by Rachel Ogbu

It first started as a rumour that celebrities were now using snail mucus for anti ageing remedies but those rumours have been confirmed with former Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts swearing by it.

Some of us were shocked when we heard posh Victoria Beckham used bird poop as part of her beauty regime, then we heard most celebrities were buying into the bee venom, snake oil later human placenta and even algae.

Snail slime is the latest ingredient the beauty industry has come up with to stop people from looking older.

Daily Mail reports:

The link between snail slime and benefits to  skin was uncovered by chance when Chilean snail farmers noticed their skin  healed quickly without scarring when they handled snails they were exporting to  the French food industry.

Since the farmers’ discovery, using snail  slime in cosmetics has boomed, with Japan, where a live-snail-facial is a  premium spa treatment which commands a £160 price tag, at the forefront of the  trend.

The popular £19.99 gel contains the same  slime, which is harvested by allowing the snails to crawl over specially-built  glass and plastic structures.

The mucus contains proteins,  glycolic acids, allantoin, hyaluronic acid and elastin intended help with  regeneration and repair of snails’ membranes and shells.
Trials have investigated the healing properties of  snail secretion slime, with one conducted on burns victims concluding that the  ingredient was ‘a natural, safe and effective alternative treatment in open  wound management of partial thickness burns in adults.’

‘Although it might appear unusual at first,  going back to source can uncover some of nature’s best and most effective  solutions,’ commented Lucy Pottinger, Holland & Barrett’s senior beauty  buyer.

‘This is particularly true in natural beauty,  which has become the fastest growing category in store as customers realise that  the products they put on their bodies are just as important as the foods they  put in them.

‘To avoid too much of an “eew factor”, we  have combined the natural snail gel with Aloe Vera and Lemongrass to ensure it  smells and feels as good as it works.

‘We  have been overwhelmed by how popular this unique beauty product has become and  customers have been stocking up on the product in the lead up to key party  season when everyone wants to look and feel their best!’

Surprisingly, the store says that the product  has proved particularly popular with younger customers, who have left  enthusiastic comments about the ingredient’s moisturising properties on the  health retailer’s website.

Rating Snail Gel five out five in an online  review, one customer said ‘This stuff is great! I haven’t been using it for very  long but the results are instant.

‘Skin feels lovely and fresh, looks more even  toned and the smell is very fresh. I must admit when I first came across it I  felt a little squeamish, but it’s worth getting over that! I have been back and  purchased two more for Christmas presents.