used by French company HPE Ingredients to support digestive health and tackle calcium deficiencies. The company has spotlighted the item for cardiovascular health as well as digestion, highlighting the wide-ranging applications snail extracts can be used for. 

COVID-19 driving beauty applications
For beauty-from-within applications, the item is popular in improving the appearance of pimples. “Less wrinkles, less pimples and better-looking skin,” Nowak highlights. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has made the beauty-from-within trend far more popular, she adds, reflecting previous expert comments that the trend is gaining mainstream awareness. 

This has offered companies the potential to expand and innovate with delivery formats that address appearance, as well as emotional well-being. 

Beauty-from-within offerings, however, are expanding beyond simply appearance but are also embracing other positionings like immunity and wellness, utilizing ingredients such as probiotics, botanicals and collagen.

By Andria Kades, with additional reporting by Missy Green