How a Canberra business’s Italian roots are redefining a K-Beauty staple
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In the ever-evolving world of skincare, certain ingredients transcend trends to become part of our daily ritual.
Snail mucin – ancient in origin, modern in application – has captured the attention of discerning beauty lovers worldwide in 2025. Now, a Canberra-based brand is proving that it’s more than a passing moment: it’s a philosophy.
While the boom of K-Beauty introduced skincare devotees to the transformative powers of snail mucin, and centuries of use speak to its efficacy, SETOSA has arrived with a quieter promise: that timeless skin begins in nature, and the glow comes from care.
Created by wine importer and distributor Gabriel Volpato and his wife Alice Anzanello, and rooted in the Italian word for silky, SETOSA has joined the global conversation around snail mucin in beauty, but on decidedly different terms.
The leap from importing Italian wine to crafting Italian skincare might seem unexpected, yet for Alice, both pursuits share a common thread: a reverence for terroir, tradition, and time-honoured craft.
While researching luxurious, ethical skincare products during her pregnancy – seeking solutions for her own skin concerns– a conversation with a friend about snail breeding in Italy led Alice down an unexpected path.
“I had a friend who was breeding snails over in Italy, and I started asking questions,” she explains.
“I did my research and bumped into the International Institute of Heliciculture in Cherasco, and I was quite amazed by the way they operate…It doesn’t hurt the snails, it’s really good for your skin, and I have a passion for bringing things from Italy into the country.”
What she discovered was a gap in the market: the opportunity to create an Italian skincare brand built on undiluted snail mucin, ethically produced in the rolling hills of Piemonte.
Made entirely in Italy with COSMOS-certified snail mucin, SETOSA is the culmination of over three years of meticulous development in partnership with the International Institute of Heliciculture, and the result is a commitment to luxurious, high-performance skincare that is as gentle on the skin as it is on the world around us.
Revered for its cosmetic benefits, Alice says the secret of SETOSA lies not just in the ingredient, but in its provenance and purity.
“The breed that we extract the snail mucin from is called Helix aspersa, and it’s a much smaller type of snail which produces a much different quality of snail mucin compared to what’s available from other countries,” she says.
“The way that it’s been extracted is also different. In our instance, there’s no harming the snails, and it’s a process that’s controlled from the start to the end – from the environment to the grass that the snail eats.”
The result is a pure, potent secretion rich in skin-loving actives: allantoin for regeneration, glycolic acid to refine texture, and collagen and elastin for firmness. While many products claim to feature snail mucin, Alice emphasises that few deliver it in its pure, active form.
“I wouldn’t have a skincare product that I wouldn’t put on my skin. We believe that that’s what sets us apart compared to other products that are mass produced.”
Currently selling six key products – including an Enzymatic Cleansing Mousse, Milk & Toner, Luminous Face Elixir and Body Cream – SETOSA is also dermatologist-tested and free from parabens, silicones, and synthetic fillers. There are plans to expand the range in the future.
As SETOSA begins to grace bathroom shelves across Australia, Alice’s vision extends beyond beautiful skin. She hopes each ritual with SETOSA becomes a moment of self-care – a chance to pause, to nurture, to honour both ourselves and the natural world.
“This is not just a business for me; it’s a lifestyle that I want to create,” Alice says.
“I want people to feel better because they look after themselves.”
For more information, visit setosaskincare.com or follow @setosaskincare
