Gross Ingredients Hidden In Your Beauty Products

By Juliet Smith 1 year ago

Infant Foreskin

Image Source/ ParentsAccording to StyleCaster, a San Francisco-based company obtained a patent for a new-born foreskin formula that has a unique combination of soluble collagen, antioxidants, natural growth factors, and matrix proteins. Even though it might potentially reduce wrinkles, there's just too much grossness involved, don't you think?

Placenta

Image Source/ Cosmopolitan
Human and animal placenta extracts are used in several products because they are known to condition skin and hair. The same extracts found in cosmetics provide your body a hormone boost because the placenta is essential for a baby's development in the womb.

Bull Semen

Image Source/ Wisconsin State Farmer
The acronym BSP means bovine seminal plasma. Everyone is aware that protein can do wonders for your hair, but did you ever think that the gold standard would be the liquid taken from a bull's sack? Independent studies revealed that coloured hair treated with BSP was noticeably stronger and broke down far less than coloured hair treated with egg- or plant-derived proteins.

Sewage Extract

Image Source/ Brunel University
You'd assume most people would throw away a face cream if sewage was listed among its ingredients. Well, The Asian beauty industry, fixated on skincare, disagrees. Products from Korea, considered to be the modern skincare, advertise sewage extract as a gentle, efficient technique to strengthen skin and remove dead skin cells.

Road Kill

Image Source/ Wikipedia
Animal corpses are boiled in a kettle to produce fatty by-products, according to Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. The decomposing animals are sourced from laboratory animals, deadstock, euthanized zoo and shelter animals, expired meat from grocery stores, and road kill. The majority of this fat is utilised in soap, lipstick, and eye shadow as an emollient and skin conditioner.

Human Urine

Image Source/ ClickHole
Did you know you can make your skin youthful by adding a spray of urine to your everyday moisturiser. If you don't feel like using your own homemade organic pee, check for goods that contain the chemical urea. It seems that urine has antibacterial, antifungal, and enzyme-rich qualities that aid in treating fungal infections, eczema, and acne.

Snail Juice

Image Source/ Discover Magazine
Anti-aging creams that claim to increase your skin's softness and smoothness employ products that contain snail secretions. That is exactly what you think it is, that run-off snail slime you see around your skirting boards and on pavements. Apparently, it's completely safe, according to StyleCaster.

Human Breast Milk

Image Source/ STAT news
Believe it or not, some soap brands actually herald the use of human breast milk in their soap products, and you may wish to check the ingredients before buying. StyleCaster have confirmed that the process is controversial and illegal in a number of American states.

Whale Waste

Ambergris - WikipediaImage Source/ Wikipedia
Ambergris is the waste of a whale. Now, that's not just vomit, but includes sperm and digestive system waste too. (Disgusting, we know.) The product is often used as a bade for fixative perfumes. Thankfully, the majority of businesses have abandoned whale vomit in favour of synthetic substitutes.

Rooster Comb

Image Source/ Star Milling Co.
A great source of hyaluronic acid is the red, wavy mohawk that splays across a rooster's head. The skin gets deeply moisturised for hours after applying this product. Many moisturisers that previously used rooster comb now use synthetic substitutes for people who prefer a non-rooster option.

Bird Poop

Image Source/ AZ Animals
Geishas have practised rigorous beautification regimens throughout history, which have included applying nightingale faeces to their faces, to retain their pristine, porcelain skin. It is referred to as Uguisu no fun, which translates to "nightingale faeces," and is said to whiten skin and prevent wrinkles.

Horse Fat

Image Source/ Horsemart
Horse oil, which is made from the fat of dead horses, is particularly praised by Korean beauty connoisseurs for giving ladies soft, youthful skin. However, the Asian beauty market doesn't seem to have the same scruples as American companies do when it comes to using animal bits in the name of skincare.

Dynamite

Image Source/ ABC News
One of the two ingredients involved in the production of dynamite is diatomaceous earth (DE). StyleCaster claims that because DE is hollow and porous, it's typically abrasive and is present in the majority of mild exfoliators, natural toothpastes, deodorants, and powders.

Cochineal Beetles

Image Source/ WIRED
Known for eating pear cacti, these same bugs are scraped from the plant when they are full of cactus juice, cooked and dried, then crushed into carmine. Carmine is utilised in a specific red dye, agents in some lipstick and blush. The good news is that cosmetic businesses must declare any insect components in their makeup.

Emu Oil

Image Source/ Medical News Today
According to the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database, oils are extracted from a few different animals as an ingredient for your beauty and healthcare products. Fat scraped from the hide of an emu is then used in the manufacturing of your favourite shaving cream.

