Food grade snail extract

for beauty from the inside

Anti-aging
Moisturizing
Wound healing
Brightening

Helps reducing skin

imperfections and signs of aging

Promotes faster skin cell

regeneration
Historical background

The skin is our first natural barrier against external aggressions. As we age, the
production of the main proteins that keep our skin firm, like collagen and elastin,
begins to decline. The accumulation of aggressions also reduces the efficiency of
this natural barrier and leaves traces on our skin such as wrinkles, dark spot,
pigmentation, scaring, ...

The quest to find the ultimate cure for aging has therefore long captivated the
global skin care industry. Consequently, novel and imaginative solutions surface
annually, each promising results of retained youth. One such recent craze involves
the use of snail extract to reduce skin damages.

The snail mucin is a substance that covers the entire body of the animal and is
secreted by its salivary epidermal glands. The mucus has different functions for the
animal like adhesive, emollient, moisturizing, lubricating, protective and overall
reparative properties.
Bioactive substances contained in the snail extract are responsible for its unique
properties and are not replicable in the laboratory with synthetic chemical
compounds.

The beneficial use of snail extracts has been used

in human medicine for centuries. The oldest
application of snail mucin in medicine dates back
to the ancient Greeks when Hippocrates used
crushed snails to reduce skin inflammation. Celse
considered crude snail as a healing substance.
Boiled, it is supposed to have emollient properties.
Pliny thought that snail increased the speed of
delivery [1].
During the eighteenth century, snail mucin has
been used to treat tuberculosis and nephritis
symptoms.

The increasing interest in snail extracts for

pharmaceutical and medical use led to analytical
analysis of its composition in the twentieth century
[2]. Nowadays studies have shown the efficacy of
topical and oral administration of snail mucin in
wrinkles reduction, skin elasticity and moisturizing.
These properties being highlighted by the natural
content of active molecules such as Allantoin,
Hyaluronic Acid, Collagen in snail extracts.

www.natix.life
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Active molecules
is a food grade snail extract derived from the Helix pomatia snail commonly named Burgundy
snail, Roman snail or « Big White ». It is a European snail species famously known for its consumption in the
exclusive French cuisine where it is called “Escargot de Bourgogne”.
Recent research confirms that snails produce unique combination of natural ingredients with beneficial
properties for human skin and therapeutic applications. Indeed, snail mucin is naturally composed of allantoin,
glycoproteins (collagen, mucin and proteoglycans), elastin, glycolic acid, glycosaminoglycans (such as
hyaluronic acid, glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate) and minerals [2]. These active ingredients provide skin
tensile strength, elasticity and hydration. They also allow the skin to fight against imperfections and skin-aging,
and has a photoprotective effect against ultraviolet B [3].

Allantoin
Allantoin is a healing agent which promotes keratolysis, accelerates cell proliferation and acts as a chemical
debrider of necrotic and scaling tissue. It also increases the water content of the extracellular matrix.

Collagen
Collagen supports the strength and elasticity of the skin [4]. It also promotes cutaneous wound healing and
offers improvement for cutaneous aging as enhancing the skin elasticity significantly [5].

Mucin
Mucin is a heavily glycosylated protein produced in epithelial cells that facilitate wound healing [6]. Indeed,
membrane-bound mucins protect the cell from extracellular affronts that might lead to damages such as
infections, physical strains [7] and wounds. Another interesting property of mucin is its capability to increase
healing rates through antioxidant and free radical regulation [8].
Snail mucin biopolymers are promising candidates for novel drug delivery systems of bioactives molecules [9].
Indeed, snail mucin is highly hydrophilic and thus pairs well with medication that is absorbed via mucosal
membranes, like gastrointestinal mucosal membranes [10] by facilitating diffusion [11].
Mucins are also involved in skin regeneration [10] and have shown an effect after acute radiodermatitis, a
common side effect from radiotherapy [12].

