Throughout history, people have made powders, paints, and lotions out of materials from the natural world. They stained their lips with colorful pigments from flowers or crushed bugs and smoothed their faces with animal fat. They also made beauty products with minerals that contained incredibly dangerous elements, or chemical substances that cannot be broken down into simpler substances.
Mercury (Hg) for example, is a neurotoxin that can damage the body’s nervous system. In its pure state, mercury is a shiny, silver liquid. But in nature, when it combines with sulfur (S), it forms a blood-red mineral called cinnabar. In ancient Egypt, Peru, and Rome, crushed cinnabar was sometimes used as a rouge, or blush, to give color to the cheeks. Even though this mineral form of mercury is much less toxic than its pure, liquid form, exposure to cinnabar could still cause itching, swelling, and muscle weakness.
One of the most common ingredients in ancient cosmetics was lead (Pb). When absorbed into the bloodstream, this extremely toxic metal builds up over time and poisons the brain, liver, kidneys, and bones. In ancient Greece, Rome, and China, people would smear their faces with white lead. The waxy substance “blurred any imperfections,” says Alicia Schult, a cosmetics historian in Wisconsin. But consistent use would cause the eyes to grow watery and swollen, the skin to wither and gray, and teeth to fall out. Despite these side effects, lead face paint remained popular until the late 1800s. “The dangers of lead makeup were documented long before the 2nd century,” says Schult. “Even though people knew it was toxic, some decided to brave the warnings for beauty’s sake.”