Mink Oil

Image Source/ Humane Society of US
It's not just the emus that get off heavily with this kind of treatment, but minks too! Using the same processed, the fat is scraped off the hide of the poor mink and later added as an agent to your favourite sunscreens and hairsprays. Look out for this cruel ingredient!

Human Blood

Image Source/ Page Six
Needles and human blood are used in this pricy skincare procedure. In order to create platelet rich plasma, blood from the patient is used. The cheeks, nose, and area around the eyes are then covered with it after being injected back into the face. For soft, supple skin, it's said to promote the growth of elastin and collagen.

Fermented Bacteria

Image Source/ Liebherr
Kombucha is a product of the fermentation process between bacteria and yeast. The bacterial-yeast relationship-derived ingredient is said to have antioxidant properties that promote younger-looking skin. Numerous celebrities consume the substance, also known as tea fungus, or use it topically, swearing by its ability to treat everything from PMS to sluggish metabolisms.

Pig Collagen

Image Source/ Live Science
Collagen purportedly gives skin a fresh lease of life thanks to its reparative qualities. Pig collagen is comparable to human collagen, and aged skin lacks this. It's unclear whether pig collagen is superior than animal collagen in general, but there are many cute photographs of pigs on the box, tempting users of beauty products with the notion that the claimed regeneration effects aren't just a bunch of nonsense.

Chicken Bone Marrow

Image Source/ Conserve Energy Future
Who would've thought that chicken's could be used for anything other than roasting? Well, according to Relativity Online, chicken bone marrow is a great resource for skin-care products. The bone marrow is used as an anti-inflammatory for things like face creams and moisturisers.

Rotting Organic Matter

Image Source/ WMEAC
Although the word decomposed may not seem to be associated with beauty, various enzymes and compounds are released when organic material decomposes, aiding in removing dead skin cells. According to some insiders in the beauty industry, it also has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties.

Simethicone

Image Source/ Healthline
Also known as gas relief medicine, this gross substance that soothes stomach aches may also be used to control your frizzy hair. Weird right? Some conditioners, according to Relativity Online, contain simethicone, which gives your hair that slick feel right before rinsing.

Pepper Spray

Image Source/ Safewise
Would you believe that the same compound, oleoresin capsicum, used in your pepper spray device can also be found in most itch and muscle pain relief claims! You wouldn't think that the irritating, defensive weapon would soothe your itches, would you?

Butylene Glycol (BG)

Image Source/ InStyle
Butylene glycol is a petroleum derived chemical that's often used in facial moisturisers. While it is heralded for its moisture-locking abilities, the chemical has been condemned for clogging pores of applicants, irritating skin and worsening acne... beware.

Formaldehyde

Image Source/ YouTube
Formaldehyde is still a prevalent chemical used in nail polish, eyelash glue, and a variety of other cosmetics, yet studies classify it as a known carcinogen (a chemical that can cause cancer). Some stores are beginning to remove formaldehyde-based goods, including Whole Foods, CVS, and Target.

Formaldehyde releasers

Image Source/ Cosmopolitan
While products might be free of formaldehyde, some still contain chemicals that slowly form into the harmful chemical. Research scientist Shrestha states that chemicals like Bronopol, DMDM hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, and quaternium-15 are all among this group of formaldehyde releasers.

Phthalates

Image Source/ Greatist
Phthalates is an ingredient commonly used in the manufacturing of nail polish, eyelash adhesive, and perfumes. This is all despite the fact that phthalates have been found to be substantial endocrine disruptors, causing early puberty in certain boys and girls and decreased sperm count in males. To top it off they are bad for the environment as well!

Polyethylene Glycol (PEGs)

Image Source/ Argan Oil
The way in which Polyethylene glycol is made is through a process called ethoxylation. It can cause contamination with ethylene oxide, which has been proven to be associated with different cancers. Also, many applicants have reported having allergic reactions to Polyethylene glycol, resulting in anaphylaxis.

Propylene Glycol (PG)

Image Source/ Boston University
Propylene Glycol (PG) is a chemical used in a variety of skin and healthcare products, but can actually also be found in food and vapes as well. Just some of the side effects that have been linked to the chemical are: increased heart attack risk, rapid heart rate, heart rhythm problems and low blood pressure. Scary!

Synthetic Fragrances

Image Source/ Kwingy
A good tip to know is that when a perfume labels one of its ingredients as "fragrance" or "parfum" then it's almost impossible to tell what ingredients are included. It's an umbrella term that basically means brands aren't legally required to disclose the ingredients. Red flag!

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