How far would you go to hang onto your youth? Since pretty much the dawn of time, people have gone to great lengths to halt the aging process. There was the 14th century French scribe and alchemist Nicolas Flamel, who claimed to have discovered a “philosopher’s stone” that gave him eternal life. In the 16th century, the conquistador Ponce de Leon scoured Florida in search of the Fountain of Youth. In more recent years, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Google co-founder Sergey Brin, along with lots of other Silicon Valley rich people, have invested millions to discover a way to extend the human lifespan.
But if you’re Kate Beckinsale, you don’t need to spend a fortune on a miraculous discovery. All you need is $650 and a whole bunch of baby foreskins.
In a since-deleted Instagram post, the British movie star shared a photo of herself after receiving a “Hollywood EGF Facial,” where EGF stands for “epidermal growth factor. That might be its technical name, but among the Hollywood elite it’s known by a much more prosaic name: the penis facial.
“After a long flight I do like to lie down and be covered in a mask of liquified [sic] cloned foreskins — frankly who doesn’t?” Beckinsale wrote on Instagram. “Thank you @georgialouisesk for an amazing facial. I especially liked you reassuring me it would be ‘light on penis’ as it was my first time.”
Photo Credit: georgialouisesk
The penis facial was pioneered by world-renowned “Facialist” Georgia Louise, who owns a high-end skincare salon on Manhattan’s Upper East Side that caters to various celebrities.
Louise explains how the Hollywood EGF Facial works on her website, and it’s…anything but simple. The treatment is derived from the stem cells of foreskins from newborn Korean babies. Those stem cells are then cloned in a lab and used to make the EGF serum.
The facial starts with a cleanse and a trichloracetic acid peel. Then, the foreskin serum is penetrated deep into the skin with an electric micro-needling wand. After that, a galvanic alginate mask is applied to calm the skin.
The idea is to add younger cells to the dermal layer, which is supposed to rejuvenate by effectively creating new tissue. The process also releases chemicals, which are thought to make the skin appear younger.
Photo Credit: Georgia Louise
Georgia Louise first came up with the idea for a penis facial when Sandra Bullock approached her while filming Oceans 8, asking for a deep-cleansing and a “long-lasting facial glow.” As she told People:
“I wanted to give her something that would transform her skin without the need to undergo lasers, so I loaded up her bespoke facial with something that would give her long-lasting results. Within weeks her make-up artist, Whitney, and castmates wanted to know the cause of her amazing, glowing skin … and from that moment onwards the Hollywood EGF (Epidermal Growth Factor) Facial was born!”
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Bullock was so impressed with the penis facial that she passed it along to Oceans 8 cast mate Cate Blanchett, who was also taken with it. In an interview with Vogue Australia in March 2018, Blanchett said:
“Sandy [Sandra] Bullock and I saw this facialist in New York, Georgia Louise, and she gives what we call the penis facial and it’s something — I don’t know what it is, or whether it’s just cause it smells a bit like sperm — there’s some enzyme in it, so Sandy refers to it as the penis facial.”
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
So, a few celebrities swear by it, but celebrities also aren’t known for being the most down-to-Earth people around. How did regular people react? With near universal condemnation!
Beckinsale most likely deleted her post about ECF due to backlash from fans. But Georgia Louise kept hers up, and people flooded the post with negative comments.
Photo Credit: guitartommyz
Photo Credit: cruisin_woodward
Photo Credit: action_figurr
If you’re not buying into the foreskin facial movement, not to worry: there are plenty of other wacky celebrity-endorsed beauty treatments derived from questionable materials. You could be like Victoria and David Beckham and get a Geisha Facial, which uses the droppings from Japanese nightingales. Or you could be like Harry Styles and try a sheep placenta facial. Or you could be like Debra Messing and just shoot snake venom into your face.
But if you’re just dying to try out a foreskin facial, I have some bad news. Not only is it expensive, Georgia Louise currently has a two-year waiting list. You’re better off staking out the dumpster behind your local mohel’s office, then whipping up a batch of foreskin cream in your Cuisinart.
(Don’t actually do that, please.)
h/t: Insider