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 It has mostly been replaced by synthetic alternatives.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.

波士顿科学博物馆的这篇关于化妆品科学的文章让我想起了化妆品中其他几种古怪的原材料。所以，下面列出的是美容专家们认为在化妆品和个人护理产品中使用的最奇怪的成分。

10. 胎盘 – 产后从子宫内膜自然剥离排出的生命体，已经在一些美容产品中使用多年了。制造商们都声称它能帮助组织生长，减少皱纹，而且对头发有益。不幸的是，目前这些说法无一被证实有效。

9. 鲸鱼的唾液 – 作为香水中的固香剂，这种叫做“龙涎香”的物质有一种泥土味的芳香。通常出现在南美或澳大利亚南部的沙滩上。目前大多数已被人工合成品替代。

8. 胭脂虫 – 如果你需要一种非常正的红色，你可以抓几只这种虫子，放入热水中溺死，晾干，然后研磨成粉。这种万能的深红色染料可用于护肤面霜，唇膏和几乎其它任何美容产品。

7. 废弃的烹饪油 – 科学家们表示用过的烹饪油中有一种表面活性剂，这种活性剂可以帮助受损肌肤新生。所以，下次你去买肉饼的时候，如果你听到“你想用它作美容吗？”这样的话，请不要惊讶。

6. 母乳 – 这可能是个骗人的玩意儿，但是有人发誓曾用母乳制作成肥皂。你也会去尝试一下吗？

5. 鸟粪 – 听说过艺妓美容吗？它的特色是将夜莺粪涂在脸上以起到深层清洁的作用，价格是$180美元一次。也许这种方法确实有效，但是你的确不需要付出像将鸟粪涂到脸上这样的代价。

4. 公牛精液 – 想要闪亮的秀发？欧洲的一些沙龙认为他们正好可以满足你的需要。公牛精液里的蛋白质似乎可以为此提供惊人的效果。我怀疑它只会给你一个僵硬的发型。

3. 蛇毒 – 最荒唐新成分之一，用于抑制皱纹的产生。使用这一材料的化妆品制造者希望你会结合肉毒毒素和蛇毒，并认为这二者对于对抗皱纹都有着神奇的效果。不管杰米·普莱斯利会怎么想，没有任何肯定的效果表明蛇毒对于抗皱有效。

 2. 鸡骨髓 –据说这是一种摄取葡萄糖胺的好资源，但是它是怎样应用于化妆品中却一直是个谜。人们仍然在使用鸡骨髓但是他们很少像这样宣扬出来。

1. 母牛粪 – 令人难以置信的是，你可以从母牛粪中提取出一种好闻的香草芳香。它再也不只是一种肥料了。