When I was first invited to test CrocodOil<\/a><\/u><\/b> my initial reaction was “Is this a crock…?”…closely followed by: “Surely people don’t rub oil from a crocodile<\/i> into their skin? Their prehistoric-looking hide doesn’t look too supple to me; if it’s so full of goodness why do they look as though they’re in need of slathering on a decent moisturiser themselves, huh?” When you picture a crocodile you’re hardly conjuring up images of baby-smooth skin. “And anyway, aren’t they an endangered species?”<\/p>\n At the mention of Crocs I usually get a mental image of those ugly rubber shoes with the holes – you know, to let your dignity seep out? I shudder at the thought. I’ve been working in the beauty industry for over twenty years, yet I’d never heard of crocodile oil, so I was intrigued…<\/p>\n Actually, crocodile oil has been used for centuries to treat a variety of skin conditions, from eczema to psoriasis, burns to bites, as well as in anti-ageing preparations – although it’s relatively new to the UK market. I find several respected publications running glowing features about it, such as Marie Claire<\/a><\/u><\/b>, <\/b>InStyle<\/a><\/u><\/b>\u00a0and The Telegraph<\/a>.<\/u><\/b><\/p>\n Peering into the mirror at my rough forty-something skin and sunken little eyes I’m all too aware that a harsh British winter has left me looking, well, a tad reptilian myself, so, curiosity piqued, I decide to get back in touch with Barbara Bantleman, CEO of Crocodoil, for more information.<\/p>\n I fire my questions at Babs, and she’s quick to reassure me that the crocodiles used in her skin preparations are farmed primarily for their meat, and that the skins are used as a by-product by the fashion and beauty industries in much the same way as cattle. However, the farms CrocodOil work with go one step further and release up to 30% of the baby crocs they rear back into the wild, contributing to the South African Nile crocs<\/a><\/u><\/b> they use coming off<\/i> the endangered list. The crocodiles must be carefully cared for: any damage to skins would render them worthless, so it’s in the interests of the farmers to ensure their wellbeing. Hmm..so far, so fair.<\/p>\n She goes on to explain that the crocodiles are farmed in a natural environment over a large area; there’s no use of hormones or pesticides; no animal testing – and the products themselves are created in a UK laboratory, independently tested and are EU cosmetic licensed<\/a><\/u><\/b>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n