South Korea is known for its beauty products. Their face masks, in particular, are known to be some of the best in the world and always seem to be full of good ingredients for your skin. But upon closer inspection, some of these masks can have some pretty strange and downright terrifying-sounding ingredients. Even if they do make your skin glow, here are some of the absolute weirdest ingredients you can find in face masks.
1. Pearls
Yep, the thing that you probably associate with jewelry is actually being used in Korean beauty products! Crushed pearls are supposed to purify and brighten your skin and people who have tried this mask swear that it works!
2. Bee venom
If you’ve ever been stung by a bee you’re probably wondering how in the world bee venom could actually be good for your skin. Surprisingly though it actually is! Products that contain bee venom will help increase blood flow and encourage the production of collagen and elastin which reduces wrinkles and scarring. How does it do this? The venom will fake your skin into thinking its actually been stung and your body natural responds this way!
3. Pig collagen
Collagen is a classic ingredient found in many beauty products the world over but not many can boast the use of pig collagen. This ingredient is full of good nutrients that will help to keep your skin hydrated and will help to enhance its elasticity.
4. Horse oil
Horses aren’t being killed in the name of beauty, but they are still consumed in some countries around the world and its one of the meat industry’s byproducts that is placed into beauty products. The oil is supposed to act as a natural barrier for your skin, helping to repair and moisturize. And even if it does do what it says, if you still have trouble coming to terms with this ingredient, we totally get it.
5. Fish oil
We’ve all heard about Omega-3s right? While it might be way more common to actually consume it, Korean’s have also placed the stuff into face masks! And it turns out it isn’t just food for your heart but also will help you fight off those dark circles. Who would have guessed?
6. Bird nests
Any mask advertising itself as containing bird nest is weird enough as it is but it turns out there is something even stranger about this particular ingredient. These bird nests aren’t the typical sticks and twigs you might have in mind, instead, they are made from saliva! But don’t be completely grossed out. This spit comes from a bird called the swiftlet and their nests have been used and consumed for hundreds of years. The spitty nests are actually full of lots of good things like amino acids and protein that can help combat signs of aging and brighten your skin all while helping to retain moisture.
7. Sea kelp
It might sound a little weird to be putting slimy green sea kelp on your face but it’s actually really good for you. Packed with vitamins and minerals, kelp is good for soothing most skin types and provides a nice brightening effect.
8. Volcanic scoria
Volcanic scoria is actually volcanic rocks. The stuff is crushed down into a fine powder and the tiny fragments will give your skin a deep cleaning. In the same way that charcoal is known to suck out impurities, so too will volcanic scoria. So while this one doesn’t exactly give nutrients to your skin directly it will help pave the way for what you put on next.
9. Snail slime
You know the trails that snails leave behind them as they inch along the ground? Yeah, that’s snail slime and yes, it can be found in some Korean beauty products including face masks! The slimy snail secretions are said to help repair skin from acne, sun damage, and even scars by promoting cell regeneration, the acne treatment specialist Adelaide they know this better than anyone and are specialists in the field and have treated everyone from young to old, so you can get rid of your acneissues now and be well on your way to beautiful, clear skin and true confidence… Now it doesn’t seem so bad, right?
10. Donkey milk
Whoever thought to put donkey milk in a mask might have been a bit of a mad scientist but a brilliant one at that! Donkey milk is packed with vitamins, minerals, proteins, and way more Vitamin C than cow’s milk! And not only is this ingredient going to provide lots of nutrition to your skin but its also supposed to brighten and firm too!
11. 24K gold
You’ve probably heard about face masks with gold in them but you’ve also probably wondered what in the world could they possibly be good for. Turns out that gold is supposed to have anti-aging benefits. Gold face masks are said to help firm brighten, and calm your skin’s appearance. So a luxurious sounding product that actually works? How cool is that!
12. Tomato
Tomatoes aren’t just good for you when you eat them, they are also super good for your skin! Tomato juice is full of good things that will help to balance your skin’s pH, tighten your pores, and help will help treat acne. On top of that, its also been proven to help treat sunburn. No wonder this ingredient is used!
13. Placenta
If you’re a little bit squeamish the thought of placenta in face masks might be a huge turn-off but they’re used in beauty products for a good reason. Since the placenta is the organ that provides nourishment to baby mammals before birth, its packed full of vitamins and nutrients that can be good for your skin. These masks are supposed to help with hydration, cell turnover, among other things. But even with all the benefits, it can still be a little hard to fully understand why anyone would willingly put this on their face.
14. Starfish extract
Starfish are pretty amazing creatures. Since they have the ability to re-grow their arms, it’s not a huge surprise that some beauty guru took notice of this ability and decided to incorporate it into their product. The extract is said to be full of collagen and will do things like banish wrinkles and help brighten your skin.
15. Dragon’s blood
Okay so we know that dragon’s blood masks aren’t really using the blood of some fire-breathing creature but they do really contain “dragon’s blood!” This blood is actually a red-tinted tree sap and is a pretty effective antiviral ingredient. There’s also been plenty of documentation that shows dragon’s blood has anti-inflammatory properties and has even been effective in healing wounds.
