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Roman Cosmetics
Handmade Roman Cosmetics
3/15/2015
Handmade Roman cosmetics, made from non-toxic and period items as recorded by Roman authors and
the archaeological record.
Contents
1.0
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 2
2.0
Background ....................................................................................................................................... 1
3.0 Roman Cosmetics ................................................................................................................................... 2
3.1 Exfoliant 1........................................................................................................................................... 2
3.2 Exfoliant 2........................................................................................................................................... 2
3.3 Foundation .......................................................................................................................................... 3
3.4 Rouge .................................................................................................................................................. 3
3.5 Eyeliner ............................................................................................................................................... 3
3.6 Eyeshadows......................................................................................................................................... 4
4.0 Application.............................................................................................................................................. 4
5.0 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................................. 6
Figures
Figure 1. A box of Roman cosmetics from the Campania region (National Museum of Naples). ............... 1
Figure 2. Raw materials for cosmetics: left to right, malachite, lapis, talc, beans and seeds, talc, red ochre
(hematite), kaolin clay, muscovite mica. ...................................................................................................... 2
Figure 3. Roman lady from one of the Fayum Portraits, showing clear eyeliner and eyeshadow, CA ~2nd
century CE. ................................................................................................................................................... 3
Figure 4. Model with no makeup applied. .................................................................................................... 4
Figure 5. Model with foundation and eyeliner applied. ................................................................................ 5
Figure 6. Model with full makeup applied. ................................................................................................... 5
Figure 7. One eye done with malachite eyeshadow and one done with lapis eyeshadow. ........................... 5
1.0 Introduction
This is a presentation of multiple handmade Roman cosmetics that would have been appropriate to a
Roman matron.. Each of these cosmetics is made using period ingredients that are non toxic.
2.0 Background
Several Roman authors wrote about makeup, the most prolific of which were Pliny, Martial, and Ovid.
Each of these authors had something to say about women and cosmetics, and in conjunction with their
writings and recipes, several archaeological cosmetic items have been discovered. Roman women were
enthusiastic users of cosmetics, although then, as today, the men preferred a “natural” look, which was
often only achievable by application of the un-natural (Stewart, 2007).
Figure 1. A box of Roman cosmetics from the Campania region (National Museum of Naples).
The items I have chosen to reproduce will be discussed and cited individually below. Of particular use
were the Fayum portraits, a grouping of funerary portraits from Roman-occupied Egypt from the first
century BCE to approximately the 3rd century CE.
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Figure 2. Raw materials for cosmetics: left to right, malachite, lapis, talc, beans and seeds, red ochre (hematite), kaolin
clay, muscovite mica.
3.0 Roman Cosmetics
3.1 Exfoliant 1
This exfoliant is a simple one. Ovid in his De Medicamina Faciae (On the Making Up of the Face) writes
of a skin treatment that will “improve skin tone and eradicate wrinkles”. However, upon testing this
product, it is quite exfoliating, so I have categorized it as an exfoliant. Ovid writes that this exfoliant
would smooth the complexion, “Crushed lupine seeds and beans” (Ovid, 1855). I crushed equivalent
amounts of both lupine seeds and beans in an iron mortar until fine, then sieved the coarsest materials out
using a piece of fabric. On application to the face, this mixture is reminiscent of a walnut-kernel type of
scrub, though it does smell rather strongly of beans.
3.2 Face Treatment 1 (oesypum)
This face treatment appears to be a combination face cream and wrinkle treatment. Ovid writes of this
cream,” How strong the smell of oil of wool, through from Athens be sent, the juices drawn from an
unwashed sheep’s fleece” (Ovid, 1855). This treatment is simply lanolin (sheep’s wool oil) and honey.
Lanolin has a softening and smoothing action, and honey is a mild antibiotic and used in many face
treatments today. I mixed a 50/50 mixture of honey (local wildflower) and lanolin (medical grade). I
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applied to my skin and while it would be possible to sleep with this on, I don’t necessarily recommend it
as it is messy. It made my skin nicely smooth after washing it off.
