Every year the beauty industry capitalises on a hot new trend, but there’s something fishy about 2024’s fad.
The hottest treatment of the moment is a salmon sperm facial, which first came to prominence when Hollywood star Jennifer Aniston admitted she’d been for one last summer.
While it still comes with a hefty price tag, the treatment is no longer reserved for the Hollywood A-list, with influencer Danielle Fogarty revealing she’d tried the facial and tweakment expert Nadine Baggott promoting it on an episode of This Morning.
While the thought of a fishy facial might turn some stomachs, it’s hardly the most bizarre beauty treatment that celebrities swear by.
From kitty litter exfoliation to caviar treatments and even sheep placenta facials, read on to see which wacky treatment is beloved by which celebrities.
Fish sperm facials – Jennifer Aniston
The hottest beauty treatment of the moment is a salmon sperm facial, which first came to prominence when Hollywood star Jennifer Aniston admitted she’d been for one last summer
While it still comes with a hefty price tag, the treatment is no longer reserved for the Hollywood A-list, with influencer Danielle Fogarty revealing she’d tried the facial
One of the top beauty trends of 2024 involves having a small needle of a substance derived from salmon sperm into the face.
Like Botox, it is a procedure that will need repeating around three times a year, at a cost of £275+ (this will depend on factors like the salon and the area).
The substance is not really salmon sperm, however, just derived from it using purified salmon DNA to increase cell turnover, produce more collagen, and improve pigmentation and inflammation.
Friends star Jennifer, 55, admitted to trying it last summer after the treatment was suggested by an aesthetician, recalling to The Wall Street Journal: ‘First of all, I said, ‘Are you serious? How do you get salmon’s sperm?”
However the Hollywood superstar wasn’t fully won over, admitting to the publication that she didn’t feel like the facial did anything to help improve her skin’s youthful glow.
Cat litter scrubbing – Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi
Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi shocked fans in 2011 when she revealed she uses kitty litter as an exfoliant because she’s a ‘cheap-o’ and didn’t want to pay for a spa session
Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi rose to international stardom after her stint on MTV’s Jersey Shore, but rather than splurge on expensive beauty treatments, she chooses to keep her skin routine simple.
The reality TV star shocked fans in 2011 when she revealed she uses kitty litter as an exfoliant.
Speaking about how she came across the unusual practise, Snooki told Conan O’Brien: ‘Well, I definitely like to Google a lot, and I don’t like to spend a lot of money on spa treatments — just because I’m a cheap-o.
‘So I Googled what else I could use that was not so expensive. It was cat litter.’
When questioned on the wisdom of rubbing the pet product on her face, Snooki insisted she hasn’t ‘broke at all.’
She later clarified in her book: ‘It has to be clean kitty litter. It can’t be like poo.
‘It’s gross, but it makes you look fabulous.’
Bird poo facials – Victoria Beckham
‘Nightingale’ or ‘Geisha’ facials are favoured by Victoria Beckham and use the droppings from a rare breed of the bird native to the Japanese island of Kyushu
‘Nightingale’ or ‘Geisha’ facials are favoured by Victoria Beckham and use the droppings from a rare breed of the bird native to the Japanese island of Kyushu.
The birds are fed a special diet of seeds and berries to ensure the product is vegan, and their droppings are sanitised and dehydrated.
This therapy involves mixing excrement with rice bran and water which is then applied as a face mask.
The nightingale poo is said to act as an exfoliant which unclogs pores and aids shine.
The treatment is said to have anti-aging benefits, lighten skin pigmentation caused by sun damage, reduce bags under the eyes and lock in moisture and cost $375 a pop.
Tom Cruise is also said to be a fan with insiders telling Now magazine: ‘Tom doesn’t go in for Botox or surgery but he does pay close attention to all the new natural treatments.’
‘He recently started experimenting with the nightingale poo facial after it was recommended by a Hollywood pal and the results have been fantastic.’
David Beckham is also reportedly given the £135 treatment a go too, as has Tom’s ex wife Katie Holmes.
Snake massages – Stella Maxwell
Not for the faint of heart, the snake massage is exactly how it’s described – a massage given by snakes – as demonstrated here by the three pythons on model Stella Maxwell
Not for the faint of heart, the snake massage is exactly how it’s described – a massage given by snakes
The quirky treatment is offered at a snake spa in New York and has had a number of clients including Whoopi Goldberg and Stella Maxwell.
The Victoria’s Secret model was clearly a fan of the treatment, sharing snaps on Instagram and calling it an ‘amazing experience.’
According to her website, the owner Serpentessa acts as a guide while the snakes do the work.
She explained: ‘The boa constrictors’ soothing undulations dispel any fears or concerns by toning and stimulating your body’s vagus nerve, releasing endorphins and oxytocin.
‘These feel-good hormones relieve stress, create pleasure, and increase your emotional, physical and cognitive resiliencies in today’s stressful world.
‘Not only do the Serpents elicit emotional/psychological stress relief, but blood flow is increased to tense areas and the gliding weight of the snake’s body relieves pressure throughout the person’s body.’
A single 90 minute session with the snakes will set you back $297 (£234).
Vampire facials – Kim Kardashian
Reality star Kim Kardashian hit the headlines in 2013 after posting a picture on Twitter of her face covered in blood after undergoing a painful vampire facial
Reality star Kim Kardashian hit the headlines in 2013 after posting a picture on Twitter of her face covered in blood.
