Snow mushroom or tremella fuciformis (also known as snow fungus, snow ear, silver ear fungus and white jelly mushroom) starts out as a slimy, mucous-like film until it encounters its preferred hosts. Then it grows into an ethereally pretty white cloud that is gaining a well-deserved reputation in anti-aging skincare.

Tremella is one of natures natural sponges. It is said that it can hold 500 times its weight in water.This is about half as much as hyaluronic acid, which behaves in a similar way to draw in moisture and retain it. But snow mushroom has so much more going for it than hyaluronic.

For a start, snow mushroom can create a flexible hydration film that helps to restore dry skin to its optimally hydrated state. The molecular size of the extract is smaller than hyaluronic acid (a notoriously clunky molecule) and this means it can penetrate the skin more easily.

Then this shroom just keeps getting better. Scientists have demonstrated that it exhibits potent antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and anti-aging effects. Wondering why, they discovered that snow mushroom protects fibroblasts via the upregulation of SIRT1 expression. This has to do with sirtuins, which regulate the activity of the genes responsible for metabolism, cell defense and reproduction. When food is scarce, the body's sirtuins go into self-preservation mode. So giving your sirtuins a boost is a good thing.

Tremella fuciformis is a traditional nutritional food in China and is used as a traditional Chinese medicine and dietary supplement. Recent studies have indicated that the medicinal and tonic properties of tremella fuciformisare due to its polysaccharides, which are anti-inflammatory. Polysaccharides in skincare also reduce transepidermal water loss, protecting the skin barrier function.

Researchers have also demonstrated that snow mushroom oxidative stress and apoptosis in skin fibroblasts in a concentration-dependent manner and possessed excellent antioxidative properties. (source). It also efficiently reduced water and collagen loss in the skin and inhibited the increase of glycosaminoglycans.

A few other claims are less well documented (at least not that I can find), but Ill record that snow mushroom has also been shown to inhibit melanin production by 59.7%. It is also said to be comprised of over 18 kinds of amino acids and is a source of vitamin D.

Find tremella in hMSC Skincare Amplify ($160 in the shop), Cannatera Renew Facial Moisturizer ($69 in the shop), Cannatera Revive Serum ($79 in the shop), and Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Pore Perfecting Cleansing Gel ($32 in the shop)

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Ingredient Spotlight on Snow Mushroom - Truth In Aging