Skin Care

These Venom-Infused Skin Products Work (Almost) as Well as Botox

Not ready to go under the needle? Consider bee and snail venom your new BFFs in the fight against wrinkles

by Allie Flinn | COMMENT

PHOTO 0/8

The buzziest new ingredients in skin care: Bee and snail venom, or "Botox in a bottle." These ingredients are said to reduce lines and wrinkles by pulling a fast one on your skin by fooling it into thinking it's been stung, which increases collagen and blood circulation to the area where it's applied.

"It helps on both dermal and epidermal levels to reduce fine lines and wrinkles through accelerated cell regeneration and an increase in epidermal growth factor (EGF) production, helping to increase skin elasticity," says Dr. Mona Gohara, a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology, member of the Skin of Color Society and clinical faculty at Yale New Haven Hospital.

Don't worry: No bees or snails were harmed in the making of these products. "The price of bee venom can often be more expensive than gold, because the cruelty-free, eco-friendly process of venom collection requires many resources and advanced technologies," says Venofye product developer Natalie Zinder.

Bee venom is often harvested by a weak electrical current passed through a special type of glass -- when the bee feels the current, it stings the glass, leaving behind venom but keeping it's stinger and flying away safe and sound. And cone snail venom used in skin care is created synthetically.

However, Dr. Jeanine Downie, of Image Dermatology in New Jersey, warns that anyone with a bee sting allergy should not use these products. Additionally, people with a sensitivity to hyaluronidase (a protein enzyme) should not use bee venom, as they cross-react, she adds.

Bee-allergy free? Keep reading to see the best venom-infused products that will make your skin look more youthful, radiant and gorgeous.

SEE NEXT PAGE: Fight Blemishes and Wrinkles With Bee Venom

EDITORS' BEST OF