What do hot dogs and makeup have in common? It sounds strange but they have a similarity. Have you ever heard the term animal by-products?

You may want to pay attention to this even if you are not a vegetarian.

You may or may not know it, but hot dogs have been known for a while to have fillers, unless you purposely buy a brand that clearly states it’s 100% meat. Do you know what it means when “fillers” are on our food labels or even in our cosmetics, shampoos, and lotions? Fillers and by-products are used interchangeably and are sometimes the same thing, depending on the final product they are in.

Information found on the web describes animal by-products being developed in processing plants where the “raw product” of dead dogs, cats, heads and hooves of cattle, sheep and other farm animals, as well as roadkill such as whole skunks, rats and wild animals are collected for processing. The processing process basically consists of cooking the animal raw materials to remove moisture and fat. This cooking process creates a fatty soup-like substance that is then skimmed off and sold.

Guess who is the number one customer of a rendering plant? You guessed it! AMERICAN COSMETICS COMPANIES! Yuck! Do you want those things close to you let alone on your body when you put on lotion or wash your hair? Do you realize that your skin absorbs everything you put on it in a matter of seconds? If you don’t believe it, try an experiment on your own. Take a clove of garlic and peel it and place it between your toes. You should have the taste of garlic in your mouth in a minute! If you’re allergic to garlic, obviously don’t use it, but choose something stronger that you can use.

If you deliberately put something on your skin and it gets absorbed, isn’t it reasonable to watch what you use? Educate yourself by reading labels and looking for key phrases like “animal by-products,” “animal products,” “fillers,” etc.

Here is some positive information for you to look for. Be careful not to choose a product just because it says “natural.” That alone is not enough. There are things out there like oil, uranium, and gas that are also natural, but you sure as hell wouldn’t use them to get on your skin! Choose products such as herbs and botanicals, either alone or within a group of them that are used in products that make sense!

Here are seven ingredients you can feel comfortable using in an antiaging product:

1. Vitamin C, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate

2. Alpha Lipoic Acid

3. Kojic acid

4. Copper

5. Alpha and Beta Hydroxy Acids

6. Peptides

7. Mint

Vitamin C, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate is a biologically active form of Vitamin C along with collagen and elastin that promote skin strength and elasticity.

Alpha Lipoic Acid helps increase the skin’s metabolism to help generate new skin and again encourages that youthful appearance.

Kojic Acid is a skin lightening agent that reduces the appearance of sun damage over the long term.

Copper smoothes and firms the skin reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Alpha and beta hydroxy acids awaken healthy skin cells and help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Peptides improve skin roughness and reduce the appearance of wrinkle depth.

Did you know that mint helps open pores and allows you to clean them from the inside out? Does this mean that the pores appear smaller and give you a more youthful appearance?

With the ingredients listed above in a skin care line, whether it’s a body wash, facial products, or even a lotion, you can avoid animal fat and by-products that surely don’t sound appealing to have on your skin.

Choose your products wisely! Educate yourself on what is natural and healthy to use!