APRIL 2017 • Vol. 23 No. 4
New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists
New Frontiers in Snail Mucus Studies for Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical Preparations
Table of Contents Letter from the Chair Page 2 Globalization of the Emerging Markets – Bric ‘N Brexit Page 7 NYSCC Suppliers’ Day Page 11 SCC Continuing Education Program Page 12 Opening Day Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Page 12 Digital Age of Beauty Page 13 Discover Sustainability @ Suppliers’ Day 2017 Page 13 Future Chemists Workshop Page 14 Awards Night Party Page 15 91st ACS Colloid and Surface Science Symposium Page 16
www.nyscc.org
by Andrea Alogna
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oday, elicicoltura (land snail farming) is a very important activity in many countries. Interestingly, snail mucus is considered a traditional remedy for many ailments. In fact, snail mucus is an amazing substance, useful against acne, wrinkles, stretch marks, heartburn, etc. It owes its properties to the high content of glycolic acid, allantoin, proteins, vitamins, elastin, and collagen as well as other compounds, so far unknown. The world hosts thousands of species of land snails, which live in various types of habitats under different biological and environmental conditions.1 As a result, the composition of snail mucus will depend on the species and environmental conditions of the snail’s habitat.
Introduction Snail mucus is largely used for cosmetic products, but is also found in para-pharmaceutics and dietary supplements. Usually, the concentration of raw material in the final product is highly variable, ranging between 10 to 90%. Thus, the active substances responsible for the beneficial effect of snail mucus will be present in varying proportions. Snail mucus is a very complex matrix, highly influenced by biological and environmental factors. It is fundamental to understand how these factors influence the quality of the raw material in order to ensure effective, standardized products. It should also be noted that our group at Ferrara University had been working in this area for many years, which eventually led to a spin-off into HelixPharma Srl.
Chemical Features In the last several years, we have attempted to define qualitative standards for a good and efficient snail mucus secretion. We started by establishing criteria for defining High Quality Snail Mucus. When we talk about High Quality Snail Mucus, we refer to something that is truly effective in terms of regenerative or antibacterial activity, and has adequate levels of active substances (e.g., allantoin, glycolic acid, proteins, glycosaminoglycans, and polyphenols). Generally, it is presumed that every sample is the same, but this is not true. The analysis of gastropod mucus with infrared spectroscopy is an original application of this technique (see Figure 1).2 For the examination of pure substances, this method is very efficient and enables us to verify the chemical composition by examining the oscillatory behavior of chemical bonds that are excited by a light source. However, in the case of snail slime analysis it is more complicated. Therefore, (Continued on page 4) we generally focus our attention on certain characteristic areas of the infrared spectrum.
GLOBALIZATION OF EMERGING MARKETS – BRIC ‘N BREXIT A p r i l 1 9 • T h e B e t h w o o d , To t o w a , N J