Fashion

The UK's Newest Beauty Trend May Gross You Out

by Arielle Dachille

From drinking it, to applying it to your face, it seems that people are getting really creative with their pee across the pond. Turns out, urine is a burgeoning beauty trend in the UK, but I guess people have done grosser things in the name of beauty. Foreskin cream anyone?

According to The Telegraph, a handful of groups and gurus are spreading the beauty gospel of repurposing your own pee. Some are applying it to their faces and raving about the exceptional smoothness of their skin. Others opt to drink it straight for all of the hidden nutrients. While 95 percent of your urine is made up of water, it turns out that the rest is reportedly packed with nutrients, including minerals, proteins, vitamins and antibodies. So, as seemingly gross as it sounds, maybe there's something to the whiz-guzzling hype?

Well, it's certainly more economical than shelling out crazy amounts of money for medicated lotions a few times a year. Some urine-drinking experts herald urophagia, the drinking of one's own urine, as the secret natural health remedy that a profit-driven beauty industry never wanted you to know about. If you're intrigued on delving more into this idea, the book Your Own Perfect Medicine by urine expert Martha M. Christy covers this idea in detail. One of her health suggestions is beginning the day with a full cup of wee, gargling with it, and putting a few drops into your eyes and ears.

Actually, Urophagists are onto a pretty interesting idea here. Urea, the main organic substance in urine, is already a top ingredient in many beauty products. It's used as a skin-softening agent, and it can be found in many moisturizers, depilatory creams, and many other kinds of cosmetics. So, do you really need someone to package and sell you something that you can create naturally? Sure, I may not be ready to slather my face in number one, but this alternative beauty movement seems refreshingly pragmatic.

Image: Getty