WHEN you gently apply face cream in the mornings the mass slaughter of six million donkeys or the electrocution of snails is unlikely to pop into your mind.
But the dark truth of what’s really inside your go-to favourites can be a sinister tale involving a , the “milking” of live animals and placenta harvesting.
Hundreds of donkey skins stacked into piles in a warehouse waiting to be shipped off across the globe so they can be turned into skincare Credit: AFP
Ejiao is a traditional Chinese medicine is made from the collagen extracted from boiled donkey hides. Credit: Alamy
Paid a haunting £15-per-kill, villagers in Kenya are at a terrifying rate by bludgeoning the animals to death before skinning them and selling them off to .
China boils down the donkey hides to create a gelatine product which has become an unsustainable ingredient in cosmetic products and also food.
Known as Ejiao, the ancient is made into powder, pills or liquid and used in products to help with anaemia, , and dizziness.
It can often be marketed as beneficial for anti-aging and also for containing health-enhancing properties.
A snail being milked of its serum at a farm in Thailand’s Nakhon Nayok province Credit: Getty – Contributor
A woman undergoing a sheep’s placenta facial treatment Credit: Louis Hollingsbee – The Sun
Zhu Qingwen, an associate professor at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine said in a report: “Ejiao has the effect of enriching the blood and correcting deficiencies.
“It can increase the number of red blood cells and raise hemoglobin levels, as well as treating skin diseases resulting from deficiencies in the blood.”
Some experts in China even claim it can be used to prevent infertility or miscarriages among women and to help regulate menstrual irregularities.
Despite the research by Beijing, Western experts refute many of the health benefits.
Officials found 64 donkeys travelling to a slaughter house in Kenya back in April Credit: Caritas Kitui
Regardless, supermarkets across Europe stack their shelves with products containing Ejiao but the majority of the market comes from and other easy-access marketplaces.
Equine Brooke say up to six million donkeys are killed a year in Africa with the continent on track to lose half its donkey population by 2040 if the trade continues.
Raphael Kinoti, Brooke’s Regional Director in East Africa, told The Sun the slaughtering campaign needed to produce Ejiao is one of the gravest atrocities on today.
He warns: “Ejiao is not only used in China as a country like the US takes a third of the gel and I think even the UK shares a portion of it.
“But all these consumers don’t know how these animals are sourced. They don’t know the trail of destruction they are causing at the household level.
“They don’t know, the pain and the inhumane treatment that these animals go through for the consumer to get that item.”
An investigation by Brooke last month found that Amazon in the UK doesn’t directly sell products containing Ejiao but that they are widely available through third-party sellers on its marketplace.
The charity has now launched a petition demanding the sale of Ejiao on Amazon’s platforms is immediately stopped.
One product, MZ SKIN’s Rest & Revive Restorative Placenta & Stem Cell Night Serum, contains sheep’s placenta and costs £275 Credit: MZ Skin
Harry Styles once confessed he pays nearly £350-a-pop to undergo special sheep placenta treatment Credit: Alamy
Chris Wainwright, CEO of Brooke said in an appeal: “This trade, which most people don’t even realise exists, is causing immense suffering for both animals and people.
“When a donkey is stolen and slaughtered, entire families lose their income and lifeline overnight. This has to change.
“Amazon must take action to ensure its platforms aren’t accelerating this cruelty. So that we can help end the trade and protect donkeys – relied on by so many worldwide.”
The Sun has reached out to Amazon for comment.
Sweeping campaigns from animal rights’ groups have already led to the removal of products containing Ejiao across the US.
PETA praised a victory for the organisation after their work managed to get Walmart-owned online retailer Jet.com and a number of other companies such as , Fresh Bites Basket, Good Price Appliances, VitaminLife and HerbalShop to remove all products containing Ejiao.
China used to use their own donkeys to secure the gelatine but in 2021 they had butchered so many that they were struggling to keep up with the demand.
The population plummeted from 11 million in 1990 to just under two million in 2021, according to the nation’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
A women excreting snail mucus to be turned into collagen-rich skincare products Credit: Getty – Contributor
Products like the COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence Gel have seen a surge in popularity Credit: CosRX
At the same time, industry reports show that between 2016 and 2021, the production of Ejiao increased by 160 per cent to keep up with the demand.
If current trends continue, the need for Ejiao is feared to be on track to reach 200 per cent by 2027.
One product that is available to buy on Amazon and sits on dozens of global supermarket shelves is .
Popularised by high-end dermatologists and celebrities, snail mucin is known for its intense hydrating and reparative properties.
It can plump up skin, reduce redness and even accelerate wound healing such as acne scars.
But the way these breeders actually collect the slime from the animals have been widely condemned for years.
Many snails mainly release mucin as a stress response.
This means desperate farmers looking to keep up with a rising demand for snail products often have to force the creatures into anxiety-inducing situations.
Some commercial operations have been accused of industrial extraction methods such as electrical stimulation or low-voltage zaps.
Others spray the shelled animals with sodium chloride to encourage secretion, according to the Mayo Clinic .
Celebrities like Kim Kardashian are believed to undergo placenta facials Credit: Getty
One brand even sells placenta skin cream infused with the bee’s venom Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk
This can sometimes lead to excessive foaming which is unhealthy for the snails.
Another supposed skincare phenomenon with a chilling origin is products which use animal placenta.
Taken just after an animal gives birth, the placentas can be transformed into facial serums which are widely available across the globe.
The most popular is sheep but deers and pigs can also be used.
One brand even sells bee placenta skin cream infused with the buzzy insect’s venom.
The health benefits include anti-aging, cellular repair, and general wellness.
Celebrities such as and are believed to undergo placenta facials.
With once confessing he pays nearly £350-a-pop to undergo special sheep placenta treatment.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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