Bee Venom Has "Botox-Like Effect," Is Worth 7 Times As Much As Gold

dryriver writes "The BBC reports that cosmetic products using bee venom as an ingredient are a new 'hot seller' in the cosmetics market. Bee venom is said to have an effect on female skin similar to Botox injections, tightening the skin and making wrinkles and other signs of aging appear less pronounced than before. Unlike Botox, however, bee venom does not need to be injected, and can be absorbed through the skin naturally as an ingredient of cosmetic skin creme. Now comes the kicker: A special electrified device that causes bees to sting a synthetic membrane and release their venom can harvest about one gram of bee venom from 20 bee hives. That one gram of bee venom is worth a whopping 350 dollars. This makes bee venom almost seven times more valuable than gold, which, in comparison, is worth only about 53 dollars per gram."

Comments

Re:Botox

[kimvette]

FTFS:

Unlike Botox, however, bee venom does not need to be injected, and can be absorbed through the skin naturally as an ingredient of cosmetic skin creme.

Re:Does it kill the bees???

[IonOtter]

No, the bees just get really pissed off by the current, and it encourages them to sting the glass.

Per the video, you can "harvest" every two weeks.

Re:Correct me if I'm wrong

[Zomalaja]

http://www.abeeco.co.nz/shop/Bee+Venom+Products.html
"To extract the Bee Venom a pane of glass is placed along side the hive and a small electrical current is run through it, which encourages the bees to sting the surface. The bees are not harmed in the process."

Re:Botox

[kimvette]

It's far too expensive for mass consumption, not easy to mass produce, and to get this to bring in big money you'd have to be able to synthesize it somehow with process that can be used to mass production.

I disagree. People spend money on gold facial masks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4Tmycixsh8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLrurC4dtUY

and some idiots pay for silver facials and gels, which will actually result in argyria (turn your skin blue - literally) if you do it too many times:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhQgFc_bec4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDW799FhVJ0

Examples of argyria:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argyria

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahihGKZC5Kk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnXdk3Kmq9s

Now granted those are some extreme examples, but ever notice many women's earlobes have a small greyish spec at the bottom of the piercing? This is from silver compounds being absorbed into the skin. Same thing.