Perusing the internet, I came across the new products and services, detailed below, that I’ll just call weird cosmetics. I list the name of the product, the price and what it is supposed to accomplish. I will not comment further on them, except for the first one listed. Dragon’s blood is a new ingredient that is purported to protect the skin by high antioxidant activity due to its large proanthocyanidin content. This is not the same as Dragon fruit, which is another new ingredient featured in various cosmetic products, and also in foods and beverages, household products and paint.

Peter Thomas Roth Laser Free Resurfacer uses Dragon’s blood (a red rosin drawn from a tree in the Amazon). It is a healing serum that evens out skin tone and reduces signs of aging. A 1fl.oz bottle retails for $75.

Cow Fart Juice, from a small Brooklyn, NY company called Between You and the Moon, is an herbal oil blend that helps reduce inflammation and heal blemishes. It smells mustier than a barnyard and no cows are used in this vegan product. The cost is $60.

White Gold Detoxifying Crystal Salt uses Himalayan crystals to draw out toxins from the body. A 30-minute soak in this $85 product is equivalent to a three-day detoxifying program, according to the manufacturer, Zuneta Beauty.

Energy Muse Wearable Scent Bracelet is made with a seed that is said to emit positive vibes. Apothia IF perfume is sprayed on the $25 bracelet to make you feel “confident and strong.”

Origins Skin Diver (for men) body wash costs $19 for 6.7fl.oz and contains charcoal powder to draw out pore-clogging toxins leading to healthier, less acne-prone skin.

Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotic Kampuku Soap contains lactic acid bacteria combined with raw apricot, plum, wild strawberry, Chinese cabbage and more for $12.

Spa Services…Only in New York!

The following are curious spa services that are available in New York City. Shizuka Day Spa in New York offers a Geisha Facial. This $180 treatment involves applying Nightingale excrement to the face.

Elemur Day Spa 56 in New York performs ear-candling service. Earwax is removed by blowing smoke through a hollow cylinder into the ear to loosen up the wax. Cost is $60. The practice reportedly improves general health and well-being, but medical resear- chers call the practice both dangerous and ineffective. And finally, Townhouse Spa offers a Babyface Special for $250.Therapists apply spermine, an antioxi- dant made from synthesized hum- an sperm, to the face.After application, an infrared light is used for further“penetration.”

Weird Science

This last subject isn’t so much about weird cosmetics, as it is about “weird science.” Researchers have noted that most of what we call taste happens not in our mouths, but through our noses. Aromas, apparently, trick our brains into thinking we are tasting certain flavors. A company called ScentSational Technologies is attempting to produce tasty products without sugary additives such as corn syrup. One of their projects is working with a baby-food producer to add scent to the product’s cap so that when parents open the jar, they smell “freshness.” Another company is adding fragrance to a cereal maker’s plastic bag, to “sweeten” the product while actually reducing the amount of sugar in the formula.

Another product called Aroma Water uses smells to replicate flavors. An FDA approved flavor is sealed into a thin layer of plastic that coats the inside of the bottle cap.Before the seal is broken, the fragrance infuses the water with a fruity scent. When the bottle is opened, the perfume is also released into the air, and it travels along the back of the throat into the nasal passage, enhancing the fruity taste.

It remains to be seen just how successful with the public this concept will be.

Harvey Fishman has a consulting firm located in Wanaque, NJ,specializing in cosmetic formulations and new product ideas, offering tested finished products. He has more than 30 years of experience and has been director of research at Bonat, Nestlé LeMur and Turner Hall. He welcomes descriptive literature from suppliers and bench chemists and others in the field. He can be reached via email at [email protected]