Lead-Based Facial Creams

Where you may spend some time in the sun chasing that perfect golden glow, women in the Elizabethan era were always after a creamy white complexion. Many used a Ceruse lead powder to mask their natural pigmentation. Queen Elizabeth I may have been the worst case of all. Instead of washing off the poisonous cream at the end of the day, she simply added a new layer to it in the morning. It’s believed the lead eventually gave her skin a grayish hue, but of course she continued to mask it with more Ceruse lead powder.