Top 5 Most Disgusting Ingredients In Your Makeup

Yes, ladies, I know most of us, if not all, have heard the rumor that mascara is made from bat poo. I've read articles that confirm the rumor and articles that dispel it and yet, still unsure, I continue to coat my eyelashes with what might actually be bat excrement. But believe it or not, bat poop may not be the most disgusting ingredient in your beauty arsenal. Let's have a look, shall we?

Disgusting Ingredient #5: The Cochineal Beetle

Cute, isn't it? Now imagine crushing the heck out of it, gathering all the lovely red juice that oozes out, and putting it all over your lips. That is essentially what you are probably doing when coating your lips with your favorite red lipstick. The cochineal beetle is the source of carmine, a red dye often used in lipsticks and some eyeshadows. And actually, you might even find this in your strawberry yogurt or that yummy raspberry popsicle you're about to bite into, as carmine is used as food dye as well. Mmm, cochineal beetles.

Disgusting Ingredient #4: Placenta

I don't know about you, but I was hoping that the last time I'd be covered in placenta would be, you know, my birth and all. But apparently placenta is used in some skin care products with claims that it promotes tissue growth and diminishes wrinkles. Solid proof of these claims seems to be MIA, though. So, use products with placenta at your own risk, if you can stomach it.

Disgusting Ingredient #3: Bull Semen

Yeah, I read that twice too. I'll admit you probably won't find this in any woman's beauty bag, but there is a salon in Europe that offers a 45-minute hair treatment that involves a mixture of bull semen and katira plant root extract being massaged gently into the hair. Why? To boost shine, of course! Am I the only one picturing Cameron Diaz in "There's Something About Mary"? I didn't think so...

Disgusting Ingredient #2: Ambergris, aka Whale Barf

Got a signature scent? You may have a nauseous whale to thank for it. Ambergris, the byproduct of digestion from whales (or puke, in layman's terms), is often used to "fix" the scent of a perfume. But don't freak out just yet, because due to the high cost of the natural substance, synthetic versions are used more often than the real thing.

And the # 1 Most Disgusting Ingredient: Cow Dung

Believe it or not, cow dung, the same stuff that attracts flies and repels anyone with a halfway decent sense of smell, is actually used to create a fragrance - vanilla fragrance, that is. Apparently the soft scent of vanilla can be extracted from cow poo when it is heated up under high pressure. Yeah. Heated cow dung smells like vanilla. I'll believe it when I ... no, just forget it.

So there you have it, the top five most disgusting ingredients that may very well be lurking in your beauty bag. That old fashioned practice of just pinching your cheeks for a little color doesn't sound so stupid now, does it?