Camouflage has been used to conceal soldiers and military equipment from the enemy for centuries. The slang terms cam, camo or camouflage used by the British is borrowed from the French word ‘camoufler’ (to veil, disguise). But have you ever wondered how ‘cam cream’ is made? Watch below: Inside the factory that makes cam cream

BCB are the current suppliers of the three-colour compact camouflage cream issued to the British Armed Forces across the world. This version of cam cream is non-irritant and is also Infra Red Reflective (IRR). It comes supplied in a strong ABS plastic case, with an integral acrylic mirror inside of the lid ensuring easy application. BCB’s camouflage face paint was first worn by British Soldiers during the Falklands conflict in 1982. BCB produce over half a million units of camouflage face paint each year and is standard issue to many armed forces worldwide. Its camouflage face paint is currently in service with the UK, Canada, Norway and many other European and NATO countries.

Cam Cream: How It’s Made? Using an industrial mixer, solidified vegetable oil is added and mixed with a surfactant. A preservative is then added, so that the mixture has a longer shelf life for field use. Hydrophobic thickener is then added to help achieve the correct consistency. All these ingredients are then heated at a high temperature until thoroughly mixed. Pre-made plastic camouflage cream packs are added to an automated carousel, then the heated mix is then injected evenly into each pack. The finished product is then added to a vibrating conveyor belt. This helps remove any air bubbles from the paint and evenly distributes the mix. Each pack is visually inspected before being labelled, boxed, then shipped to the customer.

Arctic three-colour camouflage cream: Picture Mod/Crown Copyright