The Roman road to beauty

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1342781,00.html
The Roman road to beauty
David Adam
Thursday November 4, 2004
The Guardian, London
Call it the Maximus factor. Archaeologists working at the site of an old
Roman temple near Guy's hospital in London have uncovered a pot of
cosmetic cream dating back to AD2.
The pot, complete with the lid and contents, is the first to be discovered
intact with contents in good condition.
Chemists at Bristol University report in Nature today on their analysis of
the cream, and how they made their own synthetic version using the same
recipe. In the name of science they also smeared it on to their own skin.
Their analysis showed the cream was made of refined animal fat, most
probably from a sheep or cow, with starch and white tin oxide mixed in as
a pigment.
White face paint was popular in Roman times and normally got its colour
from lead acetate. Cornish tin may have been used as a substitute as the
risks of lead poisoning were becoming clear at the time.