Which scares you worse: wrinkles or snakes? As if shooting botulinum toxin into your head weren’t scary enough, some women are now clamoring for the latest anti-aging weapon: simulated viper’s venom. Syn-Ake is the key ingredient in a product called UltraLuxe 9, by Beverly Hills skin guru Sonya Dakar, who counts Gwyneth Paltrow, Drew Barrymore, Fergie, Eve, and Ben Kingsley among her clients. “It blocks the neurotransmitters that tell muscles to contract, but obviously not on a level where you are completely paralyzed,’’ explains Dakar’s daughter Mimi. “Waiting lists have started all around the country. I know they have a pre-pre-list in L.A., because the celebrities have to get it first,’’ says Townhouse Spa owner Jamie Ahn, who’ll be carrying the $185-an-ounce cream. “We have our own insider list of nearly a hundred people who have been waiting months for it. People use human placenta; they are getting used to this stuff—the more exotic, the better.’’

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Related:

• Archive: “Intelligencer”
• Articles by Beth Landman
• Table of Contents: Sep 25, 2006 issue of New York | Subscribe!