The mother-of-four had undergone a vampire facial, which involves using the patient’s own blood to make improvements to the skin.
Blood is draw out of the arm using a needle before being spun in a machine to remove the platelets.
The remaining fluid is then splattered into the face using tiny acupuncture-style needles.
The platelets are said to help stimulate collagen levels and elastin growth.
Kim was game for the quirky treatment a go, revealing: ‘I love trying anything that makes you look and feel youthful’.
However the PRP therapy, which costs roughly $1,700 ££1,350) is as painful as it looks with Kim later admitting she’d ‘never do it again’.
Other advocates of the therapy include British actress Anna Friel and Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen.
Caviar moisturiser – Angelina Jolie
Caviar is one of the most expensive foods in the world, but rather than eat it, Angelina Jolie uses the decadent ingredient as part of her skincare routine
Caviar is one of the most expensive foods in the world, but rather than eat it, Angelina Jolie uses the decadent ingredient as part of her skincare routine.
Fish eggs are said to release amino acids in to the skin, help skin rejuvenation, increase collagen and slow the process of aging.
The mother-of-six was said to be a fan of a treatment extracted from the eggs of Baerii sturgeon, reared on farms in the South of France.
In sessions lasting up to three hours, she would be swaddled like a mummy to sweat out toxins before being smothered all over in the body cream – which removed the fishy smell by using extracts of caviar instead of whole roe.
Sir Mick Jagger, Gwyneth Paltrow, Stella McCartney and Kate Moss are also said to have tried out caviar facials, while Catherine Zeta Jones used it on her hair to add instant gloss.
TV beauty expert Nick Ede praised the treatment, saying: ‘The nutrients in it make it one of the best things to put on your skin.’
However, skincare specialist Jenny Harding hasn’t been as convinced by the treatment, reasoning: ‘You would do just as well swallowing a cod liver supplement every day to make your skin glow.’
Sheep placenta facials – Harry Styles
Singer Harry Styles used to be a dedicated to getting sheep placenta facials at Dr Harold Lancer’s Beverly Hills clinic in Los Angeles
Singer Harry Styles used to be a dedicated to getting sheep placenta facials at Dr Harold Lancer’s Beverly Hills clinic in Los Angeles.
Hollywood dermatologist and ‘aesthetician’ Louise Deschamps previously told Grazia the popstar popped in for the 90-minute treatment every six weeks.
She told the magazine: ‘He gets all clogged up – putting on make-up all the time and travelling a lot plays havoc with his skin.
‘He takes care of himself and loves the facials, he likes to look good and have good skin.’
The treatment involves taking the placenta from New Zealand sheep before extracting and flash freezing the stem cells that are said to be full of nutrients that fight free-radical skin damage.
The cells are then mixed into a gel that contains gold flecks.
It’s not just Harry who has championed the treatment, with Simon Cowell also admitting to trying it out.
The TV judge told The Mirror in 2015: ‘I had a sheep placenta facial once, which was quite out there.’
Bee sting treatment – Gwyneth Paltrow
From trying out a goat-milk cleanse and vaginal steam, Gwyneth Paltrow has gone to extreme lengths in the name of health and wellbeing — including being stung by bees
From trying out a goat-milk cleanse and vaginal steam, Gwyneth Paltrow has gone to extreme lengths in the name of health and wellbeing — including being stung by bees.
The Goop founder believes the bee stings — dubbed the organic alterative to Botox — actually get rid of inflammation and scaring, leaving skin looking radiant.
She confessed to The New York Times in 2016: ‘I’ve been stung by bees. It’s a thousands of years old treatment called apitherapy.
‘People use it to get rid of inflammation and scarring. It’s actually pretty incredible if you research it.’
Apitherapy is the term for any treatment using products that come from bees, such as facials using Manuka honey, which advocates say has soothing properties.
Gwyneth admitted her approach to the alternative therapy was ‘painful’.
When bees sting, their venom stimulates blood flow and collagen in the face, which has the effect of smoothing wrinkles, advocates claim.
But deliberately getting bees to sting you probably isn’t the wisest idea, and not just because it hurts.
Bee stings, like most insect venom, cause inflammation.
If you are stung, it will usually cause a red, swollen lump on the skin, which can be painful and in some cases can be very itchy, according to the NHS.
But people use bee venom to treat a variety of illnesses, including Parkinson’s disease, MS, arthritis, and nerve pain. It has been used as a traditional medicine for centuries from the ancient Greeks and Egyptians to Chinese civilizations.
Leech facials – Miranda Kerr
Victoria’s Secret model Miranda Kerr admitted to having a leech facial in an interview at Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop summit in 2017
Victoria’s Secret model Miranda Kerr admitted to having a leech facial in an interview at Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop summit in 2017.
It involves placing live leeches on the face, after which the blood they consume is smeared across the skin like a mask. Proponents say the therapy tightens skin and leaves it looking younger.
After the model revealed she had the unusual beauty treatment, she confessed to even holding on to the leeches afterwards.
She said: ‘I kept the leeches, they’re in my koi pond.
‘You’re not allowed to reuse them and if you don’t take them home then she kills them and I didn’t like that idea.’
Even though it sounds horrible, the blood suckers have been used for thousands of years, but mainly for the practice of bloodletting for illness.
Leeches are used for cosmetic reasons because they secrete proteins, which is said to tighten the skin. However, this has not been medically proven.