This post is in partnership with History Today. The article below was originally published at HistoryToday.com. The Romans set high standards in terms of female beauty: flawless skin, a pale ...

Some of the recent advances in the quest to catch a whiff of history are featured in the new book Scents of Arabia: ...

The mysteries of the ancient Egyptians are vast, but their beauty tricks are no secret. Makeup might seem like a modern phenomenon – one that has grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry – but ...

The main ingredients of early cosmetics were lead sulphide and lead carbonate, the most common naturally occurring lead compounds. Lead sulphide – or ‘galena’ – is grey and relatively soft with a ...

(CNN) — A small stone vial discovered in southeastern Iran contained a red cosmetic that was likely used as a lip coloring nearly 4,000 years ago, according to archaeologists. The rare find is ...

Over the past two decades, exhibits like Gods in Color and Chroma have popularized the idea that the ancient world was awash in color. But what do we really know about how ancient peoples understood ...