If you're looking for the next best thing in beauty products we have good news and bad news for you: the good news is fans swear it can relieve wrinkles, acne, inflammation and even scars. The bad news? It's pretty gross. Snail mucin - the slime that they leave trails of - has been a popular ingredient in South Korean beauty treatments for years, and now snail products are finally starting to reach American consumers.

The proof is in the pudding: snails use their mucin to keep their skin healthy and hydrated while they're dragging it against the ground, and it can protect your face just as well.

If you're brave enough to try, that is.

While the science is still out on how effective these treatments are, snail mucin is full of acids that exfoliate your skin, as well as proteins. Doctors do say that hormones in the snail goop can make fine lines disappear if you use it consistently.

Since ancient Greece, doctors have used mucin to treat sore throats, and until recently facials using live snails were still popular.

Today, face masks and creams with clever names like "Escarglow" are earning fans around the world, but if you want to try a true snail facial they're still available.

Be warned: if you're the kind of person who worries about animal testing, mucin products aren't for you. While some companies advertise "free range" mucin collection, most put the snails through "extreme stress" to harvest it.

If you do try mucin, follow the snail's example and go slow, because some people discover they're allergic.

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