Weird Beauty Ingredients, From Algae to Placenta and Beyond

Wool grease. Salmon egg enzyme. Snail mucus...the list goes on.
It's all in the name of beauty! Believe it or not, these odd ingredients are probably in your favorite skin-care products—and they are not nearly as harmful as you'd think. For instance, wool grease, or lanolin, is often found in lip balm and hand creams because it helps moisture penetrate deep into skin layers. While snail mucus, as gross as it sounds, is basically 91 to 98 percent water. The other stuff—like copper peptides and hyaluronic acid—are all good-for-glowing-skin elements.

If you don't read ingredient labels, it's time to start now. Confused about what you're reading? We broke down the weirdest, most scientific-sounding things often found in our favorite products. You won't only sound smart knowing what niacinamide and kojic acid is, but you can proudly admit that a mixture of bee secretion, algae and urea helped you get that glow.
Oh, did we mention dragon's blood is a thing? To find out what is and what it does, keep scrolling.

Algae

Believe it or not, this stuff not only thrives in water but on your skin, too! Algae is a powerful antioxidant, which means it's a common ingredient in anti-aging products, since it contains essential amino acids, proteins and tons of vitamins.
Algenist Algae Brightening Mask, $62

Baobab

Say what?! We're talking about the superfood packed with vitamin C, fiber and calcium. In beauty products, it helps with collagen production, while baobab oil, which contains omega-3 and fatty acids, is often used as a non-pore-clogging moisturizer.
Nyakio Baobab Lip Balm, $22

Coffee

While drinking too much caffeine may not be good for you, applying it on your face can work wonders. Caffeine is an antioxidant, which helps ward off free-radical damage. It's often used in eye creams, as it naturally depuffs, calms irritated skin and improves blood flow, which eventually brightens skin.
100% Pure Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream, $25

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Dragon's Blood

No, Game of Thrones is not real. It sounds mythical, but dragon's blood, or croton lechleri, is a red resin produced by a specific set of plants. It was used in ancient times for medicinal purposes, but nowadays, it's used to calm skin inflammation, redness and irritation.
Rodial Dragon's Blood Eye Gel, $66

Egg Enzymes

Sushi lovers, this one may be for you. Apparently, the salmon egg enzyme works well as a gentle exfoliator. It can loosen dead skin cells without damaging the cells underneath. Not to mention, it's full of amino acids, fatty acids, omega-3 and vitamins A and D, which make it a pretty pricey ingredient.
Perricone MD Blue Plasma Cleansing Treatment, $45

Ferulic Acid

It actually sounds quite feral, but this is just another antioxidant to add to your arsenal. It's found in the seeds of fruits and basically acts as a power boost to vitamins already working in your favor. Free-radical damage is practically toast against this ingredient.
Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Ferulic Acid + Retinol Brightening Solution, $88

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Gold

It may be a little extra (and expensive), but gold is also an antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties (read: it'll tone down redness). The gold in this product is designed to lock in moisture, but for that luxurious radiance, you may have to pay a premium.
Peter Thomas Roth 24K Gold Mask Pure Luxury Lift & Firm Mask, $80

Hyaluronic Acid

Pretty much every moisturizing product has this ingredient nowadays. It sounds scary but it's so effective that it's now marketed as a buzzword. Hyaluronic molecules hold up 1000 times more water, which makes hydrated skin all the more achievable.
Garnier SkinActive Moisture Bomb The Antioxidant Super Moisturizer, $16.99

Indian Gentian Extract

It may sound exotic, but this plant has universal healing properties. Back in the day, it was used for everything from treating flu to infections. Today, it's used in skin care for its blood circulation properties. Perhaps that's why beauty brands are using it to help fight wrinkles and aging.
Dermalogica Nightly Lip Treatment, $49

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Jelly

Not the PB&J variety—we're talking about royal jelly, or worker bee secretion. It's often paired with Manuka honey to create one badass anti-aging product promising taut skin.
J.One Jelly Cream, $42

Kojic Acid

Got skin discolorations or redness? This ingredient is primarily used as a brightening agent. It helps exfoliate and remove dirt from the surface layer of skin.
Arcona Brightening Drops, $44

