Old-school skincare

Old-school skincare

Amid scandals and false advertising, there are still some time-honoured recipes

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE

Patting crocodile dung mixed with mud or cyprus oil on the face seems gross but the ancient Greeks and Romans pleasured in this skincare ritual. According to Roman naturalist, Pliny the Elder, it smelled nice since the "crocodilea" was obtained on land where the crocodile grazed on fragrant flowers.

No longer do we need to use croc cosmetics since there are other bizarre ingredients bottled in a jar. Cosmetics manufacturers capitalise on their exotic appeal while claiming skin-nourishing compounds, for consumers to equip them as a beauty arsenal.

Nightingale poop

Originally used to remove stains from a kimono, nightingale poop or uguisu no fun was found to brighten the skin among providing other benefits that made it a geisha's beauty staple. Since 1603, the Japanese company Uguisu Poo has been farming and producing the bird droppings at the foot of Mt Ibuki. Its soap and facial mask contain this age-old skin revitaliser rich in urea, guanine and proteolytic enzymes.

Snail slime

Made mainstream by Korean beauty brands, escargot cream actually originated in Chile, with the launch of Elicina Crema de Caracol containing 80% snail slime in 1995. From observing how workers at a Chilean snail farm had smooth hands and quicker wound-healing from handling Helix Aspersa Muller, lab analysis found allantoin, collagen, elastin, proteins and glycolic acid in its gooey secretion.

Bee venom

A buzz after being used by Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, bee venom or apitoxin is hailed as an ouchless alternative to the botulinum toxin. One assumption behind its anti-wrinkle effect is that the toxin tricks the body in triggering the immune system to respond by increasing blood circulation and stimulating collagen and elastin production.

Horse oil

A skin rescuer against Hokkaido's harsh winter, horse oil cream is a sought-after souvenir from Japan's northernmost prefecture. The oil is extracted from horse fat as a byproduct from farming the animal for meat, or basashi. Its moisturising effect is due to the oil resembling the fatty acid composition of human sebum while containing linolic acid.

Caviar extract

The delicacy from sturgeon eggs is rich in proteins, minerals, vitamins and lipids. So why not, a superfood for the skin? Swiss brand La Prairie has been producing anti-ageing skincare with caviar extract since 1987, and some of the products are formulated as beads to mimic the expensive fish roe.

Salmon enzyme

Noticing the youthful hands of workers in a Norwegian salmon hatchery led to using enzyme from the fish as a signature ingredient in skincare products by American brand Restorsea. Salmon release an enzyme into the water at birth so that they can get out of their eggs. Collected and filtered from the post-hatching waters, the enzyme is incorporated as an exfoliating agent, for smoother skin.

Placental extracts

The use of placental extract was popular in Europe in the 1950s and 1960s because the biological compound offers a combination of proteins, vitamins, enzymes and hormones that help promote skin cell growth before birth. Today's cosmetics may contain bovine, porcine, ovine and human placental extracts but concerns include contamination and adverse hormonal effects.

Spermine

Not actually sourced from the millions swimming in semen, spermine is produced in a lab to replicate the crystalline polyamide compound that stabilises and protects sperm cells' DNA. It is also found in other organs and in the epidermis, the latter prompting its use as a superantioxidant in cosmetics made by Norwegian firm Skin Science.

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