Nose grease and beer foam

Factual Questions
1

Does anyone have any clue as to why nose grease can get rid of beer foam?

2

I would imagine that nose grease has some oils in it that break down the foam. That would be my WAG.

3

Just about any oil/fat will kill the foam – I’ve heard of people rubbing butter on the inside of a glass/pitcher so they’ll get the full measure.

4

Or lipstick for that matter.

http://www.ifrn.bbsrc.ac.uk/public/FoodInfoSheets/EDPBeer.html

5

Well, when I put an oily dish in the dishpan, it kills the suds pretty quickly and I have to add more detergent.

I’d imagine that the foam in beer is aided by something akin to a soap molecule, and soap molecules have a “hydrophobic” end which prefers to attach to lipids. Maybe the oily surfaces in your beer will bind to all the foam-causing molecules?

Hmmm. If the police used a foam machine to disperse a big riot, the rioters would just have to bring along many cans of that “Pam” spray-on oil?