The Reason Why You’d Want To Have A Horse Fat Beauty Product By Your Bedside

During my trip to Hokkaido two years back I was introduced to this one strange ingredient that you can most definitely find hanging around just about every Japanese drugstore. And I truly do mean every — on top of the fact that the locals there seem to even worship this one miracle product. If you’ve been there you’d know it, but for those who are unsure — we’re probably going to shock you with this one: horse fat.

In my colleague’s exact words, “this sounds so disgusting”. I know, yucks. I saw troves of tourists purchasing them in bulk in Hokkaido, and for the longest time I really didn’t understand why. Fast forward two years, I was generously gifted a box of Skinfood sheet masks that are infused with — you guessed it — horse fat. Life has come a full circle indeed. I was skeptical, nonetheless, so I did my due research; and turns out, that one bizarre ingredient does have some major skincare benefits.

 

via GIPHY

Years before its popularity as a beauty ingredient, horse oil — a by-product of horse fat — was used in traditional medicine as a heal-it-all product in East Asia. It was touted as a remedy for insect bites, burns, cuts, hair loss and even asthma. And people believed in it, since the oil was absorbed quickly by our skins, giving way to positive results. Why? The oil has properties that are similar to the ones produced naturally by our bodies. In Hokkaido, horse oil gained traction because it effectively protected the locals’ skin against the harsh cold with intense hydration.

Since then, positive results saw an increase in demand for beauty products infused with horse oil; companies rapidly produced horse oil in various forms — creams, gels, masks, shampoo, conditioners, moisturisers, lip balms… you name it, there’s something for it.

So, yay or neigh, you’ll have to decide for yourself; but we do have some product recommendations so you can start riding on the trend:

Skinfood Beauty In A Food Mask — Horse Fat
$1.20/pc, available on Lazada.
For me at least, sheet masks are possibly the easiest way to get on board with any strange beauty ingredient, since they’re fuss free and you don’t have to invest large amounts of moolah to try things out. Skinfood’s Beauty In A Food Mask series comes in a whole bunch of weird “flavours”, with Horse Fat being one of their star sellers. Put the mask on for a good 20 minutes, let it work its magic, and you’ll end up with moisturised and smooth skin. This is especially useful for folks with dry skin with dry patches; the intense hydration will help soften any flakey spots.

Kumano Yushi Horse Oil Non-Silicon Shampoo
$12.50, available at Venus Beauty stores.
Remember we said how horse oil products are effective when it comes to intense hydration? That doesn’t just apply to skin — dry, damaged hair can also earn themselves a moisture boost, with horse oil shampoos. This one by Kumano Yushi does not have silicon in it, so it will not only repair and nourish your mane, but also not clog pores to allow healthy hair growth.

 

Hokkaido Loshi Moisture Skin Cream Horse Oil
$7.90, available on lazada.sg.
Known best as Hokkaido’s top-selling horse oil cream, this magic formula counters sagging and dull skin by introducing moisture and nutrients back into your complexion, allowing to restore its natural radiance for a youthful, brighter look. The cream can also be used to soothe sun burns, lighten acne scars, prevent skin cracks as well as fill in wrinkles. We told you that horse oil was a do-it-all product, didn’t we?

 

Claires Guerisson 9 Complex Horse Oil Cream
$20.83, available at sg.iherb.com.
If you were to Google “horse oil beauty products”, this one facial cream is sure to appear. According to tons of reviewers who’ve taken the plunge and invested in this one tub of moisturiser, the cream is a beautiful blend of ingredients — with or without the addition of horse oil. The ingredient list is made up of a medley of antioxidant-rich plant oils and extracts, brighteners, scar lighteners and skin barrier strengtheners. The inclusion of horse oil into the mix only serves to amp up the cream’s hydrating properties. You really can use it just about anywhere, as a face moisturiser, a body cream, and even as a treatment for scars and minor skin diseases, like eczema.