Unfortunately in the Victorian Era, Arsenic was used as a skin lightener in soaps, powders and creams!
In Victorian England and the post-Civil War era in America, the use of heavy metals in cosmetics- such as mercury, arsenic and lead was widespread. The ideal complexion during that era was a pale one that never saw the light of day. Women wore hats and gloves and carried parasols to shield their complexion from the sun's rays.
Arsenic-laced lotion during the Victorian Era and post-Civil War era were marketed to women for a clear, pale complexion. Notice the advertising that declares the product as "safe - absolutely harmless."
However, the manner in which they achieved the pallor or sickly pale look was often through the use of arsenic. Arsenic wafers (which were eaten) were advertised to lighten a woman's complexion, and was also present in soaps and powders; eye shadows often contained mercury and lead. In addition, large pupils were a desired trait and eyedrops made from the deadly nightshade were used to keep pupils dilated, although its use often lead to blindness. Lead was used directly on the skin through an alum poultrice to treat pimples and other irregularities, which sometimes lead to death.
All these cosmetic rituals seem preposterous and farcical to us now, but if we examine our own era, beauty in our day and age verge on a similar level of absurd, toxic beauty.
Whereas women and men of the 1800s and early 1900s used toxic metals, we have chemicals such as phthalates, parabens, talcum powder, nanoparticles, formaldehyde, lead acetate, coal tar, UV filters such as octyl methoxycinnamate and 4-methybenxylidene camphor, triclosan, resorcinol, toulene, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and many other chemicals present in our cosmetics and beauty products.
In addition to these toxic chemicals present in our cosmetics, what would our future ancestors think when they examine our contemporary era. I wonder what people in the future will think when they examine the widespread use of toxins in our products today?
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