Milking 'happy' snails for beauty products
Updated 13:12, 21-Sep-2019
Dusita Saokaew
01:13

- An unlikely craze for skin products made from snail slime has led to a mini-boom for farmers in Thailand's central province of Nakhon Nayok.

- Snail creams are big business in Asia, as women have long sought the strange potions for their supposed ability to leave skin dewy and fade signs of aging.

- Each snail can produce only about one cubic centimeter of slime a minute. Therefore, large-scale snail farming is necessary to produce enough to supply the cosmetics sector.

They may not be one of Mother Nature's most attractive or loved creatures, nor are they welcomed guests in people's gardens. Once the bane of farmers' existence, snails have been given a new lease on life in Thailand – thanks to an unlikely craze for skin products made from snail slime. 

Giant African Snails (GAS) are pampered and fed on an organic diet to tease the prized, nutrient-rich mucus from the mollusks. /CGTN Photo

Giant African Snails (GAS) are pampered and fed on an organic diet to tease the prized, nutrient-rich mucus from the mollusks. /CGTN Photo

A few years ago, Nakhon Nayok, a province in central Thailand, was known for its rice farms. These days, a new industry has cropped up feeding a global market that is worth over 300 million U.S. dollars. In this province alone, more than 80 snail farms have sprung up over the past three years in response to this growing trend. The snail-farming industry is growing at anything but a snail's pace.  

Kitpong Puttarathuvanun founded Aden International as a business-savvy solution to the snail infestation in the province. As the sole snail slime producer in Thailand, his bet paid off. "The rising demand for snail products is being reflected in Thailand's snail farming industry," he says. "Next year, we will increase to 1,000 farms, which is great for farmers in the country."  

He sells the serum under the Acha brand, and in the meantime, supplies South Korean, Chinese and American cosmetic companies with dried powder. At 65,000 U.S. dollars per kilogram, it is worth more than its weight in gold,  which currently worth about 45,490 U.S. dollars per kilogram. 

The precious slime is manually "milked" from the glands of the snail by dripping water over it using a pipette. /CGTN Photo

The precious slime is manually "milked" from the glands of the snail by dripping water over it using a pipette. /CGTN Photo

It's a lucrative industry driven by "happy" snails. When farming snails, farmers have to be careful to make sure their snails are happy to create high-quality products. Kitpong says, "The jungle habitat, as well as their diet of organic grains and vegetables keeps, the snails comfortable, happy and producing the most profitable mucus." 

But the use of snails in cosmetics is not new. It can be dated back to the times of the Roman Empire and Ancient Greeks. Today, snail slime creams, gels and serums are flying off the shelves with the promise that the secretions can stimulate collagen production, slow the onset of wrinkles and heal acne and scars.  

Each snail can produce one cubic centimeter of slime in about a minute. They are milked once every month to ensure they are free of stress because the happier the snails, the higher quality of slime they will produce. /CGTN Photo

Each snail can produce one cubic centimeter of slime in about a minute. They are milked once every month to ensure they are free of stress because the happier the snails, the higher quality of slime they will produce. /CGTN Photo

In the same way that it heals the frail bodies of snails, it is widely believed that the mucin also does wonders in healing human skin. Dr Somkamon Manchun from the Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research has been researching the benefits of snail mucin on human skin tissue. She says, "From our tests, we found that it can help produce the new skin cells and more collagen. Moreover, the melanin content will be reduced as well, so it helps rejuvenate and brighten skin."

Once extracted, the snail slime is filtered through a membrane a few times to improve its concentration and guarantee its cleanliness. /CGTN Photo

Once extracted, the snail slime is filtered through a membrane a few times to improve its concentration and guarantee its cleanliness. /CGTN Photo

But beyond all the perceived weirdness of snail slime and questions of whether any specific beauty product truly holds the key to ageless or "perfect" skin, one thing remains clear, it seems nothing is a step too far when it comes to humanity's quest for eternal youth, and snails are having a moment.