Overview of the use of Tudor cosmetics

In the Tudor and Elizabethan eras, pale skin denoted wealth and class and so the use of cosmetics to enhance this effect was common. On the skin, white lead or ceruse (white lead and vinegar) was used, however this was extremely damaging for the complexion and harmfully toxic for the skin, meaning more was then worn to cover up the damage! On top of this, a glaze of egg whites was added to preserve the cosmetics underneath. Queen Elizabeth even began to paint on fine blue veins to amplify the translucency. To add a hint of warmth and life to the face the cheeks were blushed with red ochre or more white lead mixed with a red dye. Making the skin look even more pale, the lips were often coloured a bright red by using a pencil made from alabaster or plaster of Paris mixed with a colourant, preferably red ochre, but for wealthier women, vermillion.

Solutions for damaged skin, or for blemishes and freckles, included the application of lemon juice, or even mercury; this acted as a facial ‘peel.’  

In this era, bathing and taking care of hygiene was not popular. Hair was washed sometimes as little as four times a year, with the use of lye; a mixture of wood ash and water. Queen Elizabeth is said to have bathed once a month. This lack of washing increased the requirement for perfumes, although ingredients were not as resistant as they are today and so repeated applications must have been necessary. Rose water was popular, but Elizabeth’s supposed own personal scent was made from marjoram and herbs; neither ingredient having particularly good longevity.  Others of her somewhat strange recipes include puppy fat and apples to make a hair pomade; posset curd to make an anti-wrinkle treatment for her forehead; and egg-whites, powdered egg shells, alum, borax and white poppy seeds to make a skin lotion. Hair bleaches sometimes contained urine, and dyes were often made from a mixture of saffron, cumin seeds, celandine and oil.

Recipes for male hair dye:

• Elizabethan: lead, sulphur, lime, water; leave on hair for at least 15 minutes, rinse, rinse again with soap.
• Modern: black walnut powder + water, leave to stand for six hours; rinse over head, dry in the sun, repeat daily.

Recipes for lightening skin:

• Elizabethan recipes for skin-whitening:
• Recipe 1. wash the face in rosemary boiled in white wine.
• Recipe 2. White tartar, camphire, copperas (iron sulphate), egg whites, lemon juice, tartar oil, plantain water, white mercury, almonds; powder all dry ingredients, mix with liquids, boiled, strained; rub face with scarlet cloth, wash with mixture, rinse off with bran and white wine.
• Modern skin-whitening recipe: plain yoghurt, honey, lemon juice, almonds, turmeric, oatmeal.

Recipes for removing freckles:

• Elizabethan recipe: sap from a Birch tree
• Modern recipe: sour cream, honey, onions, papaya, and buttermilk. 

Recipes for mouthwash:

• Elizabethan recipe: Vinegar, water from a masticke tree, rosemary, mirrhe, masticke, bole (stem/trunk of a tree), Arkmoniake, Dragon’s herbe, roche allom, fountain water, honey; mix and boil all. 
• Modern recipe: water, baking soda, peppermint oil, tea tree oil

I found it very interesting how much cosmetics and their ingredients have evolved, and am impressed at the Elizabethan's experiments. It is interesting how ingredients like lemon juice and cochineal are still used today. Above all, I was surprised to discover how infrequently Elizabethans washed despite their obsession with appearance!