Koreans put pig collagen in their face masks

Sunday, April 5, 2015

There's a new moisturizer in town, and it's made from pigs. One Korean company has begun selling a facial moisturizer that uses pig collagen, the Daily Mail reports. Korean cosmetic companies have been known to use some strange ingredients, including bird saliva, snail slime, and bee venom. But Holika Holika's "Pig-collagen Jelly Pack" is one of the weirder products currently available. Certified by the Korea Food & Drug Administration, the gel-like sleeping mask has "high density collagen … and gold ingredients contained," according to its packaging, along with "peptides." According to the Daily Mail, it is supposed to be placed on the face before sleeping, then washed off the next morning.

According to the Independent, some dermatologists believe that animal collagen is a common ingredient in many modern beauty products. But usually pig collagen would be relegated to the ingredient list, rather than put front and centre as the main selling point. Some scientists are doubtful about whether putting collagen on your skin actually has any effect, though this has not stopped other Korean companies such as Tony Moly and Scinic from producing their own pig collagen face creams, the Daily Mail reports.

Holika Holika's Pig-collagen Jelly Pack is available on amazon.ca for $34. BP