Most toxic substance used in cosmetics

It is, perhaps, the last thing you should want to inject into your face, but popular anti-ageing treatment Botox is manufactured using botulinum toxin, produced by the bacteria Clostridium Botulinum – the deadliest natural toxin. This small bacteria is the source of the neurotoxin Botulinum and it is so deadly that an amount equal to a grain of salt (approximately 1 µgram) is enough to kill a 90-kg (200-lb) person. Studies even suggest that it would take only 4 kg of the toxin to kill every person on Earth. However, in its diluted form for Botox, this is probably enough to keep a smooth, if rather stiff, smile on people’s faces for many hundreds of years. In 2013, researchers identified the first new strain of Clostridium Botulinum for over 40 years, but the details of this discovery are being kept secret until an effective anti-toxin is manufactured. The main aim here is to prevent this knowledge falling into the hands of individuals who may manufacture weapons using the deadly bacteria.