The skincare industry continues to be one of the largest growing - and most profitable - industries in the world. From regular skincare products to anti-aging miracles, men and women alike are learning to turn back the hands of time by purchasing just a couple of choice items. While most of us know that the best skincare products contain natural botanicals, antioxidants and vitamins, there is a growing part of the skincare industry that is tapping into a totally different and totally strange arsenal to create the latest and greatest products on the market.

The majority of the strange ingredients being used in skincare and anti-aging products today may seem completely useless on their own but when added to the right mixture of a skincare product, you’d be surprised by the potential they hold and what it can do for your aging complexion. Probably one of the most disgusting ingredients being used in products today is snail slime - and not just any kind of snail slime - purified snail slime. Some skincare companies are actively using this ingredient to create special skin creams that claim to reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, stretch marks and acne. Additionally, purified snail slime is said to make aging skin smoother and softer. So how can something so icky make you beautiful? Dermatologists say it could be due to the allantoin that is secreted by snails. Allantoin is a substance that works to product the skin and shell of the snail and helps with regeneration.

Want a healthy complexion? Then you may be interested in an up and coming skincare ingredient that is being hailed by some to be better for the skin than vitamin E: sperm. You read right, sperm. While this ingredient’s prospects are still in the early development stages, skincare insiders say the potential of sperm in facial products can be huge. Companies researching this ingredient believe the small crystals extracted from seminal fluid are more potent than vitamin E and can keep skin healthy, vibrant and soft.

If the thought of putting moisturizer containing sperm on your face may seem crazy, then maybe opting for a product with bee mucus extract will be more appealing. Skincare companies in China are turning to bee mucus extract as its latest must have ingredient in skincare and anti-aging products because of its ability to eliminate and prevent wrinkles, as well as restore a healthy balance to the complexion’s natural oils, which can be stripped or lost over time. Bee mucus extract isn’t the only byproduct of an animal that is being tapped into for anti-aging and other skincare items. Snakes are also being added into the mix, namely snake venom peptide. Anti-aging products in particular are looking into snake venom peptide as a means of reducing the appearance of wrinkles, specifically deep wrinkles, on the face. The idea of using snake venom peptide to treat wrinkles is along the same lines as the use of Botox on the signs of aging.

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