Elastin
Elastin plays a particular role in the suppleness and elasticity of the skin and helps to combat stretch marks and
skin aging [4].

Glycosaminoglycans
Hyaluronic acid
Hyaluronic acid is a major component in the extracellular matrix with a simple structure and a large molecular
size. It supports elasticity, hydrostatic pressure, skin moisture [13] and is involved in inflammation and wound
healing [14]. Because of its hydrating qualities, hyaluronic acid can be used to fight the signs of aging.
Glucosamine
Glucosamine is a substrate precursor for the biosynthesis of glycosaminoglycans like hyaluronic acid, which
fights against skin aging, but also for the production of proteoglycans which are responsible of skin hydration,
firmness and elasticity [15].
Chondroitin sulphate
Chondroitin sulphate is involved in growth ability of collagenous fiber, skin regeneration and is also effective for
skin wound preventing and healing. This active has the potential to improve skin aging and dry skin [16].

Minerals (Zinc, Copper, Calcium and Iron)

The skin is a zinc abundant tissue, meaning that zinc is an essential mineral involved in skin health. Zinc is vital
for cell growth, collagen formation and wound healing. Zinc is frequently used in the treatment and
management of acne. It is known to reduce keratinocyte activity, reduce inflammatory response to bacteria and
improve immunity [17].

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Benefits and usage opportunities in nutricosmetics
The term “nutricosmeticeutical” is a term obtained by combining “nutraceuticals” and “cosmeceuticals” that
describes supplements, functional foods and beverages that contain active ingredients able to improve human
beauty and health [18].
In order to have a healthy and glowing skin and to face skin-aging, it is necessary to take care of it from the
inside in addition to external skin care. The oral intake of snail mucin improves UVB-induced photoaging skin
properties such as wrinkle depth, moisture and elasticity loss [19].
It is the reason why nutraceuticals containing NUTRELIX® can help to improve the appearance and quality of the
skin.

Anti-aging/Wound healing/Reparative effects/Skin cell regeneration

Snail mucin stimulates biochemical, structural, and functional processes, and can regenerate damaged
structures of the animal’s skin in less than 48 hours. In vitro assays on fibroblast cultures showed that snail mucus
protects cells from apoptosis and promotes cell proliferation.
The oral intake of snail extract significantly improves human skin-aging [5] thanks to its composition in allantoin,
collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid.

Skin elasticity
The prolonged exposure of solar UVB leads to skin oxidative stress and the photodamage is the main cause of
skin aging, impacting its elasticity and epidermal thickness. But a recent study [19] showed that mucin oral intake
improves skin elasticity, meaning a reduction of cutaneous aging [5].
Skin moisturizing
Allantoin, one of the main component of NUTRELIX®, increases the water content of the extracellular matrix. For
this reason, it is used in cosmetics, personal care products and in treatments of skin diseases including antiacne
products. Another natural component of NUTRELIX® is hyaluronic acid. Oral intake of hyaluronic acid has a
positive impact on skin health because it preserves tissue hydration and facilitates the transport of ion solutes
and nutrients to cells in the upper layer of the skin thanks to its water-retaining capacity. The intake of a
hyaluronic acid solution leads to a significant increase in skin elasticity, skin hydration, and to a significant
decrease in skin roughness and wrinkle depths [21]. The natural presence of these two active substances in the
snail extracts naturally boosts the skin moisturizing properties of NUTRELIX® .
Antimicrobial properties
Snail mucin has different properties; one of them being activity against microorganisms including bacteria,
viruses and protozoa. Indeed, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are small biomolecules that can be found in
invertebrates’ natural defense system. Snail secretion has antibacterial effect against several strains including
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli [22]. The antimicrobial
properties of snail mucus are being used to combat disorders seen in humans ranging from gastric ulcers to
post-surgical-related infections. Snail extract can also be coupled with approved therapeutics in order to serves
as natural antimicrobial immune booster to cure diseases, such as diabetes, ulcerative colitis and pneumonia
caused by Streptoneumococcal bacteria [23].

