Horse Fat: A K-Beauty Must-Have

The Korean beauty market feels a bit like Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory for beauty addicts: brimming with all the skincare and makeup products you could possibly dream up. Last week at KCON 2016, an annual extravaganza celebrating Korean culture, the sheer volume of beauty products on display was completely overwhelming.

With the popularity of K-beauty snowballing, it’s natural to expect a handful of products to crop up that are quirky, weird, and kind of gross. While we’d love to send Korea a big fat thank-you note for giving us staples like BB creams, there are a few Korean beauty products that might take some getting used to (and others we’re going to have to pass on).

A large swath of more adventurous products contains ingredients derived from animals, a concept in stark contrast with the cruelty-free and vegan brands popular in the U.S. A growing number of K-beauty products use horse fat as their signature ingredient. Yep, you read that right. If Black Beauty is your favorite book, you might want to skip ahead.

There was no shortage of facemasks formulated with horse placenta at KCON 2016. (Photo: Caitlyn Becker)

Products containing horse oil were everywhere at KCON. A rep working with a product called Samsung Mayu the Horse Oil Cream explained that the oil is melted down from the fat of horses. Horse oil contains whitening qualities and is believed to be extremely hydrating. If you can get past the fact that it’s made of horses, you could be enjoying the benefits of bright, soft, and supple skin.

The Moksha Horse Placenta + Ampoule Mask is a sheet mask that combines the beneficial qualities of horse oils with the anti-aging properties of placenta. The mask is supposed to firm and brighten skin. Products containing placenta and placenta facials started gaining a niche following a few years back, so it makes sense that they would find their way into the horse oil market.

Horse oil can also allegedly banish problem skin. The White Nose Mayu Pack is a three-step nose strip that opens pores, removes those pesky little blackheads, and then brightens the surface with — yep, you guessed it — horse oil.

Who knew pig collagen could be the secret to healthy-looking, glowy skin? (Photo: Caitlyn Becker)

However, you might not want to toss those Bioré strips just yet. “I’m not really a fan myself,” says Glow Recipe co-founder Sarah Lee. The K-beauty curator feels that horse oil products are part of a more gimmicky market versus a results-based one.

K-beauty doesn’t stop with horses. Many pig collagen products are popping up within different brands. But don’t go diving face first into a plate of bacon thinking your skin will glow. These mass-market animal-based ingredients go through rigorous testing and are approved by the Korean Food and Drug Administration.

Toning moisturizer with a side of snail mucin, anyone? (Photo: Caitlyn Becker)

There are less cruel animal-ingredients-containing K-beauty products as well. Snail mucin, which is basically snail goo, is incredibly popular, in everything from masks to moisturizers. It definitely sounds gross, but the gloopy gloop secreted by snails is extremely skin beneficial. In Lee’s beauty book, aptly titled The Little Book of Skin Care, she explains that snail mucin is hydrating, repairing, and anti-aging. Products like the Goodal Premium Snail Tone-Up Cream immediately gives your skin a firmer and absurdly supple feel. Plus, the snails aren’t actually harmed in the process of obtaining their slime.

Other companies are taking cues from Cleopatra, saturating masks in donkey milk (the ancient Egyptian icon reportedly bathed in it). Donkey milk is packed with more complexion enhancing vitamins than traditional cow’s milk. There may be something about the idea of donkey milk that makes you a little apprehensive to slather it on your skin, but the Donkey Milk Skin Gel Mask is an incredibly revitalizing product — and smells great.

Yes, this is a donkey-milk brightening face sheet mask. (Photo: Caitlyn Becker)

It seems unlikely that Western consumers will fully embrace the bizarre and, to some, cruel nature of Korean beauty products with animal ingredients. But if unicorn horns someday promise to be the fountain of youth, it won’t be surprising to see American women lining up around the block looking to reverse time.

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