JKUAT lecturer making soap, shower gels and other skin products from snail slime

Dr. Kinoti uses snail slime to make skin products. Here, he is rearing the giant African land snails, which he says are classified as wild and have been approved by the Kenya Wildlife Service. These snails give the best slime for the different products. 

"Basically we are researching on how to generate products that are beneficial to our people and to the society at large. And our focus is on how we can make use of snails which traditionally are abhorred by Kenyans. We do cosmetics and body skin care products, such as soaps, creams and shower gels. We are also researching pharmaceuticals where we are developing a product with our partners on a cough syrup," Dr. Kinoti told Citizen Digital.

Dr. Kinoti says through research, snail slime has been found to have positive effects on human skin.

"It has collagen, and collagen is known to make the skin supple, it also moisturises and it has an anti-aging effect. It’s able to remove dead cells, and therefore it can rejuvenate the skin and make it more effective. It’s also antibacterial, so it has been associated with healing of wounds and burns. It is organic and people are running away from use of chemicals," he added. 

JKUAT tested the products as the market dictates, and Dr. Kinoti says the response was positive.

Going forward, Dr. Kinoti says the aim is to change perception about snail slime products among their target customers, and encourage more people to get into snail farming.

"One are people with albinism because of the effect of the UV, and the response was very positive. The other group is the students… We tried to distribute some of the products with the students and the response was fantastic. The product seems to work very well and it has no side effects."