30 years ago, a Chilean family decided that exporting snails to restaurants in Europe seemed like a money-making prospect. They opened a snail farm and the family provided most of the work. Running a snail farm involves making snail cages. During the manufacture of these cages and the handling of the snails, the farm workers acquired numerous small cuts and abrasions. The beginnings of the process that led to the creation of the Elicina cream, or snail cream, came when the workers noticed that far from being contagious, these small wounds would soon heal and leave no scars.
It wasn’t long before the family realized that they were not going to succeed as snail farmers for the European food industry. At that time, the oldest son in the family was a medical student. His mother asked him to investigate what the handling of the snails was all about, which always so completely healed the small wounds on his hands. The first discovery was that the secretions of the snails contained a cell regenerating agent called Allantoin, in its natural state.
After this discovery, the family decided to find out what else could be about the secretions of the snails that left the damaged skin of the workers so flexible and without scars. They hired a laboratory in their native Chile to initiate a wide-ranging investigation into the matter. After nine long years of study, it was determined that the snail they had been raising, the Chilean snail Helix Aspersa Muller, contained in its secretions in addition to Allantoin, Collagen, Elastin and Glycolic Acid. All these are elements widely used in the cosmetic and dermatological field. Natural antibiotics, vitamins, and proteins were also present that aided the healing process.
And so Elicina Cream was born. The family created a cream that consists of 80% snail extract and 20% inactive ingredients. When it came time to come up with a name for the artisan cream, it was decided to name it after a medicine that was used in Europe in the 17th century. To protect themselves from copycats, they thought it would be better to apply for a patent on the cream and apply to the World Industrial Patent Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. Finally, in 1993, 3 years after applying for the patent, and 12 years after starting the journey that led to the creation of Elicina Cream, the patent was granted.
Two years after Elicina Cream was marketed in Santiago de Chile. To this day it is still produced by LACOFAR Cosmetic Laboratory, which is the only authorized producer of Elicina Cream. Although there are copycats these days, Elicina Cream is the first original snail cream.
It has been shown that when Elicina Cream is used as a long-term component of a skin care regimen (over 2 to 4 months), the results can be as good as a heavy chemical peel or dermabrasion or light therapies, but without the risks inherent to these. procedures.
