Ass milk cosmetics fetch premium prices in Iran

A Sunday photo report of a farm on the outskirts of Tehran sheds light on this lesser-known industry.

The 25 or so donkeys on the farm are milked every two hours, yielding 150g of ass milk each, the report says.

Each kilo of donkey milk, from which donkey butter is produced, costs 150,000 Toman ($42).

Skin cream, the prized derivative of jenny milk, fetches 90,000 Toman per tube ($20).

Asinine soap and shampoo costs are priced at 50,000 ($11.90) and 30,000 ($7.14) Toman, respectively

Donkey manure can also be purchased at the farm at 1,000 Toman ($0.23) per piece.

The use of donkey milk for medical and cosmetic purposes date back to Egyptian antiquity.

Cleopatra, the Queen of Ancient Egypt, is said to have taken baths in it to preserve the beauty and youth of her skin.

One 2017 recent scientific study suggests that face creams made from the product allow for better skin hydration and moisturisation compared to conventional cosmetics.