The chemistry of ancient Egyptian cosmetics

Chemical analysis of Egyptian cosmetics shows that since ancient times men and women have created various preparations to make themselves more beautiful and to protect themselves from the effects of the environment. Beyond the presence of two well-known natural lead-based compounds - crushed ore of galena (PbS) and cerussite (PbCO3) - quantitative crystallographic and chemical analysis revealed that two compounds, laurionite (PbOHCl) and phosgenite (Pb2Cl2CO3), had to be produced using wet chemistry; the fine white powders thereby obtained were added to other make-up preparations. Greco-Roman authors described the processes used to synthesize these two compounds in the first century A.D.