PURPOSE: To provide a cosmetic having high water-retainability and excellent skin-smoothing effect, suitable to apply to the chapped skin, and containing an extract obtained by chopping the navel string and the cockscomb, digesting with pronase, and filtering the product.

CONSTITUTION: The navel string separated from the human placenta, and the cockscomb separated from chicken, are chopped to fine pieces, digested with pronase which is a kind of proteinase, and filtered to obtain an extract, which is used as a component of a cosmetic. When the cosmetic is applied to the skin, it increases the water-retainability of the horny layer, stabilizes and activates the connective tissue, dilates the peripheral vessel to increase the circulation of blood, promotes the intermediate metabolism to increase the supply of nitrients and the excretion of the waste products, and accordingly, prevents or cures the chapped skin and gives smooth skin.