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Its white, gloopy texture was supposed to hold the secret of eternal youth: a fermented milk product used in luxury French beauty products prized by wealthy Parisians. But instead it was the key ingredient in what appears to be one of Latin America's biggest pyramid scheme cons: the case of the "magic cheese".
A French judge will fly to Chile next week to register lawsuits from thousands of villagers left destitute after Gilberte Van Erpe, a French businesswoman, allegedly persuaded them to pay large sums for kits to make "magic cheese", promising big returns when French cosmetic firms bought the product to use in age-defying creams and moisturisers.
Van Erpe, 66, known as "Madame Gil", travelled around Chile giving convincing presentations that persuaded mainly women and poor, unemployed villagers to join a fail-proof scheme working from home. For around euros 300 (pounds 282), she sold kits containing flasks, filters and a bag of a powder called "Yo Flex". When two litres of milk was added to the powder, it would ferment and...