It was your idea to launch a line of cosmetics with a high percentage
of asses’ milk – Titania’s Dream®.

What gave you the idea to use asses’ milk for cosmetics in the 21st century?
J.C.H.: Studying ancient literature. We should still take note of the wisdom of our predecessors’ scientists, even if they are from an ancient world, as their knowledge is often the result of experience handed down through the ages. Today, for example, we know that all milk contains particles similar to liposomes that canbe easily absorbed by newborn babies. Such absorption is also of great importance to the skin. Liposomes, that are to be found in milk in a comparable form, have been simulated by industry for some time in order to achieve similar success in cosmetics.

What references did you find to asses’ milk?
J.C.H.: A large number of writers in antiquity talked about asses’ milk. It was also used in Arabic medicine, which is why this ancient knowledge has been kept alive to the present day.

What did the Romans know from experience that scientists have now proven in the laboratory?
J.C.H.: People’s wisdom is simply amazing and one of the most fascinating aspects of molecular biology is that it confirms many things that earlier generations knew intuitively. Ancient experience regarding asses’ milk was by no means scientific, but simply tried and tested.

But what is so special about asses’ milk?
J.C.H.: Bringing up newborn babies is of immense importance to evolution and it therefore stands to reason that breast milk has to be as nourishing as possible, especially in the case of animals living in inhospitable regions. Donkeys are known to be content with the most barren of conditions, and compensate for this fact by producing highly nutritious milk for their foals.

Why is it so difficult to obtain asses’ milk?
J.C.H.: If foals are taken away from their mothers, they stop producing milk immediately. Furthermore, donkeys have to be milked by hand, which is a laborious process.

What do these products hope to glean from the milk?
J.C.H.: Products similar to milk have been used in cosmetics for some time now. The properties of breast milk are what enable the newborn baby to survive and grow.

Why were ginseng and myrrh chosen as the other ingredients for Titania's Dream®?
J.C.H.: Ginseng contains natural plant hormones that have also been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years. Myrrh is astringent and antiseptic.

How can you explain the fact that men also like Titania’s Dream®?
J.C.H.: It could be the scent, possibly because heliotrope is an appealing olfactory sensation for most men.

Is any research currently being carried out into asses’ milk at your institute?
J.C.H.: In view of the fact that there have been frequent reports that it has been tried and tested over time and found to be successful, it would also be interesting to analyse asses’ milk.

How would you describe your personal role in Titania’s Dream®?
J.C.H.: I am not involved financially or in any other way, I was instrumental in launching the project. However, I am happy to continue supporting the project in all medical areas.

Will you be working in the area of cosmetics in the future?
J.C.H.: I am a gynaecologist who is also interested in other areas. As such, I am fully aware that many women consider their appearance and skin in particular to be very important – beautiful skin is usually also healthy skin – which means that often the gynaecologist has to represent the patient’s interests. Consequently, it has also become a field of interest for me.