Top 10 Ancient Makeup Trends That Would Kill You Now

Rosy cheeks have always been a staple in makeup routines throughout history. While we have access to blush now, people in Ancient Rome turned to other methods. To attain that sun-kissed look, they would use powdered cinnabar – which is another form of the mercury sulfide. While it’s a vibrant shade of scarlet, it’s also very toxic. After wearing it, the toxin would absorb through the skin and poison the wearer, which resulted in all sorts of nasty symptoms like muscle weakness and even memory loss. What’s interesting is that the cause of these symptoms was known even then– but that still didn’t deter people from wearing it. Cinnabar isn’t the only noxious blush. Red lead was also used to obtain that hue– and also led to deteriorated health.

While graphic liner looks are all the rage now, in Ancient Egypt, they kept it classic with a thick cat eye. However, to create that look, they required something called kohl, which is made with galena– otherwise known as lead sulfide. While it did help them achieve that dramatic eye look, and helped protect the eyes from disease, bugs and sun rays, it also had plenty of negative results. Lead-contaminated kohl meant that wearers could suffer from lead poisoning, symptoms of which include harm to neurological development, delirium, and hallucinations. What’s more alarming is that there wasn’t a movement to remove the dangerous element from the product until the 1990s– meaning that there are people still alive today that could be dealing with the ramifications of kohl.

This product may not be so ancient, but it’s been proven to be deadly. In the 1930s, a company called Lash Lure released a dye that was intended to be used on the eyebrows and lashes. While some were able to use it normally, others weren’t so lucky. It was made with paraphenylenediamine, a chemical derived from the compound aniline, which can cause severe allergic reactions, ranging from dermatitis to blindness. In one case, someone plucked her eyebrow prior to application – which led to a fever, swollen eyelids, and an infection that ultimately caused her death. After the passage of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act in 1938, the corporation faced swift repercussions.

In Victorian times, one beauty objective was to have the fairest pigmentation possible. While the rich were able to accomplish this by staying inside more often, working class women were forced to resort to more intense means. One method was to bathe using arsenic soap. Although the chemical did help them get the desired effect, it was also obviously dangerous. Arsenic contamination has a wide array of potential health issues, including heart failure and the swelling of the brain. Worse still, if arsenic was hard to come by, some women would take radium baths instead, which would cause radium to remain in their bloodstream and lead to radiation poisoning. The fact that they went to such lengths proves how toxic beauty standards were, even back then.

Illness as a beauty trend has been around for a long time, apparently. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, it was found that some of the outward side effects of Tuberculosis – such as a slim waist, pallid tone, and reddened lips – matched the ideal beauty look at the time. This led to people attempting to contract it themselves. They would romanticize the disease, focusing only on the short term results. This was not only short-sighted, but obviously extremely unsafe. When left untreated, the sickness would lead to severe weight loss, fatigue, and death.

In the early 20th century, radioactivity was all the rage. There was even a French brand called Tho-Radia that specialized in radioactive products. These ranged from powders, to creams, to blushes, meaning that women who partook in applying this make up were subjecting themselves to several sources of radiation. Even if the traces were minute, direct exposure over long periods can cause adverse outcomes such as cancer. Advertisers made it seem like it would result in glowing skin, and customers happily bought into it. Of course, there was no proof to these claims and, eventually, companies were forced to remove them from the packaging. Luckily, we have less detrimental methods of achieving that glowy look today, such as highlighter and dewy foundations.

How far would you be willing to go to conform to beauty standards? With paleness being all the rage in the European Middle Ages, some went so far as to drain their own blood. In a medical setting, this was done by either drawing fluid through a large vein, or by puncturing an artery. In cosmetics, it was sometimes achieved by applying leeches to the body. The process was physically draining – in more ways than one – and if done improperly, led to shock and hemorrhages. In some cases, excessive blood loss could even culminate in the patient dying. Thankfully, the practice has been abandoned by most practicing doctors. However, it goes to show that the neverending chase for perceived perfection has been a constant in human society throughout history.

It may sound crazy, but at one point, wide, teary eyes with dilated pupils were considered beautiful. To reach this completely unnatural standard, people would squeeze drops of nightshade into their eyes. The outlandish practice was done with the goal of having a seductive gaze. When used, the nightshade in the drops would block receptors that keep the pupils from expanding, creating the desired look. This had short term ramifications as well as long term repercussions. In the moment, it could cause distorted vision, and over time led to blindness. It was a huge risk for very little payoff. This cosmetic practice was so widely known that it ended up playing into the plant’s scientific name; belladonna is a direct reference to the method itself.

After arsenic baths became trendy, some companies realized they could put the toxin into other practices as well. This led to the invention of arsenic wafers – a product with the goal of maintaining a deathly pale skin tone. The direct consumption of it meant that the side effects were even more severe, ranging from digestive issues to comas. The most ominous aspect about these wafers is the advertisements that came with them. They directly preyed on the insecurities of women, claiming that the wafers would also remove any other so-called imperfections on the face. It was a predatory tactic that unfortunately worked, given their prevalence. While harmful ads still exist today, at least they aren’t trying to sell us literal poison.

The lengths people went to to try emulating royalty seemed to have no end. Besides being used as blush, both lead and mercury were used as face paint to acquire a wan appearance throughout the 16th century. When women saw monarchs like Queen Elizabeth I with a ghostlike appearance, they were inspired to try and recreate it on their own. The heavy metal was known as venetian ceruse, and was considered to be a quality product…you know, despite the risk of dying. Meanwhile, quicksilver cosmetics led to the same fate. Both chemicals had the ability to easily breach the flesh and enter circulation. Despite the unpleasant consequences being known, people still continued to use them – taking the phrase “beauty is pain” to an extreme level.

Which of these trends do you think was the most harmful? Let us know in the comments below.