Roman women lubricated their faces with lead paste, which whitened their skin (pallor was extremely fashionable). Lead has often been used as a sweetener and food preservative. It is believed that using a large amount of defrutum (sweet wine) badly affected the health of the Romans. However, it should be mentioned that in ancient times no one knew about the harmful meaning of this element.
Lead is very harmful to the human body and its excess can lead to poisoning, called “lead poisoning”. The effects of taking lead are tragic – brain disorders, insomnia, anorexia, blurred vision and damage to internal organs of the body (liver and kidneys).
Interestingly, a jar of Roman face cream was found in London in 2004. It is a mixture of animal fat, flour and tin.
