Cosmetics were used by almost all Egyptians, whether male or female, higher or lower classes. They didn’t only enhance the beauty of the wearer, certain cosmetics also had health effects. There is a distinct overlap between certain medicinal ointments and topical treatments, and cosmetics. Both made use of mineral substances (such as ochre, which has antifungal and antimicrobial effects), and oils and animal fats as either matrices or active ingredients. There are even recipes in the medical papyri that detail treatments for greying hair or baldness.
The most evocative bit of ancient Egyptian cosmetics is of course the kohl the Egyptians used to line their eyes. Kohl was usually made from galena (lead glance), although sometimes also from other minerals such as cerussite (lead carbonate) or manganese oxide. It may have also protected the eyes from flies and infections.
Kohl and other cosmetics were kept in receptacles such as these containers:
18th Dynasty vessel from Memphis (British Museum, EA4743)
Cosmetic dish in the shape of a fish (Metropolitan Museum of Art, 90.6.24)
Some of the kohl we’ve found exists as a powder. Other finds have dried in, indicating it would have been a paste at the time of use, and was likely mixed with either animal fat or oils. Application was done either with the fingers or by using a thin stick made out of various materials.
18th Dynasty kohl container with application stick (Metropolitan Museum of Art,
26.7.1447)
Oils and animal fats were also used on their own as cosmetics, to combat ageing and to protect the skin and hair from heat and dryness. Oils like almond, castor, sesame and moringa were used. The higher classes used elaborate mixes of different kinds of fat/oil and scents, where the lower classes would have made do with simpler mixtures with little fragrance or completely without it.
Egyptians also used other minerals mixed with oil or fat to create eyeshadows and lip and cheek stains. Malachite, a green mineral, was the most widely used for eyeshadow, and red ochre for lips and cheeks. In addition to colouring the skin, both malachite and ochre would have protected the skin from the sun.
We have found many makeup palettes, from Predynastic examples all the way to the later periods of Egyptian history. The most famous of these is of course the Narmer palette (although it’s debatable whether this exact palette was actually used in the application of cosmetics because it’s larger and far heavier than regular palettes. It is likely a votive object instead).
The Narmer Palette (Egyptian Museum in Cairo, CG 14716)
The palettes would have been used to ground up makeup prior to application; despite that it was unlikely to have been used, in the Narmer palette you can see the indent, created by the curling necks of the two serpopards, where the makeup would have been mixed.
We’ve also found other accessories used in the application of cosmetics and to refine appearance, such as mirrors, tweezers and razors. Egyptian men are by and large depicted with clean-shaven faces, apart from some Old Kingdom examples showing men with moustaches.
18th Dynasty toiletry set containing a kohl jar, razor, tweezers, whetstone and mirror (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
All of the items depicted above are “fancy” items, belonging to the elite, or temples. We can assume the lower classes made do with items of lesser quality, but that they would have made use of many of these tools regardless.
The Egyptians were famous among their contemporaries for their perfumes. These, however, would not have been as widely available as cosmetics. While all social strata of Egyptian society enjoyed a bath every once in a while (scrubbing themselves with mixtures of natron and white lupin), fragrant perfumes were a luxury.
These perfumes were made by infusing fats and/or oils with fragrant essences of plants, flowers and trees. Seeds, blossoms, roots and essential oils of plants themselves were mixed to get the desired result. Among many others they used lotus flowers, marjoram, lilies and cinnamon, as well as resins.
Probably the most famous use of perfume was the perfumed cones members of the elite are sometimes depicted wearing during banquet scenes.
Woman depicted with a perfume cone (Tomb of Menna, 18th Dynasty)
It’s been suggested that these cones were made of wax or hardened animal fat and infused with pleasant scents, and that during the banquet the cone would melt and slowly give off its scent. It might also have kept away flies or mosquitoes. However, other scholars suggest that the cones were never actually used and are a visual depiction of perfume.
Perfumes were made at home or in temples, since perfumes played a part in the temple rituals as well. There’s a room in the temple of Dendera that was dedicated to the manufacture of perfumes, for example.
If you want to learn more, I’d suggest looking into the works of Salima Ikram, who has done experimental archaeology pertaining to Egyptian cosmetics. She has a chapter on toiletries in her book Ancient Egypt: An Introduction. Eugen Strouhal also has a chapter on the same in his book Life of the Ancient Egyptians.
If you have a JSTOR account, I suggest looking there, too. If you search for “Egyptian cosmetics” or variants thereof you’ll get a number of results from the Journal of Egyptian Archaeology and the Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt among others. JSTOR allows you to read a number of articles for free online. Hope that helps!
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