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New evidence suggests oldest known skin-whitening cosmetics came out of China

  • The invention of skin-whitening make-up had largely been attributed to the ancient Greeks at around 500BC
  • Chemical analysis of jars found in China suggested they were used to contain skin-whitening cosmetics around 800BC

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Skin whitening cosmetics in China may be upwards of 3,000 years old. Photo: SCMP composite

It may not come to mind as one of humankind’s oldest inventions, but skin-whitening make-up has been around for at least 2,500 years, largely credited to being invented by ancient Greeks around 500BC.

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However, a new study out of China published in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications in early September, a peer-reviewed journal, suggests it was probably invented a few centuries prior.
The scientists, split between Beijing and Xian, analysed small jars found in Liangdaicun in northwestern China’s Shaanxi province, a famous site known for containing tombs of nobility from the Zhou dynasty (1050-221BC), including a regional Queen.

Through multiple chemical procedures, the team found evidence of “synthesised lead white”, a chemical that was used in both cosmetics and paint in ancient times.

It would be unlikely that the materials were used for paint because the emergence of lead white paint appeared much later. Additionally, finding the jars in the tomb of China’s elite makes it improbable they contained paint.

Skin-whitening make-up was initially a luxury for the elite when it was first invented. Photo: Shutterstock
Skin-whitening make-up was initially a luxury for the elite when it was first invented. Photo: Shutterstock

The discovery implied that, while the recipes diverged, the emergence of skin-whitening cosmetics at a relatively similar time in Asia and the West suggests the possibility of cultural exchanges between the East and West, probably through oral traditions. How the recipes diverged between the East and West is not known.

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