Top 10 Ancient Makeup Trends That Would Kill You Now

MsMojo

Some trends fade for a reason. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most dangerous older beauty practices that have thankfully been lost to time.

Transcript

00:00 Want to add a youthful glow to your skin?

00:02 How about a radioactive substance like radium?

00:04 Welcome to Miss Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most dangerous older

00:09 beauty practices that have, thankfully, been lost to time.

00:20 10.

00:21 Cinnabar Blush

00:22 Rosy cheeks have always been a staple in makeup routines throughout history.

00:26 While we have access to blush now, people in ancient Rome turned to other methods.

00:37 To attain that sun-kissed look, they would use powdered cinnabar, which is another form

00:42 of the mercury sulfide.

00:44 While it's a vibrant shade of scarlet, it's also very toxic.

00:48 After wearing it, the toxin would absorb through the skin and poison the wearer, which resulted

00:52 in all sorts of nasty symptoms like muscle weakness and even memory loss.

01:02 What's interesting is that the cause of these symptoms was known even then, but that still

01:07 didn't deter people from wearing it.

01:09 Cinnabar isn't the only noxious blush.

01:11 Red lead was also used to obtain that hue, and also led to deteriorated health.

01:19 9.

01:22 Kohl Eye Makeup

01:24 While graphic liner looks are all the rage now, in ancient Egypt, they kept it classic

01:28 with a thick cat eye.

01:32 However, to create that look, they required something called kohl, which is made with

01:38 galena, otherwise known as lead sulfide.

01:41 While it did help them achieve that dramatic eye look, and helped protect the eyes from

01:45 disease, bugs, and sun rays, it also had plenty of negative results.

01:59 Lead-contaminated kohl meant that wearers could suffer from lead poisoning, symptoms

02:03 of which include harm to neurological development, delirium, and hallucinations.

02:08 What's more alarming is that there wasn't a movement to remove the dangerous element

02:11 from the product until the 1990s, meaning that there are still people alive today that

02:16 could be dealing with ramifications of kohl.

02:24 8.

02:28 Lashlore's Brow and Lash Dye

02:30 This product may not be so ancient, but it has been proven to be deadly.

02:35 In the 1930s, a company called Lashlore released a dye that was intended to be used on the

02:40 eyebrows and lashes.

02:42 While some were able to use it normally, others weren't so lucky.

02:45 In the moments following her visit, her eyes began to sting with pain.

02:50 Two hours later, she could hardly see.

02:52 It was made with paraffinilamide, a chemical derived from the compound aniline, which can

02:58 cause severe allergic reactions ranging from dermatitis to blindness.

03:03 The Journal of the American Medical Association reported at least 17 similar incidents, and

03:08 it's possible many more were not reported.

03:11 In one case, someone plucked her eyebrow prior to application, which led to a fever, swollen

03:16 eyelids, and an infection that ultimately caused her death.

03:20 After the passage of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act in 1938, the corporation

03:26 faced swift repercussions.

03:28 Lashlore was the first product confiscated once the act was passed, and the FDA issued

03:33 a statement saying PPD in eyelash tints was considered contamination.

03:37 A rule the FDA still adheres to to this day.

03:40 7.

03:41 Arsenic Baths

03:42 In Victorian times, one beauty objective was to have the fairest pigmentation possible.

03:52 While the rich were able to accomplish this by staying inside more often, working class

03:57 women were forced to resort to more intense means.

04:05 One method was to bathe using arsenic soap.

04:08 Although the chemical did help them get the desired effect, it was also obviously dangerous.

04:24 Arsenic contamination has a wide array of potential health issues, including heart failure

04:29 and the swelling of the brain.

04:30 Worse still, if arsenic was hard to come by, some women would take radium baths instead,

04:36 which would cause radium to remain in the bloodstream and lead to radiation poisoning.

04:41 The fact that they went to such lengths proves how toxic beauty standards were, even back

04:47 then.

04:48 6.

04:49 Contracting Tuberculosis

04:51 Illness as a beauty trend has been around for a long time, apparently.

05:04 Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, it was found that some of the outward side effects

05:08 of tuberculosis, such as a slim waist, pallid tone, and reddened lips, matched the ideal

05:14 beauty look at the time.

05:15 This led to people attempting to contract it themselves.

05:18 They would romanticise the disease, focusing only on the short-term results.

05:35 This was not only short-sighted, but obviously extremely unsafe.

