Re: Is mascara made from bat droppings?

Your keen interest in understanding the composition of materials sound like you have what it takes to be a great scientist someday. Please continue to use your inquisitive nature to learn more about the world around you. It really is fascinating!! Many chemicals are derived from natural resources to produce products that we use everyday. For example, did you know that a natural red color used in many food products is derived from an insect? You will see this color identified as cochineal in the ingredient statement on the product label. It is purified and processed to make it perfectly safe and "bug free". Your question is directly related to the same type of issue. However, it does not appear to be true. The compound used in some cosmetics (including mascara) for a pearly, opalescent shine is guanine. Guanine is a nitrogenous base also found in DNA. There is guanine present in bat guano, but there are many other sources (like fish scales) that have the same compound. The attached link explains this in greater detail: http://www.nps.gov/cave/pdfdocs/c%26c26.pdf I have also attached another link with the typical composition of mascara: http://www.healthy-communications.com/mascaraingredients.html I hope that this information will satisfy your intellectual curiousity. Mad Scientist Dave PS Did you know that fish guts are used in toothpaste? (just kidding!!)