Are you still using a long-lasting lipstick you bought years ago? While you may believe you are the only one wearing outdated lipstick, here’s something that will take your breath away. Before you read on, fashionistas, please keep your makeup away so that you do not drop or smear them in awe. A newly published scientific paper revealed a ‘lip-paint’ dating back to the Bronze Age, which is around 3500-1800 BCE. It discussed Iranian cosmetics and the prevalence of red-coloured minerals and waxy substances, shedding light on ancient foundations, eye shadows, and rouges derived from lead carbonates. The study suggested that the world’s oldest lipstick could be the one from Iran.
The lipstick is said to be 3,600 years old and was reportedly unearthed by archaeologists in the Jiroft region
The lipstick is said to be 3,600 years old and was reportedly unearthed by archaeologists in the Jiroft region of the Kerman province, Iran. This ancient cosmetic displayed similarities with modern lipstick tubes. “Enhanced in false colours, red, micro-stratified fragmented sheets of hematite pinacoid forms; pseudo-octahedral crystals of braunite in yellow; fragmented (ground) quartz particles in pink. Rare cubic crystals of galena appear in green,” read the scientific report while noting further that the high content of pure hematite was the source of the intense red colour.