05:39 When left untreated, the sickness would lead to severe weight loss, fatigue, and death.

05:47 Spoiler alert, tuberculosis is not an easy death.

05:50 In fact, it's absolutely terrible.

05:53 5.

05:54 Radioactive Makeup

05:55 In the early 20th century, radioactivity was all the rage.

06:13 There was even a French brand called Thoradia that specialised in radioactive products.

06:18 These ranged from powders, to creams, to blushes, meaning that women who partook in applying

06:24 this makeup were subjecting themselves to several sources of radiation.

06:28 Even if the traces were minute, direct exposure over long periods can cause adverse outcomes

06:33 such as cancer.

06:34 "Radioactivity occurs when the nucleus of an atom is unstable.

06:35 Unstable atoms have a high probability of ejecting a particle from the nucleus, like

06:36 another element, and this is why they are called radioactive particles."

06:37 Advertisers made it seem like it would result in glowing skin, and customers happily bought

06:59 into it.

07:00 Of course, there was no proof to these claims, and eventually, companies were forced to remove

07:04 them from the packaging.

07:05 Luckily, we have less detrimental methods of achieving that glowy look today, such as

07:10 highlighter and dewy foundations.

07:13 4.

07:15 Bloodletting

07:17 How far would you be willing to go to conform to beauty standards?

07:27 With paleness being all the rage in the European Middle Ages, some went so far as to drain

07:32 their own blood.

07:36 In a medical setting, this was done by either drawing fluid through a large vein, or by

07:41 puncturing an artery.

07:43 In cosmetics, it was sometimes achieved by applying leeches to the body.

07:47 The process was physically draining, in more ways than one, and if done improperly, led

07:53 to shock and hemorrhages.

08:03 In some cases, excessive blood loss could even culminate in the patient dying.

08:08 Thankfully, the practice has been abandoned by most practicing doctors.

08:12 However, it goes to show that the never-ending chase for perceived perfection has been a

08:17 constant in human society throughout history.

08:26 3.

08:28 Deadly Nightshade

08:29 It may sound crazy, but at one point, wide, teary eyes with dilated pupils were considered

08:41 beautiful.

08:42 To reach this completely unnatural standard, people would squeeze drops of nightshade into

08:47 their eyes.

08:48 The outlandish practice was done with the goal of having a seductive gaze.

08:58 When used, the nightshade in the drops would block receptors that keep the pupils from

09:03 expanding, creating the desired look.

09:06 This had short-term ramifications as well as long-term repercussions.

09:10 In the moment, it could cause distorted vision and over time, lead to blindness.

09:15 It was a huge risk for very little payoff.

09:18 This cosmetic practice was so widely known that it ended up playing into the plant's

09:23 scientific name.

09:24 Belladonna is a direct reference to the method itself.

09:40 2.

09:42 Arsenic Wafers

09:43 After arsenic baths became trendy, some companies realised they could put the toxin into other

09:48 practices as well.

09:49 This led to the invention of arsenic wafers, a product with the goal of maintaining a death

09:54ly pale skin tone.

10:12 The direct consumption of it meant that the side effects were even more severe, ranging

10:16 from digestive issues to comas.

10:19 The most ominous aspect about these wafers is the advertisements that came with them.

10:23 They directly preyed on the insecurities of women, claiming that the wafers would also

10:28 remove any other "so-called imperfections" on the face.

10:40 It was a predatory tactic that unfortunately worked, given their prevalence.

10:45 While harmful ads still exist today, at least they aren't trying to sell us literal poison.

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11:14 1.

11:15 Mercury and Lead Face Makeup

11:17 The lengths people went to to try to emulate royalty seemed to have no end.

11:22 Besides being used as blush, both lead and mercury were used as face paint to acquire

11:28 a one appearance throughout the 16th century.

11:42 When women saw monarchs like Queen Elizabeth I with a ghost-like appearance, they were

11:47 inspired to try and recreate it on their own.

11:50 The heavy metal was known as Venetian Ceruse and was considered to be a quality product,

11:56 you know, despite the risk of dying.

12:06 Meanwhile, Quicksilver Cosmetics led to the same fate.

12:10 Both chemicals had the ability to easily breach the flesh and enter circulation.

12:15 Despite the unpleasant consequences being known, people still continued to use them,

12:21 taking the phrase "beauty is pain" to an extreme level.

12:30 Which of these trends do you think was the most harmful?

12:33 Let us know in the comments below.

12:54 -END-

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