Today in âThings we wish we didnât know aboutâ news: This morning I had the unique pleasure of explaining to my colleagues here at The Root what a âpenis facialâ is. Slang connotations notwithstanding, it wasnât what they thought.
It was worse.
The discussion started rolling when The Rootâs weekend social media editor, Corey Townsend, shared with us a screenshot of a postâfrom the New York Postâcalling the celebrity trend âthe latest disturbing beauty treatment.â While the treatment has actually been around for quite a while, it recently caught steam when actress Cate Blanchett reportedly shared with Vogue Australia what Iâm sure she thought was an adorable anecdote about a spa day she shared with Oceanâs 8 co-star (and fellow famous white woman) Sandra Bullock:
Sandy Bullock and I saw this facialist in New York, Georgia Louise, and she gives what we call the âpenis facialâ and itâs somethingâI donât know what it is, or whether itâs just cause it smells a bit like spermâthereâs some enzyme in it so Sandy refers to it as the penis facial.
Of course, jokes immediately ensued, until I broke down for The Root crew exactly what a penis facial comprises. (Again: Keep your minds out of the gutter.)
Since your curiosity is obviously now disturbingly piqued, hereâs what you need to know about the penis facial: Itâs made from actual penisesâor, at least, parts of them. Thatâs right, the main ingredient in this exclusive beauty treatment is the discarded foreskins of newborn Korean boys. [Editorâs note: Leave it to K-beauty to come up with some shit like this. After all, they also gave us the beauty innovation known as the snail mucus mask.]
Aside from the obvious issues that arise from using unclaimed DNA to produce a beauty product, the main question among our crew was, how does this even become a thing?
While we know the service likely originated with creative Korean chemistry, it gained its popularity among the celebrity set via New York City-based, British-born facialist Georgia Louise, who named it the far more delicate âHollywood EGF (Epidermal Growth Factor) Facialâ and purportedly charges $650 a pop to administer this ... unique beauty treatment.
How does it work? The âepidermal growth factorâ is harvested from the stem cells of circumcised newborn foreskin. Apparently, the enzymes in the cells are so powerful that they encourage rapid cell turnover and immediate benefits like brightening, tightening and wound healingâall of which might be particularly appealing to wealthy and/or famous women without the naturally youth-enhancing benefit of melanin on their side. (Thatâs not shade, just facts.)
But in case youâre thinking this treatment is newâor just appealing to white womenâthink again: The chemistry first gained attention about 15 years ago, when Oprah Winfrey extolled the virtues of SkinMedicaâs TNS Essential Serumâbasically, the OTC version of this treatmentâon her then-hit daytime talk show (RIP, The Oprah Winfrey Show).
Her endorsement drew the ire of anti-circumcision activists, but at least one beauty editor at Refinery 29 was sold, despite the gross-out factor:
The jelly-like liquid looks a little like congealed blood. It smells pretty funky. And it once got Oprah in hot water with anti-circumcision activists because it uses human fibroblast conditioned media, a growth factor derived from neonatal foreskin.
But here is why I donât give a fuck about any of that: Itâs the closest topical product Iâve found to Botox, which is not something I throw around lightly.
The potent (and controversial) growth factor stimulates collagen synthesis and anti-aging genes within the skin to plump, smooth lines, tighten sagginess, and heal wounds â a claim many products make, but none noticeably deliver on. Iâd bathe in the stuff if I could ...
At $281 per 1-ounce bottle, itâs definitely an investment, albeit a far cheaper one than the spa version. Itâs also worth noting that among other retailers, you can procure this wonder product from Amazon.comâwhich means you can be slathering foreskin on your face tomorrow if you have a Prime membership. And if your tastes skew more veganâor the foreskin concept is just too much to stomachâBioEffect makes a barley-derived version for $160.
Of course, this isnât the first DNA-based treatment to catch steam: Remember the âvampire facialâ (which harvests your own blood plasma) or the numerous placenta treatments derived from both sheep and humans? And as for who comes up with this stuff, we only have science to thank; Iâm pretty sure the lifesaving harvesting of umbilical cord blood and the application of vampire facials are two sides of the same scientific coin.
That said, according to mind-and-body site Inverse, the specific benefits of using foreskin, while intriguing, arenât exactly backed up by science:
While medical researchers continue to investigate stem cells for potential restorative properties, there is little evidence to suggest that cell regeneration could take place when stem cells are used only as a topical treatment.
There is a theory that skincare containing stem-cell extracts may encourage cellular growth in the skin, and thus prevents aging. While that theory is promoted by some skincare lines, most companies offering this service use stem cells extracted from plants or fruits, not baby flesh. ...
There is little evidence to suggest the EGF serum generates collagen and elastin any more than other aspects of the treatment. Given that the baby foreskin is applied after a chemical peel using salicylic and glycolic acid and is followed by an electrifying mask, there are too many variables in the process to point to foreskinâs necessity.
Hmm ... sounds like only firsthand experience will provide the answer here. So will The Glow Up be trying out penis facials anytime soon? Stay tuned: Iâve already issued a dare to our resident beauty adventurer, Veronica Webb.
You know, for science.
