Science

4,000-Year-Old Lip Paint From Bronze Age Iran Bears Striking Resemblance to Modern-Day Lipsticks!

The ancient red pigment was held in an intricately decorated chlorite vial. (Eskandari et al., Sci. Rep., 2024) — The ancient red pigment was held in an intricately decorated chlorite vial.
(Eskandari et al., Sci. Rep., 2024)

Some 4,000 years ago in ancient Iran, a young man might have lovingly gifted his lover a tube of bright red lip paint, and her cheeks might’ve stained the exact same shade when he told her it would suit her. Or perhaps, it might have been a more mature woman rebelling against her conservative family by daring to pick up such a bold colour and wear it. The thing is, we’ll never know for sure who the Bronze Age lip-paint recovered from southeastern Iran belonged to. But the oldest known lipstick ever to exist might offer a tantalising look into the period’s cultural practices.

In 2001, floods along the Halil River in present-day Iran dislodged artifacts from nearby ancient graveyards. Among them, a delicate, yet intricately carved vial containing powdered pigment surfaced. Soon, the intriguing tube was carted off to the Jiroft Archaeological Museum. And researchers have since made some very interesting revelations about the contents of that vial and the container itself.

The lipstick, believed to date back to between 1936 and 1687 BCE, was found in the Jiroft region. Researchers suspect it belonged to the Marḫaši civilisation, a powerful empire mentioned in Mesopotamian texts. This finding isn't entirely surprising — Iran has a long history of cosmetic use, with sormeh (or kohl for the eyes) being a popular choice for both men and women.

What stands out is that the analysis of the lip pigment revealed its striking similarity with modern-day formulae. The red pigment came from hematite, while other ingredients like manganite, plant-based waxes, and even vegetal fibres (possibly for fragrance) were remarkably similar to what we see in lipsticks today.

Further, the intricately decorated vial, made of greenish chlorite, also piqued the researchers' interest. While its design aligned with other chlorite artifacts from the Jiroft culture, its size and shape were unique. This suggests, according to co-author Massimo Vidale, that "cosmetic products...were branded and packaged" even in ancient times. The very design of the container may have served as a form of advertisement, similar to modern cosmetics!

Elaborating on these findings, Vidale spoke of the Iranian artisans’ advanced knowledge of metallic, natural, and synthetic compounds that could produce not only black kohl eyeliner and white lead face foundation, but much more. They could even change the colours of eye shadows with the addition of copper, lead, and perhaps urea.

Interestingly, the minimal traces of lead minerals in these cosmetic products suggest that artisans understood the dangers of direct ingestion of lead pretty well. It also raises the possibility of these cosmetics being used in formal and ceremonial social contexts, as an important component of the public manifestation of the dominant role of an elite stratum of the population, he added.

For now, the identity of the lipstick's owner remains a mystery, as little is known about the individuals buried in the region's ancient graveyards. However, this discovery offers a glimpse into the lives of people who valued beauty and self-expression millennia ago. It also reminds us that the pursuit of looking and feeling our best is a practice that transcends time and culture.

The findings of this study have been detailed in Scientific Reports and can be accessed here.

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