Snail Mucin Beauty Serum

This illustration is a self-promotional work imagining a contemporary beauty serum, distributed to the illustrator’s biomedical clients in the Beauty and Wellness space to demonstrate her storytelling and craftsmanship. The Beauty and Wellness clients likely are familiar with one or all ingredients.

Snail mucin, the mucus trail a snail leaves, is a snail secretion filtrate that has been used in skincare since Ancient Greece. It is experiencing a revival in skincare due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties, regenerative growth factors and rich hydration for skin. Snail mucin is composed of proteins like collagen and elastin, hyaluronic acid, copper peptides antimicrobial peptides, antioxidants, glycolic acid and allantoin. It soothes irritated skin, fades acne scars and assists with atopic dermatitis. It is derived from farmed snails who are not harmed when their mucin is collected. Snails are nocturnal and naturally leave a mucin trail during locomotion. The mucin trails are collected on a mesh net in their habitat, when they are active at night and roam freely. Because snail slime is not inherently appealing or beautiful, the illustrator sought to make the mucin look ethereal, magical and alive, full of the promised hope of youth and renewal.

This proposed serum also contains skin-enhancing florals of violets and lotus flower. Extract of violet increases the capacity for deep water retention by stimulating aquaporin synthesis - proteins that transfer water through tissues. Lotus flower balances sebum production without depleting the skin’s natural hydration. Lotus flower also contains quercetin, an anti-inflammatory, which accelerates soothing and emollient activity, reduces pigmentation and improves the texture of skin.

The composition of the illustration is based on the golden ratio of perfect proportion, also known as Phi or the Fibonacci sequence. A nautilus shell, or a snail shell, are examples of the golden ratio in nature, repeating the ratio of their shells in a logarithmic spiral. The spiraling sweep of the snail shell repeats in the luminescent golden mucin flow, the floral elements and their green tendrils. The golden ratio itself is a celebration of life and natural harmony.