Guano - another GenX lie?

Posted by Square_Ad_4929@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 47 comments

I swear our history teacher told us guano (bat poop) was used to make mascara. Today I found out it actually has an ingredient called guanine which is made from fish scales. It gives mascara a shimmering look. So most websites say the use of guano was a myth. Further research says that may not be the case. There were binding agents, pigments, and moisturizing agents that may have been extracted from guano. Those ingredients are definitely synthetic in modern mascara formulas. Does anyone know the truth?

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Lopsided_Tomatillo27@reddit

Maybe your teacher mixed up two similar words, or misheard it in the first place. He could have been misinformed.

The thing I remember about guano is that being around too much of it can make you crazy.

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Square_Ad_4929@reddit (OP)

Bat shit crazy? 😂

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A_Tom_McWedgie@reddit

In public school I read the book Cave of Danger, where the main characters used bat guano to blast their way to freedom.

So I believe bat guano is also explosive.

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Square_Ad_4929@reddit (OP)

It does contain nitrogen which is used in explosives.

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whirlydad@reddit

I was told the Viet Cong used Guano as an ingredient for gun powder. Apparently guano has tons of uses.

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bene_gesserit_mitch@reddit

No shit?

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Komaisnotsalty@reddit

Sherlock.

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Square_Ad_4929@reddit (OP)

Did deeper Dr. Watson.

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Zealousideal-Bite735@reddit

It’s like the Joy of Guano instead of The Joy of Cooking.

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grin_ferno@reddit

Maybe not, but castoreum, a secretion from the sacs near a beaver's anus, was used for years as a "natural flavoring" for raspberry, strawberry, and vanilla products.

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Square_Ad_4929@reddit (OP)

Knew that as well.

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Komaisnotsalty@reddit

JFC, that was something I didn't need to see today. LOL!

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IDunnoReallyIDont@reddit

I had not heard the guano mascara thing, personally.

Insects being used to flavor and color things, though…. I believe that’s true.

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grin_ferno@reddit

100% true! cochineal extract.

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reachers_toothbrush@reddit

There was a joke in a comedy show where a character learned the cheese flavour chips she was eating used whale semen as flavouring but still ate them. If I'm honest I occasionally think of that while eating cheese flavoured things and it puts me off a bit.

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Pristine_Main_1224@reddit

Thanks, I hate it. I’ll never be able to eat a Cheddar & Sour Cream Ruffle again.

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Pristine_Main_1224@reddit

I remember hearing the guano thing in high school. I quit wearing mascara for approximately 2 days.

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LuxInTenebrisLove@reddit

I had a teacher tell us that lipsticks with the ingredient "urea" had pig urine in them. Kind of related. I never looked into it. Was there some kind of makeup panic going on and the adults thought grossing us out was the answer?

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EnjoyingTheRide-0606@reddit

And whale vomit makes perfume. (Was it vomit or sperm? Too many years since 5th grade!)

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KindaKrayz222@reddit

Amergris: a rare, waxy substance produced in the intestines of sperm whales to protect against sharp squid beaks, often called "floating gold or whale vomit," is a highly valuable, waxy byproduct of sperm whales used as a fixative in luxury perfumes.

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EnjoyingTheRide-0606@reddit

I get how beer saved the world. But I’ll never understand the person who discovered whale vomit smells good!

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SaskiaDavies@reddit

Ambergris. Comes out the other end. Can float for a very long time, which can enhance the scent. Often found on beaches, thought to be odd rocks. Not legal to buy in the US but can go for astonishing prices at auction elsewhere.

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sfdsquid@reddit

Not often enough.

I need to find one. I'm broke.

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whirlydad@reddit

There was a post a few months ago from a guy who swore he found one. It had a weird smell and everything they said. It turned out to be a fatburg from a local sewer or something equally nasty. I'd wear gloves if you go out searching!

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reachers_toothbrush@reddit

I saw the word guano and thought this was a thread about the band guano apes . This is not a thread about the band guano apes.

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tharesabeveragehere@reddit

I didn't go blind

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phatsackocrap@reddit

I do need glasses, though.

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pocketdare@reddit

You must be doing it wrong

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hold--the--line@reddit

Lol!

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SackBadger2024@reddit

I heard the same thing. Cant verify, but as a eye liner wearing new wave dude, it really didnt matter.

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tunaman808@reddit

Teachers aren't necessarily smart.

I once had a geography teacher who had some... unique pronunciations for place names. For example, the biggest Russian city on its east coast. Most people call it VLAD-uh-VOS-tok. Mr Alred called it VAL-veeta-stock, almost as if Kraft's famous cheese held a music festival, Velveetastock.

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KindaKrayz222@reddit

And don't forget the cochineal used in red cosmetics. Or castoreum, which is a rare, vanilla-scented beaver anal gland secretion used as "natural flavoring".

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