Are Cosmetics Made With Fat From Human Corpses?
CosmeticsDesign reports that Peruvian police have cracked down on a ring of fat smugglers who have allegedly been murdering people in order to sell their fat for use in European cosmetics.
Fat Bandits
The article quotes the police as saying that the criminals “murdered individuals in rural areas and then extracted fat and tissues from the corpses in a clandestine laboratory.” Supposedly the illegal lard is for use in anti-aging treatments. I don’t mean to sound unsympathetic, but this story just smacks of urban legend to me. And the Canadian Cosmetics, Toiletries and Fragrance Association agrees: they have issued a statement saying that it’s unlikely to be true because for several reasons:
1. Human fat has no special function that can’t be achieved by using oily materials from other less illegal (and less disgusting) sources.
2. Even if some unscrupulous company was “sneaking” human fat into cosmetic ingredients, it would likely be caught because of the sophisticated quality assurance systems that all large cosmetic companies use. (Companies have to be aware of the sources of their raw materials for regulatory reasons.)
3. The crooks would have to kill a LOT of people to get enough fat for any large mass manufacturer of cosmetics.
4. Any product that did contain human corpse fat would be really expensive – the ingredient allegedly costs $15,000 per liter!
The Beauty Brains bottom line
Our assessment is that this story is just a hoax or an urban legend. And in related news, beauty biz giant P&G denied they are changing the names of two of their most popular brands to “Oil of Obese” facial moisturizer and “Fatene” Shampoo and Conditioner.
Who’s Who In Hair Care? Proctor and Gamble
The primary goal of the Beauty Brains is to help you, our readers, become smarter shoppers by educating you about cosmetic products. While most of our posts deal with the science and technology of these products, we will occasionally post about the business side of the beauty industry as well.
So, this post discusses who owns the beauty brands that we’re all so fond of. You just might be surprised when you learn your favorite salon brand comes from the same people who bring you Pantene. Let’s start with hair care brands. Did you know that consumer products GIANT Procter & Gamble (makers of everything from Tide to Pantene) also markets a large number of drug store AND professional salon brands? Yep, they do! Here’s a list of the hair care companies and brands that P&G owns:
Clairol Herbal Essences and all other Clairol products
Now, we’re not saying there’s anything wrong with P&G owning all these brands, we just think it’s important you know who’s really selling you the stuff you’re putting on your head.
Are Photofacials Worth The Cost?
Amy asks…I was wondering about photofacials. Are they either effective, worth it, or a good idea?
The Right Brain responds:
Effective?
Yes, at least to some extent.
Worth it?
Maybe, if you can afford several thousand dollars and can wait a few months for results.
Good idea?
Read on and decide for yourself.
Lasers have been used for decades to “burn” away upper layers of the skin to reduce the appearance of wrinkles. They also have had some application in the treatment of acne and spider veins. Click here for a detailed description of the benefits and risks of laser skin resurfacing.
In recent years, the FDA has approved “N-Lite” laser therapy for treatment of crow’s feat. This type of laser uses a specific frequency of light that stimlates collagen production in the deeper layers of skin. Therefore, this method causes much less surface damage than traditional laser therapy. The downside is that this technique is still fairly new and dermatologists and surgeons are still learning how to optimize its application. Smartskincare.com has a great article on this topic if you want more details.
The Beauty Brains bottom line:
Laser therapy appears to be a scientifically valid antiaging treatment. It’s expensive ($1,000 to 2,000 per treatment), and it may take several months for the benefits to become apparent. But if you’re interested you should consult your doctor to find out if it’s a good option for you. Thanks for the question, Amy, we hope this helps.
Plucking Your Eyebrows with Tweezers
There are many different ways to remove stray eyebrow hair. Some women use wax, but this is tricky because it’s difficult to achieve an accurate shape. The most common method is using tweezers. If you want to get rid of your stray eyebrow hairs and achieve the perfect eyebrow, follow these tips.
Start from the inner corner of your eye, right above the tear duct and end at the outside corner above the eyelashes. Ideally, eyebrows should have an arch but naturally, the arch is rarely where it should be. The arch should be over the iris, which is the colored part of your eye. It should also be gentle to soften your features, so do the plucking very slowly, one hair at a time. If you pluck it too hastily you might end up with a “surprised” look that will last for weeks until the hair grows back.
The Beauty Brains Blog Blast
Happy Friday everyone! Here are a few of our favorite beauty blog blasts from this week. Enjoy! (And tell them the Beauty Brains sent you.)
Bionic Beauty blogs about “Hercut,” products designed for individual hair styles.
All Women’s Talk (or is it All Women Stalk?) share their list of the best shampoos for damaged hair.
A Girl’s Gotta Spa tells you how to find your inner celebutante (although I’m not sure why you’d want to…)
Beauty Girl Musings muses about Kate Moss and a friggin’ HUGE bottle of perfume.
The Beauty Brains brag about why Pureology shampoo is so good.
The Eyelash Curler From Outer Space
We’ve blogged before about beauty gadgets that really work, but here’s one that seems more impressive for its computer science savvy than its practical application: it’s a USB powered eyelash curler.
Kudos to InventorSpot.com for the heads up on this one (and for the picture). You can click the link to read their story, but basically it’s about a lightweight device that can be powered off your computer’s USP port or by batteries. (Oooh, it’s so science-fictiony! Just imagine what would happen if you used this after coating your lashes with those tiny tubes that Blinc mascara creates!)
Seriously though, I can’t quite imagine anyone needing this but I thought the Beauty Brains community would get a kick out of hearing about it.
What other USB powered beauty devices can you think of? Maybe a blow dryer? An electric toothbrush? Leave a comment and share in the silliness.