Ancient Chinese made and wore makeup over 1,000 years ago

Tang dynasty people used products similar to today’s lipstick and blusher, archeologists say

Ancient China had a thriving cosmetics industry that catered to thousands of people for whom wearing makeup was an essential cultural practice, archaeologists have found.

The industry, which flourished between 618 and 907AD, produced a range of products including moisturisers made of animal fat and eyebrow enhancers using graphite powder. The products were commonly used by the wealthy non-elite of the Tang dynasty, according to a new study published in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences.

The study assessed thousands of tombs in the Tang dynasty’s capital city of Xian and found that the ancient Chinese living there over a thousand years ago not only developed cosmetic recipes but also “optimised” them.

A moisturiser product identified as ruminant fat, for example, contained a small amount of Brassicaceae seed oil, the addition of which would have made it easier to spread than plain ruminant fat in the cold, dry winters of northern China.

Samples of the cosmetics studied (Quanyu Wang et al, Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences)

“This indicates that the recipe of the moisturiser had been optimised,” the study said.

Fat used in most skincare products even today is derived mainly from animal sources.

Archeologists also found evidence of the use of coloured cosmetics in the ancient Chinese civilisation. They found some organic residues in shells made from a mixture of vegetable oil, moths, and plant extracts.

Another skincare product found at the site was likely made from a mixture of rosin and plant pigments.

The study noted that people in the Tang dynasty used products similar to today’s lipstick and blusher. “A piece of graphite ore was used as an eyebrow cosmetic and a mixture of cinnabar and animal glue was used as a lipstick or blusher,” it explained.

Some of the items, though, may have contained a mineral of mercury, which would have been toxic to its users.

“The findings suggest that the cosmetics were diverse and made from a wide range of raw materials, including plants, animals and minerals, during the Tang dynasty in China,” the study noted.