the Court of Hearts

Cosmetics giant L'Oreal with the Musées de France Recent have been involved in the past decade with scientific research on the archaeologist's findings. That research published in the world renowned magazine NATURE, revealed that 400 years ago Egyptian cosmetics were based on the metal lead. The techniques the Egyptians used to prepare cosmetics involved crushing and sieving products for varying times according to the required end result.

New modern techniques made a fresh approach to analysis possible. In total the team analysed the contents of 49 bottles kept at the Department of Egyptian Antiquities at the Louvre Museum. Researchers employed scanning electron microscopy for morphology, elementary chemical composition and X-ray diffraction for mineralogical identification. Under modern forensic style investigations the structure of the exact lead Egyptians used in cosmetics was revealed. Laboratory investigations showed that the basis of the ancient Egyptian cosmetics were often grey lead sulphide/galena*, or white lead carbonate/cerussite**. Black galena has traditionally been used by many peoples as a kohl product.

Lead sulphide has a cubic crystal structure and lead carbonate an orthorhombic crystal structure. The two structures used in ancient Egypt make up were frequently combined in varying amounts. It basically means that products using the two lead types can be either shiny or dull. How dull or shiny depends on the crystal, the quantity used in any one mixture, the light refraction and the reflection picked up by the onlooker. The duller powders have small crystals and the shiner powders have larger crystals, meaning that the shiny powders were not as processed (ground up) as the duller cosmetics. This means the ancient Egyptians had enough knowledge to create different mixtures of the two crystal types to generate nuances between shades.

Two other white products found in the Egyptian make up analysed were laurionite and phosgenite. The scientists concluded these latter products were deliberately mined to make cosmetics. At the same time, the constituents acted as a bactericide protection against eye diseases in the hot dry Egyptian climate.