Would you pay $40 for a breast milk facial?

Image: iStock

Humankind has found some truly baffling uses for breast milk over the years.

There are some mothers who pay to have their milk preserved and turned into bespoke jewellery. Meanwhile, a growing number of fitness fanatics — typically male ones — are adding breast milk to their diets as a natural energy drink.

Now, people are paying up to have it rubbed into their faces. Not directly from a woman’s breast, mind you, but still. As far as au naturel beauty trends go, it’s certainly… interesting.

According to Fox 32, a new Chicago-based facial bar called Mud uses human breast milk in one of its six facial treatments. The facial lasts for half an hour and costs clients $40.

The milk is purchased from local women who have registered with a certified milk bank. This is an important detail, as it helps to ensure the product is safe and free from bacteria or infection — like any bodily fluids, breast milk can carry diseases such as HIV and hepatitis.

“The donors mainly have an organic diet and have to have routine blood checks — [the milk bank is] very accredited,” Mud's owner Shama Patel explains.

The idea behind the Mud bar's breast milk facial came from, of all places, parenting blogs.

"There are so many mummy blogs out there that talk about using breast milk to basically help with skin conditions," Patel tells Fox News. (Post continues after gallery.)

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It's not only blogs making these claims. Holistic skin care practitioners say human breast milk boasts anti-bacterial and anti-septic properties, and that it can combat acne, eczema, sunburn and dry skin. Its fatty acids are also said to nourish and rehydrate the skin.

When you think about it, it's not uncommon for mammal milk, including milk from goats, camels and cows, to be used in skincare products. Right now, donkey milk-based moisturisers are having a moment, with brands like Napoleon Perdis getting in on the action. Cleopatra used to bathe in the stuff, and her skin was famously soft and supple.

That said, thought of having a stranger's milk sitting on your face for half an hour is pretty strange. Perhaps we should leave human breast milk to the babies, yeah?

Would you ever have a breast milk facial? What other uses for breast milk have you heard of?

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Would you pay $40 to have breast milk rubbed into your face?

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