HYPE or HOLY GRAIL: Donkey Milk
# Donkey Milk in Skincare: A Hyped-Up Ingredient or Worth the Hype?
## The Rise of Donkey Milk in Skincare
So, y’all just putting ass milk on your faces? That’s what we doing now? Cool. Hey, it’s me, Hadiyah Daché your Fairy Glow Mother. I have magical powers and bring good fortune to your skin. Y’all asked for this video so today I’m going to talk about donkey milk in skincare. Because… I’m your Fairy Glow Mother and you asked so you shall receive. But before I get started, SUBSCRIBE hello! Click the notification bell, all that good stuff. You know YouTube just started paying me literally like two weeks ago and I really need to get these subscriptions up so that I can continue to put out this free content and YouTube can pay me handsomely.
## The Benefits of Donkey Milk in Skincare
Let’s talk about this donkey milk. Donkey milk is the latest trendy ingredient in skincare that actually got on everyone’s radar back in 2016 but really seemed to ramp up its PR budget late last year and so now I’m getting a lot of questions about this specific ingredient. But is donkey milk a scam or nah? What makes donkey milk so special? Should you be smothering your face in ass milk? Let’s talk about it. As far as weird skincare trends go, this isn’t even that weird.
On INCI lists, you’ll see it listed as, well, Donkey Milk. Similar to many other weird but trendy ingredients derived from animals, donkey milk for skincare seemed to reach the height of popularity in Asia and I first saw it kind of stand out in marketing for Kbeauty products. But Europe actually produces the bulk of donkey milk-based skincare products, with France taking the lead. Between 2016-2018, you’d see a bunch of donkey milk specific products on Amazon and Kbeauty specialty websites. The ingredient was honestly falling out of popularity but then it started picking up steam again thanks to Twitter.
## The Science Behind Donkey Milk
Donkey milk is actually packed with lots of great nutrients and antioxidants for the body. In fact, it is extremely close to human breast milk (which literally gives us life). These nutrients include vitamins A, B1, B6, C, D, E; Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, ceramides, and phospholipids. It also has antimicrobial and antibacterial properties. Combined with the naturally occurring lactic acid, donkey milk is even touted to be suitable for sensitive skin conditions like eczema and rosacea. Basically, solely from a skincare perspective, these are all the good things you’d want in a moisturizer.
## The Controversy Surrounding Donkey Milk
But is donkey milk truly effective in current skincare products on the market as they claim to be? Unfortunately, there aren’t many studies to back up these claims around this specific ingredient in skincare which is disappointing but not surprising. Skin care studies can take years to be validated and proven effective. There was a study done in May of this year that shows promising effects of donkey milk in skincare but it was very small (only 14 participants) and short (over the course of a few weeks). As you may know, ingredients work differently on the body when taken internally versus being applied externally.
## The Business of Donkey Milk in Skincare
As it turns out, donkey milk is actually kind of rare. Unlike other animal milks, donkey milk can’t quite be mass produced at scale because Jennies (that’s what female donkeys are called by the way) have to be milked by hand. Donkey farmers have a finite time to harvest the milk due to the long gestational period of donkeys, making donkey milk rather expensive. This rarity has led to donkey milk being somewhat of a hyped-up ingredient in skincare, despite the lack of concrete evidence supporting its effectiveness.
In conclusion, while donkey milk may have some beneficial properties for the skin, the hype surrounding it in skincare products may be more about marketing and scarcity than actual scientific evidence. As with any skincare ingredient, it’s important to do your own research and consider the source of the information before incorporating it into your routine. Donkey milk may be the latest trend, but whether it’s truly worth the hype remains to be seen.
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