The cosmetics industry is worth a billion dollars and for very good reason – women (and men!) love makeup and are usually more than ready to shell out hundreds of dollars for the very latest makeup collections. Getting their hands on the latest Almost lipsticks and clay blushes is a must and they do not let anything stop in their way.
If you too like makeup then it is safe to say that you know all about how they make the skin smooth, hide imperfections, make your lips redder, etc. but do you know exactly what is in your makeup? It is easy to forget such details when you are staring at the latest rich plum lipsticks but it pays to be informed. Have a look below at some of the weirdest ingredients found in cosmetics.
Lanolin – It sounds really fancy and luxurious, like something you would lovingly smooth onto a grazed knee but what you do not know is that lanolin is the greasy stuff secreted by wool bearing mammals! That’s right; think of the greasy build-up that you get on your hair going several days without a shower – that is the same grease that builds up on fur. It sounds gross and you might think you would never allow that near your body but if you have ever used shaving cream, lipstick, and shampoo then you’ve most likely used lanolin as well! You might argue and say you use only the good stuff but to date, over a hundred lipstick brands make use of Lanolin and this includes the more renowned brands.
Ambergris – The very name conjures up images of something exotic and expensive; this is especially true for those fancy, exotic and expensive perfumes. However, the real kicker here is that ambergris is actually whale vomit! It seems gross and totally untrue but that is the truth about ambergris.
It looks awful and doesn’t come from the most ideal places but it does lend a certain smell to perfume and it is awfully expensive costing as much as $20 per gram. Some connoisseurs have likened it to fine wine in that it smells better the longer it is left to age.
Guanine – This ingredient is also known as CI 75170 and is found in thousands of nail polish variants including ones from very well-known brands. So what makes it so odd? Well, Guanine is a fancy name for fish scales and it is used to give products that iridescent look. You may also find this ingredient in some lipsticks.