The history of skincare is a vast and interesting thing.
Many of the same ingredients have been used for health and beauty purposes all around the world (though there are some wild cards like, crocodile poo!) and many of those things are still being used today!
Throughout most of history, the goal was to have pale and blemish free skin. Pale skin showed that the owner hadn't been working outdoors like the servants and poor people.
Later, a tanned look began to be coveted, and bronzer and tanning ingredients were added to a lot of mainstream products.
Now, self-care and loving who you are seems to be the main aim for most. Many people are searching for products that will give them smooth and youthful appearance, without causing damage to their skin or the environment.
... come and take a journey through the ages with us.
Ancient Egypt
The earliest archaeological evidence of skincare starts right here, around 6000 years ago.
The aim was to protect the skin from the sun, sand and insects and to keep it looking youthful and fresh.
Caster oil, Sesame oil and Moringa oil were used to stop wrinkles and prevent the skin from ageing.
Soap pastes were made from Clay and Olive Oil and used to cleanse the skin. Dead Sea salt was used to exfoliate. Watermelon was added to rose water and sugar. This too was thought to stop ageing and prevent wrinkles.
Frankincense was considered a precious item (remember, it was given to Jesus in the bible?) and many believed it could stop acne; as a natural antibacterial it actually did work and people began to also use it for healing cuts.
Cleopatra herself had a skincare routine. She was an incredibly intelligent woman, and very beautiful according to the Romans! She famously bathed in milk and honey to keep her skin hydrated and blemish free. She used saffron to help balance her hormones and to improve her complexion. It's reported she used rose oil and orange oil on her skin too - two of our favourite oils here at Wild Human Skincare!
All these items are still used in Skin Care today. It seems the Ancient Egyptians really had it sussed!
Ancient Greece
Pomegranates were incredibly important in Ancient Greece and they are mentioned regularly in the myths.
Persephone ate pomegranate seeds in the underworld and so had to remain there for part of the year. They are also tied to Aphrodite the goddess of love and beauty.
Pomegranate was considered a fruit of fertility and prosperity, so it was used a lot, even in skincare. It's fantastic for mature skin but it's unlikely that would have been known then - it was just known to be great for skin!
Olives were also considered very important and the oil was used for all kinds of things; Honey and olive oil masks were thought to prevent wrinkles and keep the skin smooth and pale.
Face masks were also made from berries and yoghurt. A mixture of cornstarch and eggs was thought to tighten the skin and give a youthful look.
Some people went to extremes to get the perfect pale look, even making a powder with lead, chalk and crocodile poo to make their skin appear pale and to protect it from the sun. Sometimes the pursuit of beauty lead to death (lead, we're looking at you).
Ancient India
As early as 1500bc clarified butter and oils were used to make skin beautiful and to remove hair.
Saffron has been used in skin care for a long time in India, said to help with hormones and stops ageing, it also protects from the sun.
Cold creams made from rose oil, water and melted beeswax were also used to keep the skin looking fresh and blemish free.
Ubtans were made from chickpea flour to cleanse, turmeric to add colour, rose water or milk to tone and exfoliate, and then individual herbs were added based on the skin’s requirements.
Essential oils were used for their therapeutic benefits too.
Chemical cosmetics were first introduced when Britain ruled, and the quick and immediate results made people prefer them over the herbal products and practices they had used before. However, the products contained chemicals like lead and mercury, which are highly carcinogenic and it soon became apparent that the products were dangerous.
Ancient China
In ancient China having pale, white skin, was considered beautiful.
Pan was the name given to the water used to wash rice. Woman would use this water to cleanse their skin. The starch, proteins and vitamins were thought to be very beneficial. In fact this is still an incredibly popular ingredient today in Asian skincare.
The ancient Chinese used pearl powder to hydrate the skin and reduce melanin. It also had a shiny quality that minimised imperfections.
Many Chinese woman would shave off their eyebrows and used a paste made from mushrooms, lead and rice to lighten their complexion. They would then draw the eyebrows back on using kohl.
Empresses and other nobles would use a cleanser made from seaweed and jellyfish which was believed to keep the skin youthful.
Flowers were often used for their colour and scent and added to oils and creams.
Viking Era
The Vikings are often depicted as unkempt savages, but they actually cared a lot about health and hygiene. Regular bathing and grooming was seen as very important.
Vikings smoothed their skin with woolwax and used butter and oils to moisturise.
They had surprisingly good oral hygiene and brushed their teeth with chalk and twigs.
They made a kohl to protect their eyes from the sun using crushed antimony, burnt almonds, lead, oxidized copper, ochre, ash, malachite and chrysolla.
Medieval Times
The medieval times brought some very strange practices… Things like washing clothes in urine, using dried dog poo to cure lung diseases and wearing the testicles of a weasel as a necklace during menstruation as a form of birth control. The last one was deemed highly effective!
Some of their skincare was fairly standard and may even have worked well, things like:
- Cucumber and rosemary used to cleanse the skin.
