Medicinal mucus

[salocius]

The mucus produced by jellyfish is rich in a compound that is vital to some cosmetics and drugs. The finding could help combat rising numbers of some jellyfish species.

Japan's soaring jellyfish population, thought to be a result of artificial reefs, overfishing and climate change, has caused many difficulties, including a blockage at a nuclear plant. But except as a restaurant delicacy, people have few uses for jellyfish. Now their disposal could become economical.

Kiminori Ushida at the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research in Wako, Japan, extracted mucus from five species of jellyfish and found it was rich in a family of sugary proteins called mucins. Obtained today from cow salivary glands or pig stomachs, mucins allow cosmetics to retain moisture and are the basis of synthetic mucus.


Isn't it nice to know what goes into the products we use!

[Nutty_ZA]

Very Pleasant...
Makes me really glad I don't wear make up...

[TheGuru]

I wonder if people would still wear makeup if they knew that ?

[InLove]

Franticlly dives into make-up bag to check ingredients on all products

[madcat]

Originally Posted by InLove

Exactly..... glad I don't wear make-up that often... but will think twice about what I do wear now.... no jellyfish is getting it's mucus on me! Also, I didn't know cow and pig products were used. I'm Jewish and I dont want to wear pig products in my lipstick...

MadCat

[Nutty_ZA]

Originally Posted by madcat

I'm Jewish and I dont want to wear pig products in my lipstick...

That's a really good point actually... surely Cosmetic companies should be forced to state that their product contains porcine or bovine ingredients??? I'm pretty sure that Hindu women wouldn't want to wear make up containing Cow Mucus either...(not that any woman in her right mind would want to wear mucus of any sort)

[smartsez]

Well in all honesty i dont mind the idea-solely because i know lipstick and suchlike used to contain whale blubber which i just think is wrong. they now use things of a similar texture from pigs which are slaughtered for the meat anyway. I would feel bad wearing make up if i thought animals were killed for the sake of my vanity, but i know its just what a butcher cant use!

although, like madcat, i dont tend to wear it all that often anyway. i'd never wear it for work, cos then you never look different when you go out! i only ever wear it if i'm going on a night out!

[TheGuru]

Originally Posted by smartsez

Well in all honesty i dont mind the idea-solely because i know lipstick and suchlike used to contain whale blubber which i just think is wrong. they now use things of a similar texture from pigs which are slaughtered for the meat anyway. I would feel bad wearing make up if i thought animals were killed for the sake of my vanity, but i know its just what a butcher cant use!

Does that then imply that all butchers send the left over fat to makeup manufacturers?

[smartsez]

we once had to do a study for H.E about the processes of meat manufacture and how nothing gets wasted. I cant remember all that much about it (it being about 10 years ago!) but I can remember having a spider diagram of everything that gets removed from a carcass and where it goes, and cosmetic companies were definately a part of it!

[madcat]

I never knew cow and pig fat were used in Make-Up manufacture. I did know whale stuff was used a long time ago.

None of my lipsticks have a ingredients list on, nor do their websites.. so I am going to do some research. I have never eaten pig, so I don't want to ingest it by accident whilst licking off my lippy!

I agree with Smartsez on make-up.. I like to feel special when I go out, and as I use make-up so infequently, I always feel nice when I am made up! Mike bought me professional make-up lessons last Xmas, so now I can even apply it nicely and am more confident and happy when I go out!

MadCat