References
[1] Bonnemain, 2005 [2] Cilia, 2017 [3] Yongeun et al., 2002, [4] Zhang et al., 2018 [5] Proksch, et al., 2014 PMID 23949208, [6] Adikwu and Ikejiuba, 2005 [7] Van Putten and
Strijbis, 2017, [8] Nguyen et al., 2020, [9] Huckaby and Lai, 2018; Momoh et al., 2020, [10] McDermott et al., 2021 [11] Balabushevich et al., 2019, [12] Hymes et al., 2006, [13] Lee,
2015, [14] Averbeck et al., 2007, [15] Bissett et al., 2006, [16] Kang et al., 2014, [17] Lansdown, A.B.; Mirastschijski, U.; Stubbs, N.; Scanlon, E.; Agren, M.S. 2007, [18] Laneri et al.,
2019, [19] Kim et al., 2022, [20] McDaniel, Farris, & Valacchi, 2018, [21] Göllner et al. 2017, [22] Pitt et al., 2015, [23] Gugu et al., 2020
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NUTRELIX® snail extract proven efficacy

In-vitro

The capacity of NUTRELIX®PT (food grade snail extract

powder) to increase Collagen 1 (COL1A1) and Collagen 3
(COL3A1) genes expression was assessed after treatment
on Human Skeletal Muscle Cells (HSkMC) through qPCR in
vitro :
Results showed that treatment during 24 hours in Human
Skeletal Muscle Cells (HSkMC) with NUTRELIX®PT at 1 %
concentration significantly increased COL1A1 and COL3A1
gene expression by 26.4 ± 4.9 % and 65.1 ± 8.0 %,
compared to the untreated control.
In conclusion, the in vitro treatment with NUTRELIX®PT
during 24 hours displays functional effects on Human
Skeletal Muscle Cells (HSkMC), through significant increase
of COL1A1 (26 %) and COL3A1 (65 %) genes expression,
directly involved in skin, muscle and joint health.

In-vivo / consumer use test

The perception about NUTRELIX®PT (food grade snail extract powder) was assessed in 30 volunteers recruited for a use
test after oral intake for 8 weeks (100 mg/daily), and a remarkable percentage of acceptance was considered when
average result was ≥ 80 %.
The study was in compliance with the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki and the clinical protocol was approved by
the Ethical Committee of La Fe Hospital.
The oral treatment with NUTRELIX®PT (100 mg/daily) for 8 weeks showed good acceptability and compatibility and may
claim “Clinically Tested” and “Tolerance Tested”.
With regard to the volunteer’s perception, data indicated an overall acceptance of 72 % and 80.5 %, after 28 days and
56 days of treatment, respectively. More than 80% satisfaction was observed for the improvement of the quality and
hydration of the skin, and volunteers were satisfied of the product and its natural origin. They would use the
NUTRELIX®PT again and recommend it.

Satisfied volunteers (%)

The quality of my skin has improved

The aspect of my wrinkles and fine lines is reduced

My skin is firmer

I have less skin imperfections (pimples, redness, dryness)

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

NUTRELIX® is a brand of

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 Main reasons to use snail extract in
your nutricosmetics formulation:

High concentration in active substances such as

Allantoin, Collagen, Glycosaminoglycans, Hyaluronic
Acid, Mucin and minerals

Stable and long shelf life (3 years)

Naturally-derived ingredient

Secured supply chain with full traceability and quality

control

In-vivo and in-vitro tested

NUTRELIX® is produced in ways that respect animal

welfare

Anti-aging

Brightening

Moisturizing

More info?
Contact us at sales@natix.life

NATIX S.A.
Drève Richelle 161/4 Bat.P
NUTRELIX® is a brand of 1410 Waterloo
Belgium