How Did Ancient Greek Cosmetics

Cosmetics in Ancient Greece

In Archaic Greece, women often took drastic frequently even lethal measures to meet the societal standard of beauty during the era. Often, woman used toxic substances to lighten and add a rosy flush to their skin. In addition to this, they also lightened certain areas of hair, commonly in damaging ways, while making other parts of hair more prominent. The cosmetic world has sure came a long way since 500 B.C.!

The usage of cosmetics in Ancient Greece was usually very subtle in order to appease to the males, who ironically wrote most accounts of makeup, in most of which they express their disapproval. Men as a whole believed the only time is was civilly acceptable for women to paint their faces was in the case that they pursued the position of being a hetaerae or a professional mistress. Generally, these women were granted more rights then the mundane lady. Despite the opposition of men, females continued

Tons and tons of the precious metal were mined here annually. During this process, lead was created in ample abundance. Due to this, many scholars believe that this was why lead was used over another, less harmful substance. White lead was cheap and readily available, so although it might’ve been unknowingly destructive, lead was used to lighten the skin.

An achromatic complexion was so highly valued not because people of that culture believed that it was more pleasing to the eyes, but instead because lighter skin is more preferred from a biological standpoint. It is a positive attribute for the reason that it is a clue that a woman is fertile. Women are naturally paler than their male counterparts due to a lower amount of hemoglobin in their blood. Furthermore, women also become cadaverous during ovulation and their skin is permanently darkened after their first pregnancy. All of these facts contribute to the reason pasty skin was