In the contemporary world we buy cosmetics easily, we choose brands, colors and textures. But the history of beauty has never been harmless. As underlined in the article “Dangerous beauty: hazardous chemicals and poisons in historic cosmetics”, published by the Science Museum Group, the use of toxic substances in make-up has ancient roots.
Already in Ancient Egypt, eyes were traced with galena powder (a form of lead sulphide) — in practice: make-up + lead = “very cool” look, but also poisonous.
And if the aesthetic ideal was white, smooth, untouched skin, there was a heavy price behind it: exposure to heavy metals, hidden poisons, cycles of “purifying” treatments.
Lead: protagonist of elegance… and silent poison
A sensational example is the famous “Venetian ceruse”, a lead white-based cosmetic that was used to lighten the complexion: the formula was lead carbonate/lead hydrate applied to the face.
Lead was recognized as a poison (in the UK since 1631), yet despite this it continued to be used in Western cosmetics for centuries.
The consequences? Hair loss, worsening of the skin, compromised internal organs, even death (in extreme cases). Yet the “aristocratic” visual effect was so desired that it obscured the dangers.
Arsenic, mercury and the other protagonists of “extreme” beauty
Not just lead: the Science Museum article also cites arsenic, mercury, orpiment (arsenic sulfide) and other substances that today we would define as “laboratory toxic” as common cosmetic ingredients.
Among the ingredients proposed in 18th and 19th century beauty manuals we find substances that would make us shiver today: quicklime, for example, was suggested for certain hair removal creams despite being capable of causing deep burns and damage to the skin.
Orpiment, however, a mineral containing arsenic, appeared as a component in “miraculous” solutions and represented a real risk of poisoning.
We then add mercury, used in various formulas to treat the skin, eyelashes or eyebrows: it too, with all the aesthetic properties that were wanted to be asserted, was ignored on the safety front. The women of high society and socialites of the time, determined to pursue an ideal of beauty dictated by the canons of the time, accepted extreme risks – because for them it was more important to appear “fashionable” than to remain unscathed.
The look of a “beauty” in the 19th century was not defined only by lipstick and powder: behind those admiring eyes a much bolder makeup was hidden. The poisonous nightshade plant was used to obtain dilated pupils, a symbol of seduction, elegant fragility and mystery. Applying eye drops or a few drops of belladonna extract meant playing with sight, with the heartbeat, with toxicity itself. But fashion won over prudence: because looking glamorous was worth the risk.
Beauty routine = medicine/“cleansing” routine
In the 19th century, beauty care did not end in front of the mirror. For many women, the aesthetic journey also passed through what we would today define as medical treatments: syrups, pills, powders sold as miracle remedies to “purify” the blood and make the skin clearer and more luminous. The lines between health and makeup were very thin. Advertisements of the time promised astonishing results after entire cycles of weeks or months, to be repeated regularly to maintain that diaphanous appearance so admired by Victorian society.
We were convinced that true beauty was not appearance, but an internal achievement, a chemical balance to be renewed season after season. In reality, many of these treatments contained dangerous ingredients, capable of compromising the liver, nervous system or heart. Yet, the idea of ”curing” beauty from the inside seemed so innovative that it overshadowed any doubts: we trusted it because everything was presented as modern science. Vanity, disguised as health, made the most obvious risks overshadow.
Looking at that past, the feeling is clear: beauty has never been innocent. Behind a pale complexion and a bewitching gaze, real risks were hidden, pure poison spread on the skin in the name of appearance. In the nineteenth century, society expected flawless women, and those women accepted sacrifice without batting an eyelid, convinced that pain and fear were the inevitable toll of being considered desirable. Toxic substances were inhaled, dangerous remedies were ingested, people relied on preparations that would compromise their health over time in order to adhere to the dominant aesthetic model.
It’s easy to judge in hindsight, but the truth is that even today we continue to ignore the warnings when vanity calls. Fashions change, products evolve, but the obsession with looking perfect remains the same. Then as now, beauty can turn into a subtle trap. The message that comes to us from the nineteenth century is simple and brutal: when health is put in the background, beauty stops being a pleasure and becomes a threat disguised as desire.