Lanolin

If you're a vegan, you're probably not going to like the idea of this one. Lanolin or lanolin oil, a.k.a. wool grease, is typically collected from sheep. It's used in a lot of moisturizing beauty products, because it penetrates deeper into the skin.
Lano Lips 101 Ointment Mulitpurpose Superbalm, $17

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Micellar Molecules

Hard water drying out your skin? Micellar to the rescue! Micellar products contain little molecules called micelles that remove dirt and impurities without any water. This is especially great for those who hate washing their face. Read more about it here.
La Roche Posay Physiological Micellar Water Cleansing Solution, $14.99

Niacinamide

Another hard ingredient to say but what is essentially vitamin B3 is important for skin care products that claim it can help reduce redness, minimize fine lines and wrinkles and protect skin integrity.
Olay Regenerist Micro Sculpting Cream, $28

Oliveactiv

While this brand calls it Oliveactiv, it's known to scientists as Maslinic Acid, which is (yet again) an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory derived from olive pulp. Besides performing the usual free-radical fighting, it also repairs skin, penetrating deep down into its layers.
Dr. Brandt 24/7 Retinol Eye Cream, $55

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Placenta

Before you go thinking this is human placenta (which does contain amino acids that can breathe life into skin cells), we're talking about plant placenta this time, which pretty much can have the same effect if not better. It can go deep into skin layers and deliver anti-aging proteins and peptides. In clinical tests, plant placenta provided 70 percent more skin oxygenation than human placenta.
Tonymoly Pureness 100 Placenta Mask Sheet Strengthening Skin Barrier, $4.94

Quinoa

That stuff you eat for lunch every day? Yep, it's good for your skin, too. While you may not absorb the superfood's vitamins, minerals and protein the same way, it should help your skin out, too, right?
Nyakio Quinoa De-Puffing & Firming Eye Cream, $39

Rice Powder

Not only does the milled grain act as an non-abrasive exfoliant, but it also contains vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that stimulate cell turnover.
Tatcha Polished Classic Rice Enzyme Powder, $65

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Snail Mucus

It sounds disgusting but just look at the stats: It's packed with hyaluronic acid (see letter H) and antimicrobial and copper peptides, all good-for-your-skin ingredients. It's about 90 percent water, so it's super hydrating. And snail slime helps promote collagen and elastin, which heals damaged skin. Fun fact: Snail mucus used for cosmetic purposes are usually grown in the lab, not garden, so don't just plop just any ol' slug on your face!
MISSHA Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail Sleeping Mask, $23

Tamanu Oil

Derived from a tree nut, this natural ingredient is featured in many products for eczema, acne, stretch marks and even ingrown hairs. It also promotes cell turnover and contains antioxidant properties.
Vitner's Daughter Active Botanical Serum, $185

Urea

Not to be confused with the stuff in your urinary tract, this kind of urea can act as a gentle exfoliant and humectant, which means it helps retain moisture and enhances the performance of your lotions and creams.
DERMAdoctor KP Duty Lotion, $38

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Vitamin C

OK, it's no secret that vitamin C is essential in good skin care; however, in recent years it's become an ingredient du jour for beauty brands claiming brighter skin, collagen production, better elasticity and skin protection.
The Body Shop Vitamin C Facial Cleansing Polish, $19

Water Lily Extract

It's obvious, but the best moisturizing product hydrate your skin. The top-tier products also condition your skin. You wouldn't just shampoo right? Water lily extract is a natural conditioner.
H2O+ Beauty Hydrating Treatment, $32.30

Xanthan Gum

Sometimes, you need something to hold all the good-for-you ingredients together. This natural thickening agent just does that...without any necessary chemicals or artificial compounds.
Origins Plantscription Powerful Lifting Concentrate, $62

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Yogurt

We know yogurt contains probiotics, or good bacteria that helps with digestion, but what about putting the stuff on your face? Well, yogurt is also packed with proteins, containing amino acids that help nourish and moisturize.
Korres Greek Yoghurt 3-in-1 Cleansing, Toning and Eye Make-Up Removing Emulsion, $24  

Zinc Oxide

Last but not least, Z, or zinc oxide, which is important because it helps protect against UVA and UVB, so you'll see this non-toxic ingredient in sunscreens a lot. It's also a common find in acne and anti-wrinkle products.
Kate Somerville EradiKate Acne Treatment, $26

Now you know.

Is there a weird ingredient you need help deciphering?