Do You Dare to Know the Truth About Whats in Your Skin & Body Care?

A subject that I am sure interests a lot of us, whether you are part of the beauty industry or not. There are so many "key words" thrown at us nowadays, its sometimes hard to know what is the right thing to use or not?

Hypoallergenic....Organic.....Natural.....Paraben Free..... Cruelty Free.......Skin kind......

What exactly do these words mean? More to the point are they going to be good for my skin and perform how they say they are on the bottle? Alas, do not believe all you read on bottles is what it is. You would think that there are high standards that lotions and potions should be tested under to ensure they contain safe ingredients that are good for our skins. Sadly, there is more to this than meets the eye, as I discovered when I looked inside my own bathroom cabinet. I was shocked at what I was applying onto mine and my families skins.

Did you know that you may be applying ingredients such as:

Whale Poo

Crushed parasitic Beetles

Fish Scales

Roadkill

Bull Semen

Pepper Spray

Cholesterol

Snail Ooze....I could go on. I am sure you get the point by now. Sorry if I have put you off your food! Being a vegetarian myself. This is shocking to know that these may be in our everyday products we use. Its just that they are not listed as black and blue as I have for obvious reasons. Because in fairness, am sure most of us wouldn't necessarily choose to smoother Bull Semen or Whale Poo over our faces given half a chance???

Granted,whilst I understand that these products serve their purpose and are bi-products of animals already killed. Its only reasonable to understand that money can be made form making additional products from these if the animal has already been killed or died for whatever reason.

However, my point is, I would really like to be given the choice to know this before I buy a product. We are all drawn into advertising campaigns that state "Younger looking Skin" or "Anti-Ageing". I would be first to hold my hand up these days and say given the choice of anything Anti-Ageing I would go for this over non anti-ageing products. 

So take a closer look at what you may find on closer inspection of your lotions and potions that we buy off the high street on a daily basis.

Whale Poo:

Well its either whale poo or whale vomit depending which end it comes out of! Ambergris is a waxy yellow, solid substance that is generated in the intestines of Sperm whales to protect them from sharp objects that they sometimes swallow. It's often called the "gold of the sea." Just one pound of the stinky stuff can earn thousands of dollars. Whales either pass the substance along with their feces, or they can occasionally cough it up if there is a blockage.The unique scent ( which am sure you can only imagine would be like) of ambergris is often used in expensive perfumes, and it is sometimes eaten. It is considered a delicacy. Not sure I would go for this with a side salad, how about you??

Crushed Parasitic Beetle:

Cochineal beetles are tiny insects that feed off cactus plants in Central and South America. The female beetle eats the red berries off the cactus. When these beetles are crushed a very high pigmented dye is produced.
Cochineal Beetles have been used for centuries. They are used in items such as lipsticks, ice cream, candy and eye shadows. In fact Starbucks recently admitted after years that they use cochineal beetles in some of their refreshments. Which didn't go down too well with the vegans out there.

Diatomaceous Earth, AKA : Dead Algae

                                             

Fossilized remains of a single-celled algae called diatoms. Not that disgusting I hear you say? Well these are the same  as those ones responsible for turning your fish tanks cloudy and slimey...yuk!

The dead rock is recognized primarily for its abrasive nature. Easy to crumble and the grains have a sharpness to them. making them perfect for exfoliating scrubs for the body and face.

Guanine, AKA Fish Scales

So this would show up on your product labels as CI 75170 and gives a natural pearl essence or iridescence. Next time you read on your nail polishes or highlighters or shampoos "natural pearl essence" think again....actually made from the process of scraping off dead fish scales and suspending them in alcohol. Top brands who contain these are Maybelline and Bourjois.

Cholesterol

This is a naturally occurring waxy substance responsible for clogging up your arteries. Found in things such as cheese, milk, beef and pork. Its also found in the skin, and in animal fat. It is one of the components in the uppermost part of the skin to help retain moisture. Thanks to these properties it is a great way to help our skin retain moisture and therefore help with wrinkles. For this reason it is added to anti-wrinkle creams and used in high end creams such as L`Oreal, Dove and Elizabeth Arden to name but a few. So have a think next time you apply a lovely anti-ageing cream to your face that gives a lovely moisturizing feeling.

Pepper Spray

So commonly known more so used by police as a self defense tool. Oleoresin Capsicium is the proper name and is extracted from chilies, but surprisingly it is also used in cosmetics. If you have ever bought a lipstick or lip gloss that has a "tingling sensation" to it. Its from this same ingredient. Now, no trying to stab someone you don't like too much with your lipstick in their eyes!

Roadkill

Tallow is a product made up from rendering fat. Which basically means boiling up the carasses of "roadkill" to create a fatty by-product. The dead animals used to create Tallow come from several different sources such as slaughterhouses, zoos, shelter homes and yes, roadkills.Tallow is a common ingredient used in eye shadows, shaving soaps, shampoos, foundations, moisturizers, make up bases and skin care products...lovely!

Bull Semen

Because it has such a high protein content. Bull semen has become very popular in hair products.Used particularly in products designed for dry or damaged hair. Mixed with an additional ingredient from a plant called Katera it is used in high end swanky salons and goes for a high sum. The whole process takes approximately 45 minutes. Hmmm not sure i will be booking in for this conditioning treatment any time soon though.

Snail Ooze

The glycolic and elastin in a small snails secretion protects its own skin from cuts, bacteria and UV rays making it a great source for proteins that eliminate dead skin cells. It is for all these great qualities that it is used in moisturizers and is very good on scars, acne and aiding with stretch marks.

So next time you grab your favorite hand cream, lip balm or hair shampoo. Think about those ingredients that are making your skin feel smooth, your hair conditioned and shiny and what the smells are really in them for....imagine the smell of them without the added fragrances that they contain.
When the label says hypo-allergenic, what does that mean? Perhaps that it has one or more of these ingredients to make it more so?

This blog wasn't designed to make you feel ill at the thought of these ingredients. Because even though I am veggie, I wouldn't want to stop using my face and body creams in a hurry. Whats the alternative? How hard would it be to find a product that is truly cruelty free and not tested on animals, Is testing on animals what we should be worried about? It should read on the label: no animal semen, ooze or roadkill used in this product. But my guess would be that having said that on the label, it wont be rushing off the shelves purely because its telling us the hidden secret to all our lovely moisturizing skin and body care favorites.
Happy creaming!
Till next time...
Caroline xx

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