This article about a cosmetic science program for kids at the Boston Museum of Science reminded me of all the other odd source of raw materials used in cosmetics. So, here are what the Beauty Brains think are some of the strangest ingredients used in cosmetic and personal care products.

Top 10 Strange Cosmetic Ingredients

10. Placenta - The life giving uterus lining expelled after birth has been used in some beauty care products for years. Various manufacturers claim it helps stimulate tissue growth, reduces wrinkles and is good for your hair. Unfortunately, none of those claims have ever been proven.

9. Whale vomit - This material called Ambergris is useful as a fixative in perfumes. It has a sweet, earthy odor and is usually found washed up on a beach in South America or Australia. It has mostly been replaced by synthetic alternatives.

8. Cochineal beetles - When you need a nice red color, you can drown a few of these buggers in some hot water, dry them out and pulverize them. The deep crimson dye is versatile enough to be used in skin creams, lipsticks and almost any other beauty product.

7. Waste cooking oil - Scientists say that a surfactant can be made from spent cooking oil that will help regenerate damaged skin. So the next time you order a burger don’t be surprised if you hear “Do you want a facial with that?”

6. Human breast milk - It could be a gimmick but some people swear by using human breast milk to make soap. Is this something you would try?

5. Bird poop - Ever heard of a Geisha Facial? It features deep cleansing, $180 price tag, and a big scoop of Nightingale bird poop. Supposedly the uric acid is supposed to be great for your face. Perhaps it is but you certainly don’t need to smear bird droppings on yourself to get it.

4. Bull semen - Want shiny hair? Then a few salons in Europe think they have exactly what you need. Protein from bull semen is supposed to give amazing results. I’m skeptical it will give you anything more than a stiff hair cut.

3. Snake venom - One of the most ridiculous new ingredients for keeping wrinkles at bay is snake venom. Cosmetic makers who use this stuff hope that you’ll connect the Botox poison with snake poison and figure both must work wonders on wrinkles. Despite what Jamie Pressly might think, snake venom hasn’t been shown to have any positive improvement in wrinkle creams.

2. Chicken bone marrow - Supposed to be a good source of glucosamine but how that helps your cosmetic remains a mystery. But people still use chicken bone marrow but they rarely advertise it as such.

1. Cow dung - It turns out you can make an incredibly pleasant smelling vanilla fragrance from extracts of cow dung. It’s not just a fertilizer any more.

波士頓科學博物館的這篇關于化妝品科學的文章讓我想起了化妝品中其他幾種古怪的原材料。所以，下面列出的是美容專家們認為在化妝品和個人護理產品中使用的最奇怪的成分。

10. 胎盤 – 產后從子宮內膜自然剝離排出的生命體，已經在一些美容產品中使用多年了。制造商們都聲稱它能幫助組織生長，減少皺紋，而且對頭發有益。不幸的是，目前這些說法無一被證實有效。

9. 鯨魚的唾液 – 作為香水中的固香劑，這種叫做“龍涎香”的物質有一種泥土味的芳香。通常出現在南美或澳大利亞南部的沙灘上。目前大多數已被人工合成品替代。

8. 胭脂蟲 – 如果你需要一種非常正的紅色，你可以抓幾只這種蟲子，放入熱水中溺死，晾干，然后研磨成粉。這種萬能的深紅色染料可用于護膚面霜，唇膏和幾乎其它任何美容產品。

7. 廢棄的烹飪油 – 科學家們表示用過的烹飪油中有一種表面活性劑，這種活性劑可以幫助受損肌膚新生。所以，下次你去買肉餅的時候，如果你聽到“你想用它作美容嗎？”這樣的話，請不要驚訝。

6. 母乳 – 這可能是個騙人的玩意兒，但是有人發誓曾用母乳制作成肥皂。你也會去嘗試一下嗎？

5. 鳥糞 – 聽說過藝妓美容嗎？它的特色是將夜鶯糞涂在臉上以起到深層清潔的作用，價格是$180美元一次。也許這種方法確實有效，但是你的確不需要付出像將鳥糞涂到臉上這樣的代價。

4. 公牛精液 – 想要閃亮的秀發？歐洲的一些沙龍認為他們正好可以滿足你的需要。公牛精液里的蛋白質似乎可以為此提供驚人的效果。我懷疑它只會給你一個僵硬的發型。

3. 蛇毒 – 最荒唐新成分之一，用于抑制皺紋的產生。使用這一材料的化妝品制造者希望你會結合肉毒毒素和蛇毒，并認為這二者對于對抗皺紋都有著神奇的效果。不管杰米·普萊斯利會怎么想，沒有任何肯定的效果表明蛇毒對于抗皺有效。

 2. 雞骨髓 –據說這是一種攝取葡萄糖胺的好資源，但是它是怎樣應用于化妝品中卻一直是個謎。人們仍然在使用雞骨髓但是他們很少像這樣宣揚出來。

1. 母牛糞 – 令人難以置信的是，你可以從母牛糞中提取出一種好聞的香草芳香。它再也不只是一種肥料了。