Ancient Romans suffered for their fashion

By CHARLES ARTHUR

Its name could have been Maximus Factorius - this was the foundation that fashionable women in Roman London would put on their faces before an evening or day out.

Scientists who found the 1800-year-old pot of white paste made of refined animal fat and tin oxide have recreated the formula. They found that it feels quite pleasant, and contains many ingredients still used today.

However, even in Roman times women were expected to suffer for their beauty. By the time the cream was made, the Romans were becoming aware that the lead used to make face powders white could drive habitual users slowly mad.

The pot, 6cm across, was discovered at the site of a Roman temple in London, in thick layers of mud preserved under wooden planks. It is the only one ever found with both its lid and contents intact.

Professor Richard Evershed, who led the work at the University of Bristol, notes in the latest issue of Nature that the mixture was complicated, which suggested that the Romans knew what they were doing even if they did not understand the chemical details.

- INDEPENDENT