Spotlight on Mussel Mucin, a Newcomer to the ‘Inflammatory Anti-Aging’ Scene

Mussel mucin is known as ‘marine soft gold’, (10,000 mussels = 1mg of mucin, the price is thousands of times more expensive than gold, so it has the reputation of ‘marine soft gold’). Mussel mucin has the ability to promote cell wall crawling, wound healing, itching inhibition, broad-spectrum adhesion, and the formation of water-resistant protective film. As an emerging ingredient, what is the attraction of mussel mucin that has attracted the attention of the beauty industry, and how does it respond to skin repair problems?

Discovery of mussel mucin in the USA in 1980

Discovery of bioadhesive function by Northwestern University, USA

Purdue University, USA discovered the function of promoting healing

Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden discovered the function of forming protective film

Nobel Prize in Medicine, Prof Bengt Samuelsson, for the inhibition of local inflammation.

Research on mussel adhesins on the cover of Nature in 2007.

Compared to other ingredients that only provide moisturising and environmental repair, mussel mucin can work directly on the wound and provide multi-dimensional long-lasting repair effects such as anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and pro-healing.

Mussel mucin consists of 70-90 repeating polypeptide segments, each consisting of 10 amino acids, 2 of which are lysines (Lys). This gives the protein a high isoelectric point and a strong positive charge at human physiological pH. Each mussel mucin molecule carries a positive charge of over 150, whereas various cells in the human body are negatively charged. By attracting negatively charged cells in the human body through positively charged lysine and being non-selective for cells, it promotes wall affixation and crawling substitution for epidermal cells, fibroblasts, vascular endothelial cells, nerve cells, etc., accelerating healing in multiple dimensions.

Mussel mucin contains 10% 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA, dopa group), the only protein known to carry a high content of dopa groups, antioxidant through the dopa group, inhibits melanin, inflammation, itching and pain, while helping to fight against free radicals damage to the skin.

Mussel mucin has the following effects: anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant, inhibit pigmentation, improve superficial wounds, repair mucous membrane damage and skin sensitivity and fragility. Based on these effects, the scope of application of mussel mucin in the beauty market is as follows.

1) Anti-inflammatory on allergic skin, drug dermatitis and hormone-dependent dermatitis have obvious cleaning auxiliary effect.

2)Anti-bacterial has antibacterial and sterilising effect on the resident bacteria of facial skin, such as Staphylococcus aureus.

3)Antioxidant has significant scavenging effect of free radicals, and at the same time, it can extend the retention time of nutrients on the surface of the skin and enhance the repair effect. It has the effect of retaining moisture, cleansing the skin, cleaning the dirt and brightening the skin tone.

4)Inhibit pigmentation, improve superficial wounds, repair mucous membrane damage and skin sensitivity and fragility can be used for skin acne, folliculitis, dermatitis, rashes, skin allergies, skin exposure caused by hyperpigmentation and superficial scars as an aid.

5) Can be used for laser, photorejuvenation, grinding after the prevention of hyperpigmentation and reduce light scars. Effectively cleanses and improves superficial wounds.