30 Beauty Products with Weird but Effective Ingredients
Updated: Jun. 09, 2016
Call us crazy, but it seems like the most effective skin care ingredients are also the strangest. From activated charcoal to snail mucus extract (yes, snail mucus!), here are the products beauty-lovers are going gaga over this season.
The Ingredient: Bee Venom
Say goodbye to wrinkles; this day cream is infused with bee venom which will increase circulation and firm skin, eliminating the appearance of fine lines.
Rodial Bee Venom Day Cream, $160 at beautyboutique.ca.
The Ingredient: Activated Charcoal
Known for its ability to remove toxins from the skin, activated charcoal has become one of the hottest skin care ingredients of 2016.
Soapwalla Activated Charcoal + Petitgrain Soap Bar, US $13 at soapwallakitchen.com.
The Ingredient: Snail Mucus Extract
Pamper your peepers with a luxurious eye mask made from regenerating snail mucus extract and detoxifying 24K gold.
The Face Shop Hwansaenggo Escargot Golden Firming Eye Mask, $6 at thefaceshop.ca.
The Ingredient: Chamomile
Forget sitting in a salon all day, achieve the perfect shade of bombshell blonde with hair-lightening and moisturizing chamomile.
Klorane Golden Highlights Shampoo, $12 at well.ca.
The Ingredient: Kale
Nutritionists have been singing its praises for years, and now skin care experts are, too. This kale, watercress and almond oil moisturizer will keep skin hydrated and protected all day long.
Nip + Fab Kale Fix Moisturizer, $26 at Shopper’s Drug Mart.
The Ingredient: Charcoal
These cleansing towelettes use charcoal to clear up blemishes and mattify skin-a must-have through the hot summer months.
Garnier SkinActive Clean+ Oily Skin Purifying Remover, $8 at walmart.ca.
The Ingredient: Black Tea
Not only does this daily moisturizer give skin the perfect glow without harmful UV rays, but it’s enriched with antioxidant-packed black tea to keep skin soft and supple.
Jergens Natural Glow with Black Tea, $9 at walmart.ca.
The Ingredient: Royal Jelly
If your hair’s been damaged (and let’s be honest: whose hasn’t?), then royal jelly is your new best friend. Also known as bee’s milk, this nutrient-rich concentrate can bring even the sickliest strands back from the brink.
Garnier Whole Blends Honey Treasures Shampoo + Conditioner, $6-$8 at major retailers.
The Ingredient: Red Algae
Packed with red algae (known for a mega blend of vitamin C and other skin-brightening minerals and nutrients), this skin care line is everything your skin has been wishing for and more.
The Body Shop Drops of Light Collection, $16-$38 at thebodyshop.ca.
The Ingredient: Coconut Water
Not only will this flawless foundation hide any imperfections, but it’s infused with coconut water to keep skin feeling hydrated and healthy.
Too Faced Born This Way Foundation, $54 at toofaced.com.
The Ingredient: Honey Extract
Take your brows and lashes from barely there to big and bushy with help from Plume’s honey-infused serum. (Hair follicles treated with honey extract retain more moisture and grow faster and stronger.)
Plume Lash and Brow Enhancing Serum, US $95 at plumescience.com.
The Ingredient: Black Tea
This anti-aging serum is formulated with two types of black tea, both proven to inhibit the effects of free radicals on the skin.
Fresh Black Tea Age-Delay Firming Serum, $111 at sephora.ca.
The Ingredient: Eggs
It’s no surprise protein-packed eggs work wonders on your hair. They cleanse without removing essential oils, leaving hair feeling full and fresh.
Egg + Cognac Shampoo and Egg Yolk Conditioner, US $15-$17 at hair-recipes.com.
The Ingredient: Greek Yogurt
With an abundance of protein packed into these cleansing wipes, they’ll nourish the skin as they remove impurities and all traces of makeup.
Korres Greek Yoghurt Cleansing and Makeup Removing Wipes, $18 at beautyboutique.ca.
The Ingredient: Capislow
Beyond giving you a super close shave, this cream is infused with Capislow (also known as a miraculous plant extract that slows down the hair growth process).
