LONDON (Reuters) - When it comes to cosmetics, the ancient Romans knew what they were doing.



Scientists have unearthed a small tin canister dating back to the middle of the second century AD in an excavated Roman temple precinct in London that contains a sophisticated white cream that could rival today's top cosmetics.


"It is quite a complicated little mixture," Richard Evershed, an analytical chemist at the University of Bristol in south-western England, told Reuters on Wednesday.


"Perhaps they didn't understand the chemistry of everything but they obviously knew what they were doing."


The pot, measuring 2.4 x 2 inches, is thought to be the only Roman tin of cream of its kind to be found intact and in such good condition.


It was discovered in a waterlogged ditch preserved under wooden planks in thick layers of mud.


The scientists, who reported the findings in the journal Nature, think the whitish cream was probably worn by fashionable Roman women. A fair complexion was popular in Roman times, according to the researchers.


"We're speculating that it would have been some sort of foundation cream," Evershed added.


The cream consists of about 40 percent animal fat -- most likely from sheep or cattle -- 40 percent starch and tin oxide. The fat forms the creamy base and the tin oxide makes the mixture opaque white.


"As far as I can tell, the tin oxide was quite inert so it wouldn't cause any dermatological problems," said Evershed.


Francis Grew, of the Museum of London, said both the tin and its contents were of very high quality.


"The cosmetic trade seems to have ranged in Roman times from a sort of home-spun type of thing ... to a sophisticated level," he told Reuters. Evershed said: "It gives us yet another insight into the sophisticated way in which our ancestors used materials from their environment. This is an ancient technology and one that doesn't differ so much from some of the cosmetic technologies in use today." source

Odd rumor that I heard a few years ago and haven't heard it since...

Is it true that some ancient civilizations (Rome, Egypt and the Etruscans) rubbed animal semen into their skin because they thought it kept them youthful? Probably horsecrap. Just asking.

More like a year ago. It made it on the front page of the forum
Click

We still have animal stuff in our cosmetics today that we use. I believe it's whale blubber...that's in our make-up today. It's from whales and I'm about 99% positive it's blubber. If not blubber then something else. It's not hard to believe they did things like that then, we stilll do it today lol

I read it in "British Archaeology" in 2003. I can't remember which issue, but the article was quite interesting.....

I find it mind blowing that the finger prints were still in the tin!!

Fish Scales are used today for lipsticks.

Taurine which is specified as "fluids from a bulls liver or bile" or some other disgusting sh** is still used in the drink known as "Red Bull" and who knows what all.

I don't drink any of it but anybody else should look it up and find out.....CHEERS!!!

Doesn't surprise me.... Still, not as impressive as the ancient battery. If you don't know what I am talking about do a search here on the forums, there's probably a thread on it.

whale blubber?
i am never ever ever going to wear makeup! i dont now and i will not in the future

^ Yuppers. And not just make up though...it's sick when you think that not just cigarettes have nasty things like rat poison, but even mascara and stuff too.

Here's one site with a whole list of a lot of different cosmetics and what's in them.
http://www.dennisandtawnya.com/Arbonne/Kno..._info_save.html

Here's an article I found that lists other things aside from make up that use animal parts...here's an excerpt first:

Source

Lol, are you prepared to stop using your toothpaste?