From Soup to Skincare: Is Snow Mushroom (Aka Tremella) The Next Hyaluronic Acid?
Tremella fuciformis, also known as snow mushroom, is a fungus that looks a little like the flower you'd stumble across if walking through a mystical forest.
This mushroom is used in both skincare and cooking; having been used in desserts and dishes like Chinese snow fungus soup for thousands of years.
If bakuchiol is the next retinol, then tremella is the next hyaluronic acid.
Where hyaluronic acid can hold about 1,000 times its weight in water, tremella can hold approximately half that much which is still mighty impressive.
Snow mushroom particles are smaller than those of hyaluronic acid so they can penetrate the skin layers more easily and take that hydrating power deeper into the skin.
Like other mushrooms, tremella is rich in fatty acids with help in retaining moisture and stabilising the skin barrier [like ceramides].
"Mushrooms are also rich in vitamins A, [also known as retinol], C, and D and have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties."
There is existing evidence that tremella may also contain kojic acid, an ingredient that has long been used as a skin lightener/ to aid with age spots and skin discolouration.
Though what we know at this moment seems promising, there is a need for more research to be done on the clinical efficacy and usefulness of snow mushrooms in skincare.
The ingredient's gentle nature means that even the most sensitive can try it with low risk.
Get into it, yuh:
Incase you want to geek out:
InStyle | Why So Many Skincare Products Have Mushrooms in Them Lately
This post was originally written for the all who wonder blog by Praise and has been shared with permission. Post links may contain commission codes which go towards fair pay for writers.
