Unguent

Unguent (pronounced uhng-gwuhnt)

(1) An ointment or salve, usually liquid or semi-liquid, for application to wounds, sores etc (mostly archaic except as a deliberate anachronism for literary or poetic purposes).

(2) Any ointment-like preparation for the skin, use largely restricted to the advertising of high-end cosmetic houses.

1400–1450: From the late Middle English unguent (ointment), from the Latin unguentum, an alteration (probably by association with the suffixes –men, -menta & -mentum (the Latin collective noun suffix)) of unguen (fat, grease) and a derivative of unguere (to anoint or smear with ointment), from the primitive Indo-European root hseng & ongw- (to salve, anoint), the source also of the Sanskrit anakti (anoints, smears), the Armenian aucanem (I anoint), the Old Prussian anctan (butter), the Old High German ancho, the German anke (butter), the Old Irish imb (butter) and the Welsh ymenyn (butter).  The alternative spelling onguent is extinct and technically, synonyms include balm, ointment, lotion, emollient, lubricant, cream & cerate but by virtue of use, the word is mostly obsolete except as a deliberate anachronism for literary or poetic purposes although it persists in the niche of expensive cosmetics where it functions to denote "expensive".  Unguent is a noun and unguentary is an adjective; the noun plural is unguents.

Peter Thomas Roth's Eye-Conic Eye Patches

Unguents can be peel-off:  Lindsay Lohan in May 2023 appeared in a campaign promoting the cult Eye-Conic Eye Patch patches by Peter Thomas Roth.  Actually (very) pregnant during filming, she wore the contoured hydra-gel patches for most of the clip, working-in lines from both Mean Girls (2004) and The Parent Trap (1998).

According to Ms Lohan, although over the years she’s tried “countless” unguents, those by Peter Thomas Roth have “become my staples” and helpfully, the three: (1) hydrating Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Eye Patches (targeting fine lines and under-eye darkness), (2) the rejuvenating Cucumber De-Tox Eye Patches (which help to smooth and de-puff) and (3) the luxe-feeling, skin-firming 24K Gold Pure Luxury Lift & Firm Eye Patches are color-coded.

Aldi's Lacura's Caviar skincare range

Aldi's Lacura Caviar skincare range is a another cult favorite and although among the more expensive of the unguents on sale in supermarkets, it's long attracted rave reviews and users frequently and favorably compare the Caviar products those offered by "prestige" brands costing sometimes literally a hundred-fold more.  Among the mafia-like cohorts of the Caviar cult, there are said to be WhatsApps groups passing on intelligence about which Aldi store has stock because frequently the range is unavailable and re-supply is said to be unpredictable.  If the usual rules of supply & demand are working, there may be a black market.