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The extreme measures some people take to maintain their beauty, or simply to preserve their youthful appearance, can be utterly surprising. While we have long heard about the bizarre practices of our ancestors to enhance their looks—such as the Egyptians using crocodile dung as a facial mask and laughing it off—today’s beauty products are equally odd and sometimes disgusting. Many of these strange items are still available for purchase online. While the top two items on this list are well-known, we hope you can understand why we placed them where we did. In no particular order:
3. Human-derived collagen injections
Collagen injections are often used to smooth out frown lines, crow’s feet, smile lines, and even enhance the fullness of lips. Like botox, they are a common procedure, but the origins of the collagen used are truly unsettling. While we mentioned a later product on this list, collagen primarily comes from two sources: bovine (cow) and human. Interestingly, about 3% of people are allergic to bovine collagen, so manufacturers have resorted to harvesting collagen from aborted fetuses, donated cadavers, and even placentas, as the likelihood of allergic reactions is almost nonexistent. The most disturbing and morally questionable source of collagen, however, is said to be the collection of collagen from executed prisoners in China—without consent from either the prisoners or their families—which is then exported to the UK for wealthy individuals to inject into their faces.
2. Botox Injections
Botox is commonly used to prevent frown lines and wrinkles, a procedure that may seem ordinary at first. However, when you stop to consider what’s actually being injected into your skin, it’s hard not to be struck by how bizarre it is. Botulinum toxin (a combination of ‘bo’ and ‘tox’, hence the name botox) is among the most lethal naturally occurring substances known to humanity, and it’s the deadliest protein. Consuming food contaminated with Clostridium botulinum can result in severe food poisoning, with a fatality rate of 5 to 10%. Just one microgram (1/1,000,000 of a gram) is enough to kill a human. That’s why only minuscule amounts are used in cosmetic treatments.
1. Snake Venom Cream
The neurotoxins produced by members of the cobra family of snakes (and some vipers and rattlesnakes) act on prey by blocking the nerve impulses to the muscles and inducing paralysis. Realizing that snake venom could produce a similar effect to that of Botox, the beauty industry has come up with a synthetic form of snake venom that is applied to the face as a cream rather than injected. It is meant to be safer and less invasive. The venom that was used to create the synthetic version comes from ‘snake farms’ in Brazil where thousands of snakes are ‘milked’ for their venom.
4. Placenta Wrinkle Cream
According to manufacturers of the product, placenta wrinkle cream derived from bovine placentas can slow down the appearance of visible signs of aging by moisturizing skin and combating wrinkles. Some companies also use plant placenta (yes, flowering plants have placentas!) and even human. Claims were first made in the 1940s (when this idea was first marketed) that the nutrient rich placenta gave off the benefits of hormones and stimulated cell growth. Since the FDA quickly decided that this constituted a medical claim, saying this became illegal in the US. The manufacturers changed these claims to say that the proteins present in the placenta moisturize one’s skin and hair.
5. Bull semen hair treatment
How far would you go for silky, glossy hair? In the UK, you could opt to have a hairdresser massage bull semen directly into your scalp. The rationale behind this rather repulsive concept? Hair is made of protein—though technically it’s dead—and some proteins are known to form a protective layer around strands. The idea was to market protein treatments as a way of maintaining healthy hair. And the ultimate protein source? Bull semen.
6. Bird Poo Facial Treatment
There’s an ancient Japanese beauty tradition that’s slowly making its way to the West: ‘uguisu no fun,’ or sterilized nightingale droppings. This unique treatment contains an enzyme called guanine, which is also used in makeup to give products a pearly finish. Supposedly, it works wonders for bleaching and exfoliating skin. For centuries, Kabuki actors and geishas have relied on uguisu no fun to remove makeup and maintain soft skin. However, applying bird excrement to your face is far from cheap—it costs around twenty dollars for just one ounce. If you prefer not to handle it yourself, the Shizuka Day Spa in New York will do it for you, for a price of $180, leaving your face feeling smooth and rejuvenated.
7. Fish Pedicure
If you're open to the idea of leeches, you may also find the concept of allowing a group of small fish to nibble away at the dead skin on your feet intriguing. This treatment involves submerging your feet in a tank where a type of carp, known as doctor fish, will nibble at your calluses for 15 to 30 minutes. Since these fish are toothless, the process is deemed completely safe—they can only remove the dead, flaky skin. Originating in Turkey, where the fish live in natural hot springs, this treatment has become a widely used skincare option among locals.
10. Snail Slime Cream
The beauty industry has begun harnessing the healing and regenerative power of snail slime, which the common garden snail species (Helix aspersa) uses to repair and protect its shell. The range of claims surrounding snail secretion includes everything from treating acne to improving stretch marks and scars. This slime, which also helps the snail reduce friction while moving, is believed to possess antibacterial as well as antioxidant properties. If it works for the snail, why not try it on your skin?
Contributor: downhighway61, and Tempyra
9. Pig’s Foot Diet
This peculiar treatment doesn't involve applying anything to your face or hair, but rather, it’s something you eat. Pig’s feet are being marketed as a culinary remedy to fight wrinkles by the owner of New York's Hakata Tonton restaurant. He argues that, since pig trotters are rich in collagen—a key ingredient in anti-wrinkle creams and lip injections—eating them could offer similar benefits. While collagen is crucial for maintaining skin and muscle tone, eating pig’s feet is likely a less effective solution than sticking to a healthy diet, regular exercise, and protecting your skin from the sun.
8. Leech Therapy
Allowing parasitic creatures to latch onto your body as part of a 'detox' process might seem like an odd choice. Yet, leech therapy, also known as hirudotherapy, has been used since 1020 AD for treating skin conditions and aiding recovery post-surgery. In modern practice, leeches are utilized for treating varicose veins, improving blood circulation, reducing blood clotting, and assisting in the healing of organs that need vital blood flow after reattachment. For those willing to try something unusual, you can follow in the footsteps of celebrities like Demi Moore and travel to Austria, where the medicinal leech species, Hirudo medicinalis, will feast on your blood.