Shaveworks Pearl Souffle Luxurious Shave Cream, $40 at yesstyle.ca.
The Ingredient: Raspberry Seed Oil
It used to be impossible to find long-wear colour that wouldn’t dry out your lips, but these all-natural lipsticks (with raspberry seed oil and beeswax) have managed to do just that.
Burt’s Bees lipsticks, $10 at burtsbees.ca.
The Ingredient: Japanese Cherry Blossom
Staying hair-free all summer can be a pain (literally), but these new wax strips are infused with Japanese cherry blossom, which helps soothe sore skin.
Nair Wax Ready-Strips, $13-$17 at select mass and drug retailers.
The Ingredient: Oatmeal
Don’t let the summer sun suck the life out of your skin. This sunscreen’s infused with colloidal oatmeal to keep skin hydrated all day, no matter how strong the rays are.
Aveeno Active Naturals Protect + Hydrate Sunscreen, $16 at select mass and drug retailers.
The Ingredient: Seaberry
Used for generations as a natural remedy, Seaberry oil is a powerful omega-packed antioxidant that protects and nourishes the skin.
Fresh Seaberry Nutrition Cleansing Oil, $49 at sephora.ca.
The Ingredient: Goat’s Milk
One of the gentlest skin care ingredients on the market, lactose-rich goat’s milk soothes tired eyes (and reduces puffiness).
Kate Somerville Goat Milk De-Puffing Eye Balm, $48 at sephora.ca.
The Ingredient: Blackberries
Infused with antioxidant-rich blackberries (which have been shown to improve skin’s elasticity), this serum will help halt the hands of time.
Aveeno Absolutely Ageless Intensive Renewal Serum, $30 at select mass and drug retailers.
The Ingredient: Eucalyptus
Added into this all-natural deodorant formula, antibacterial eucalyptus keeps body odour at bay, leaving behind a crisp scent.
Meow Meow Tweet Lemon Eucalyptus Deodorant, $31 at socialitebeauty.ca.
The Ingredient: AminoMar C
From movie stars to models, Viviscal (and super strange ingredient AminoMar C Marine Complex) has fans all over the world. AminoMar C Marine Complex is the brand’s proprietary blend of marine ingredients, including shark cartilage and oyster. If you need your hair to grow fast and strong, this is the way to do it.
Viviscal Maximum Strength Hair Supplements, $60/month at viviscal.ca.
The Ingredient: Lavender
You may know lavender as the sweet-smelling flower, but it’s also incredibly effective at hydrating and restoring skin’s radiance.
Bliss Mist Harmonizing Facial Toner, $30 at saje.ca.
The Ingredient: Kukui Nut Oil
If your hair needs some help in the humidity, kukui nut oil is the answer you’ve been looking for. This Hawaiian hair secret is a miraculous frizz-fighter.
Hydrate + DeFrizz Kukui Oil Anti-Frizz Hydrating Oil, $9 at walmart.ca.
The Ingredient: Meteorite Extract
This skin-rejuvenating night cream is made with meteorite extract and brown seaweed, two ingredients that help skin cells regenerate.
Filorga Skin Absolute Ultimate Anti-Aging Night Cream, $195 at filorga.com.
The Ingredient: Hibiscus
Packed with nutrients, the hibiscus in this face mask helps restore skin’s moisture while stimulating cell turnover to reveal younger-looking skin.
Kat Burki Hibiscus Antioxidant Face Mask, $86 at beautyboutique.ca.
The Ingredient: Almond Oil
Deeply nourishing, this self-tanner is infused with sweet almond oil to lock in moisture for a full 24 hours after application.
St. Tropez In-Shower Gradual Tan Lotion, $35 at beautyboutique.ca.
The Ingredient: Wakame
Keep skin looking its best with help from wakame (Japanese sea kelp extract), which is known to improve skin’s texture and reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
Boscia Wakame Firming Hydrogel Mask, $10 at sephora.ca.
The Ingredient: Bamboo
Pump up your hair’s volume with this bamboo-infused shampoo and conditioner. The bamboo fibers attach to hair strands, giving the appearance of a much thicker mane.
Strength + Body Bamboo Fiber-Full Shampoo and Conditioner, $9 at walmart.ca.
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