- Honey mixed with petals used as a face mask.
- Animal fat and starch used to stop wrinkles and preserve the skin.
- Oats and vinegar were used to get rid of spots.
Wine was mixed with rosemary to make the skin beautiful, or mixed with tarragon to clear freckles and keep the skin from looking sunburned.
Gemstones were also popularly used for skincare, mostly amethyst. They would lick it and rub it over spots and blemishes to heal them.
“Pulverize ginger with twice as much galingale and a half portion of zedoary. Place in a tied cloth in vinegar and then in wine so it doesn't become too dark. Smear the skin where eruptions are, and he will be cured.” - Hildegard von Bingham
One of the most bizarre things we found was using the the blood of a hare to banish freckles. Whether it worked or not, we don't know, but we won't be trying it…
Elizabethan Era
Queen Elizabeth had bad pox scars on her face and became obsessed with covering and reducing them. She used white lead to make her skin pale and mercury was used in her skin cleansers.
Of course, being Queen meant that many in her court followed suit. They would leave the thick layers of lead on their skin for a week before washing it off and reapplying. The skin beneath the white cover would become grey and wrinkled, making the woman apply thicker coatings to hide it.
It's thought that lead poisoning caused, or at least contributed, to the queen's death.
Another extreme way noblewomen would use to keep a pale complexion was bloodletting, the loss of blood gave them a pale look.
It wasn't all dangerous ingredients being used though. Skin softening products in use at the time were created using sesame seed oil, beeswax, and honey, and some woman would wear masks, made of leather, to prevent the sun from reaching their skin.
Uncooked egg whites were applied to the skin as a “glaze” to create a smooth coating which would hide wrinkles, and lemon juice or rosewater was used to stop blemishes and spots.
Victorian Era
It was during this time that the face of skincare and cosmetics really began to change. The cosmetics industry was born.
Home remedies continued to be used, of course. A mixture of oats, egg yolks and honey were used to soften the skin, and lemon juice naturally bleached the skin. Rosewater was used for scent and to freshen the skin. Zinc oxide was used to lighten the skin. It's still used today in natural products like deodorant and sun creams.
New commercial products were starting to become available to the more wealthy people in this era. Vaseline was created from petroleum, and women loved it. They would add fresh petals to make a rouge or lipgloss. Scented starch (talcum powder) was sold. Pears soap and Yardley's were both in production. Thayer’s Witch Hazel was launched and Ponds Cold Cream was hugely popular.
Modern Skincare
... now we come to the end of our journey, and skincare is changing faster than ever and doesn't show any sign of slowing. The cosmetics industry is now worth a whopping $136.4 billion dollars.
There is so much choice.
At one point chemical laden and synthetic products led the way in the skincare industry, with people searching for scientific ways to stop aging and make their skin beautiful.
Right now, there is more focus on more natural skincare, self-care and loving who you are. This attitude grew massively during the pandemic as self-care became a thing many people - some of whom were too busy to practice before - began to really explore.
Gentle and natural skincare products has grown massively in popularity with more choices becoming available in stores, though many companies claim to be natural and aren't, and greenwashing is rife. Greenwashing is the practice of companies using false information and false eco credentials to sell products. People have begun to see that many companies are focused on making money, rather than really ensuring the ingredients used are safe. Whilst all cosmetics legally need to have Cosmetic Product Safety Reports, some DIY sellers don't bother, and the big companies don't always care what ingredients are used.
Triclosan was banned in 2016 due to evidence that it was a endocrine disrupter. Triclosan was found in a lot of common products from companies like Clearasil, Colgate and Arm and Hammer.
Other ingredients thought to be harmful are...
- 1. Parabens
- 2. Synthetic fragrances
- 3. Propylene glycol
- 4. SLS - sodium laurel sulphate
- 5. SLES
- 6. PABA
- 7. Toluene or butylatedhydroxytoluene
- 8. Phenol carbolic acid
- 9. Mineral oil or paraffin
- 10. Octinoxate, also called octyl omethoxycinnamate (OMC)
- 11. Acrylamide
- 12. PEG – all derivatives
Some of these ingredients can be linked to health issues like infertility and illnesses. It’s a huge topic in itself. The world is becoming more toxic and we’re all exposed to them in daily life through the environment. Even our clothing, food and tap water aren’t always free from toxins. It is important to be aware of these daily toxins and the impact they can have on us. Choosing good quality skincare that is natural and toxin free is one way we can reduce our overall toxin levels.
It can be difficult to know what's what in skincare, and many companies aren't always open on their packaging. Always check the ingredients of the products you wish to use, and ask the company any questions you have. With around 60% of what we put on our skin being absorbed (and higher in sensitive skin areas), it's important to know what we're putting on our skin. Our skin is our largest organ and it's important we take care of it safely.
We hope you enjoy enjoyed our whistle stop tour of skincare through the ages. We found it absolutely fascinating to have a look at what people used in the pursuit of skincare, and what is still being used today. Which era was your favourite to read about? Did anything surprise you?