Today Daily Candy brought a new business model to our attention. FamousFlakes is a new store in Soho that sells a "pure" powdered distillation of, well, celebrity skin. Gross? Definitely. But really, who doesn't want a piece of Britney Spears? But where to the flakes come from? And how can we know they're real? To understand better how FamousFlakes works, we gave its proprietor, Charles Remarque, a call. Click Continue to read the interview— not only does Remarque use microdot arrays to confirm the genetic authenticity of his subjects, the final product, he assures us, is "as pure as high-grade Columbian blow."

DVICE: How did this idea come about?

CR: I was working towards my PhD in biochemistry at UCLA a few years ago and wanted to make some extra cash. A friend of mine hired me sometimes to work with her housecleaning business in Santa Monica. Some of her clients were quite famous— I won't name names, but one day while emptying a vacuum bag in the home of a particular 'diva' I remembered that dust is made up mostly of human skin. That was my 'eureka!' moment.

DVICE: Can you tell us a little more about the "distilling" process? How do we know that your products are real?

CR: Well obviously if a sample comes from a vacuum bag it has the potential to contain the skin, and therefore DNA, of several different people, plus pets. I've developed a proprietary system of spinning and separating particles that have the same DNA. It's similar to the method forensic scientists use when dealing with blood that could come from several possible sources.

The trickiest part is then identifying which flakes come from which person— I wouldn't want to mix Madonna up with her babysitter! I don't want to reveal any more on that subject, but my collaborators and I take authenticity very seriously.

DVICE: Who else is on your list? I bet our readers would love to grab a piece of Tricia Helfer or Katee Sackhoff.

CR: Check out availability on my new website. I haven't tackled Battlestar Galactica yet, but it's a great idea.

DVICE: Isn't this illegal?

CR: So far I've been able to keep a low profile and haven't offended anybody. While I still intend to try to find obscure specimens for private collections, with my public business I'm trying to get celebrities to make donations. I'm also beginning to create flake bottles for individuals— they make very romantic gifts.

DVICE: How much would you charge for a bottle of a "normal" person?

CR: I have an introductory rate right now of $180 for one person, $300 per couple. in the words of one of my heros, Carl Sagan ($212/gram), 'we are, all of us, made of star-stuff.'

Famous Flakes, via Daily Candy