With a wide range of bizarre beauty products available at just the tap of an iPhone screen, it seems like nothing can shock us when it comes to exotic ingredients (snail slime we're looking at you).
But you know what? We were wrong. Checking out the beauty aisles on our latest trip to China, we came across the newest South Korean import and the most recent contender in the weird beauty stakes - horse oil.
Yes, horse oil. It's not a typo and it's every bit as animal based as you're imagining right now.
So what's the deal?
Is it really made from horses?
By its name, it's easy to guess that this new wonder beauty product is derived from our four legged friends, specifically from the fat of the horse, which may sound gross but using fat from animals isn't a new idea.
Animal byproducts have been used in beauty for centuries with ingredients like gelatin and lanolin common in many commercial formulas.
Unlike lanolin, which can be extracted from sheep wool without harming the sheep, horse oil is solely a byproduct from horse meat production, in countries that eat horse meat (quite a few!)
Before you imagine horses being killed purely for this purposes of beauty, it's important to note that this isn't the case. Horse fat in general, is a relatively small amount per animal which makes it too expensive to farm horses purely for horse oil.
Although not popular in the West, horse meat is consumed in a wide number of countries across both Europe and Asia and as a waste product from this process, some may find it reassuring that all parts of the animal are being used.
So why is horse oil good for your skin?
Horse oil and horse oil products have been used for centuries in the Far East for treating mild skin complaints, such as burns, cuts and eczema.
Being derived from fat, it's no surprise that horse oil contains an essential fatty acid called linolenic acid – but more so than in cows and sheep. Linolenic acid is thought to have anti-inflammatory properties and helps to maintain and repair the barrier of the skin.
By doing this, it's going to keep moisture in, and the bad stuff out, which in turn should contribute to healthy, glowing skin.
Fancy giving it a go?
Try Korea Guerisson 9 Complex Cream and let the horse oil do the work.
Get your hands on it here: Baobella
Korea Guerisson 9 Complex Cream
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