Company exports camel milk for EU cosmetics

By Chris BARKER

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Milk

Company exports camel milk for EU cosmetics
A Dubai company will supply a traditional Bedouin ingredient to the European beauty market - 5,000 litres of it per day.

Emirates Industry for Camel Milk and Products (EICMP) is ramping up production to provide cosmetics firms with camel milk to be used in their products.

Kirsten Lange, director of communications at EICMP, hinted that the company would be targeting high-end firms, stating: “We’re picking and choosing only premium cosmetics makers in Europe, not mass-market producers of beauty products.”

The move follows an EU certification in February which allowed camel milk and its by-products to be imported into 27 countries in Europe from the UAE.

Anti-ageing milk

According to Lange, camel milk contains anti-oxidants and fatty acids which can benefit the human skin, as well as substances like lanolin, which is used in many cosmetic products. 

Lange said: “This milk is a spring of beauty and well-being and contains many substances that help fight wrinkles — such as lanolin, a natural moisturiser, providing a soothing effect on the skin.”

Camel farming

EICMP currently owns 3,000 camels, and plans to purchase 400 more this year in order to keep pace with demand.

Camel milking is a less difficult task than cattle milking by all accounts- EICMP’s camels are intelligent enough to file into the machines without being guided by humans.

Health benefits

According to Holger Marbach, the Managing Director of Vital,a camel milk health product supplier: The cosmetic effects of camel milk are wide and very fascinating. The range is from anti-aging up to skin healing. It works best if camel milk is formulated into crème or lotion.”

Marbach also claims that camel milk can also fight the effects of Type 2 diabetes and autism.

A study by scientists from Dubai published in the Journal of Camel Practise and Research suggested that subjects with Autistic Spectrum Disorder who drank camel milk every day had improved behaviour, better alertness and less hyperactivity.

Traditional uses

The Bedouin have traditionally used camel milk as sunscreen and in medicine. Some claim that it can function as an aphrodisiac and a curative for stomach complaints.

According to Vital, some traditional forms of medicine claim that camel milk can be used to treat illnesses such as Hepatitis C, but the effects have not been proven. 

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