3.3 Foundation
This entry has only two ingredients- kaolin clay and muscovite mica. Most of the Roman period
foundations used white lead, but as that is extremely toxic, I decided to use kaolin clay, a substance well
known to them and already used in cosmetics. The addition of mica was to try to add a little “candor” to
the foundation. Candor is the term used by the Romans to mean a fresh, shining, glowing complexion,
and it was written of as very important to a woman’s beauty (Ovid, 1855; Stewart, 2007)
3.4 Rouge
Rouge was very commonly applied, and several authors of the time wrote of it (Pliny the Elder, ). Martial
wrote that women who used it looked in danger of melting in the sun, and Plutarch wrote that too much
made a woman look showy and cheap (Cowell, 1961). Shells with red ochre pigment have been found in
Roman bath drains (Stewart, 2007), so I have included the ochre on a shell to reflect this.
I ground up red ochre (Latin-rubrica) (hematite-an iron ore) in an iron mortar and then sieved the result
through a fine cloth.
3.5 Eyeliner
Eyeliner is visible in most Roman artwork, and was a common cosmetic. Ovid wrote that soot and burnt
date pits could be used to make an eyeliner (Ovid, 1855). A common eyeliner was made from antimony
(Stewart, 2007), which is made from a sulfide mineral stibnite. This element/chemical has some
unpleasant side effects ranging from eye and skin irritation to heart problems and fertility issues
(EPA.gov, 2000); therefore I chose a more benign substance based on Pliny’s writings in Natural History
(Book 33; Bostock, 1855). I burnt some date seeds to charcoal in a grill, then scraped accumulated soot
off of the inside of said grill. I smashed and powdered this and sifted it with a very fine cloth.
Figure 3. Roman lady from one of the Fayum Portraits, showing clear eyeliner and eyeshadow, CA ~2nd century CE.
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3.6 Eyeshadows
Extant cosmetic boxes have been found, as well as scattered writings from Ovid and Pliny indicating that
eyeshadow was sparingly used (Ovid, 1855; Bostock, 1855; Stewart 2007), but certainly known. I chose
to reproduce two known eyeshadows, one made of ground malachite (a copper ore) and one made of
ground lapis lazuli (a complex mineral known to produce ultramarine blue, a fine pigment). I ground up
malachite and lapis in an iron mortar, and then sieved the fine powder through a piece of fabric to get the
finest powders separated out from any coarser material. Interestingly, both of these eyeshadows, derived
from pure minerals, have a natural glitter; malachite likely from microscopic copper flecks, and lapis
from microscopic pyrite crystals that are a natural part of lapis.
4.0 Application
I applied the makeup to a willing model and took pictures to ensure that it had the desired effect. The
model’s face is partially obscured so as to maintain “anonymity” for the purposes of judging. While it is
theorized, largely due to the writings of men (as no women’s writings of the time on makeup exist), that
makeup was applied in a much heavier fashion by Roman ladies, I have chosen to go with a modern
makeup amount due to lack of evidence otherwise.
The foundation needs to be applied over a face that is lightly moist or oiled with a neutral oil such as olive
oil. The eyeliner works VERY well slightly moistened and is fairly difficult to remove! I used a stick to
apply the eyeliner as it is inferred from the extant makeup sets. The blush is EXTREMELY effective in
small amounts. The eyeshadows need to be applied with a moist brush or fingertip- a jar of oil with
rosewater for this purpose as would have been used, suggested by archaeological findings (Stewart,
2007).
Figure 4. Model with no makeup applied.
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Figure 5. Model with foundation and eyeliner applied.
Figure 6. Model with full makeup applied.
Figure 7. One eye done with malachite eyeshadow and one done with lapis eyeshadow.
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5.0 Conclusion
Cosmetics were made based on Roman recipes and writings. None of the makeup I made contains any
dangerous or particularly toxic chemicals. Using fairly simple ingredients, one can easily reproduce the
Roman look.
References
Bostock, J. (1855). Pliny the Elder: The Natural History. London: Taylor and Francis.
Cowell, F.R. Everyday Life in Ancient Rome. London: Batsford, 1961, pp. 63-66
P. Ovidius Naso (1855). Ovid's Art of Love (in three Books), the Remedy of Love, the Art of Beauty, the
Court of Love, the History of Love, and Amours. Anne Mahoney. edited for Perseus. New York.
Calvin Blanchard.
Stewart, Susan (2007). Cosmetics & Perfumes in the Roman World. Gloucestershire: Tempus.
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