Bedes STEM

2,000-year-old face cream inside a metal container from Roman times with visible ancient finger marks. ⁣⁣ "The cream was found to be composed of refined animal fat, starch and tin. The researchers then created their own version, made to the same recipe. When they rubbed the whitish cream into their skin, it produced a white layer with a smooth powdery texture. The latter quality was created by the starch—still used for this purpose in modern cosmetics."⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ According to Professor Richard Evershed from Bristol University, "White face paint was fashionable in Roman times and normally derived its colour from a lead compound. A tin compound would have been an acceptable substitute and in good supply from Cornwall."⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ In ancient Rome, lead was by far the most popular metal and was commonly used in cups, plates, coins, pipes, cosmetics, face powder, paints, food seasoning, and even birth control.⁣ Scientists have even discovered that tap water from ancient Rome contained up to 100 times more lead than that of local spring water. As a result, some historians have speculated that lead poisoning may have played a part in bringing down the Roman Empire.⁣⁣