2,000-Year-old Roman Face Cream

2,000-Year-old Roman Face Cream~ The 'Londinium Cream'

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This canister, was discovered by 'Pre-Construct Archaeology', at the site of a Roman temple complex.

The contents are so well preserved, you can still see the finger marks in the cream.

It is currently on display in the Museum of London, and dates from approximately 150 AD.

Initial guesses about the function of the white cream inside, ranged from toothpaste, to a pharmaceutical product, to something that was smeared on goats before they were killed.

But chemists who have analysed the cream, now conclude that it was probably a high-class cosmetic, with a function similar to that of modern foundations.

Due to its excellent preservation, a team from the University of Bristol, was able to recreate the product from fresh ingredients.

The team found out, that “The Londinium cream” was primarily made up of the animal fat, from cattle or sheep.

They also detected starch, which was likely isolated by boiling roots and grains in water.

In addition, the cream contained a tin dioxide mineral, called cassiterite with the chemical formula SnO2.

Although it is greyish in its natural state, it would have coloured the cream white.

This cream had a pleasant texture when rubbed into the skin. Although it felt greasy initially, owing to the fat melting as a result of body heat, this was quickly overtaken by the smooth, powdery texture created by the starch.

Remarkably, starch is still used for this purpose in modern cosmetics today.

The addition of SnO2 to the starch/fat base confers a white opacity, which is consistent with the cream being a cosmetic.

Rich and Fashionable Roman women of the time, aspired to having a fair complexion, and the 'Londinium cream' may have served as a foundation layer, much like a modern primer, that we might use today!

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Source~nature. com

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