Camel's milk cosmetics, coming your way?

Tiviski, which is based in the Saharan state of Mauritania, in Western Africa, claims to be the world's first ever camel dairy and may soon broaden that claim to the world's first major line of camel milk-based beauty products. Nancy Abeiderrhmane, director of the Tiviski business, said in an interview with Reuters that she was considering producing 'very upmarket' creams and soaps for the international market. Abeiderrhmane says that she would like to gather the technical know-how to establish a cosmetics plant that could be run alongside her Nouakchott dairy operations. Currently the business is mainly focused on exporting a variety of dairy-based products, including cheese. There had been a thriving market for these products in the EU, but in recent years that has been largely killed off by tighter European regulations for food imports. However, it is hoped that a venture into cosmetics products might take off where the cheeses left off. Currently there are several highly niche suppliers of skin care products made from camel's milk or its extracts. These include Camelk Sebailait, produced by Israeli company Lev-Bar Ltd. The product is a highly moisturizing cream, aimed mainly at individuals suffering from dry skin conditions such as eczema and seborrhea dermatitis. So what makes camel's milk such a significant beauty aid? Evidently it is rich in vitamin C - known for its anti-oxidant properties, as well as an abundance of vitamins A, B1, B2, B12 and carotene. All of these components help towards improving skin health, but it is as a natural source of alpha-hydroxy acid where camel milk beauty properties really shine, as this component helps to keep skin supple and prevent wrinkles. The spotlight on camel milk comes after recent publicity on skin care products containing donkey milk, following the death of the world's oldest woman, 116-year old Maria Esther de Capovilla from Ecuador. She attributed her long life to the daily consumption of donkey milk, which bought attention to a number of niche producers of donkey milk skin care products, all claimed to have outstanding moisturizing and regenerative properties.