Elizabeth Tudor Uses Non Toxic Make Up

Point of Divergence ... One of the most toxic things in the world during ancient times was the cosmetics that were used by women to put on their face. For example, white lead was used to whiten the face, giving someone the appearance of youth, but also would being eating away at their skin, leaving scars and leading to other effects such as hair loss, blindness, and even hastened death. One fan of white lead makeup and other toxic cosmetics was Queen Elizabeth the I. She was never seen at court as she got older without caking on layers of white lead makeup, which while giving her the youthful appearance of the Virgin Queen, also was hastening her end and damaging her features.

Lets just say one of her courtiers cooked up some non toxic make ups that gave the same color and vibrance as the toxic ones, and Elizabeth begins using them. Does this inspire other women of court to do the same, and would this have helped Elizabeth's health in anyway to have had a longer reign?
 
Quite possibly. There's evidence that not all historic cosmetics were lead based and that quite a few were organic. There's even a seller or Etsy,Youtube and Facebook called LittleBits or LBCC Historical who's done extensive research and concluded that many historic cosmetics were organic. Thing is,lead was popular for whitening the face,so you'd need an alternative. Like rice powder or pearl powder and have prominent physicians of the day,go on about the health benefits. And both do seem good at providing the white skin tone. If Elizabeth chooses either rice or pearl powder,then the ladies of her court will follow suit,which then influences the rest of the population.
 
If Elizabeth chooses either rice or pearl powder,then the ladies of her court will follow suit,which then influences the rest of the population.

Pearl powder was considered slllliighhhtly better looking than what Liz used in OTL. I have no idea why she didn't use it. Maybe she didn't hear of it until she got used to her cosmetics and was like "eh... no point in switching habits for a small change since the end result looks almost the same"
 
The big thing I wonder is that if using the pearl or rice powder would have prolonged her life, or would she have still died when she did. She was 69 when she died, so I can't imagine her living much longer, but I could be wrong.
 
The big thing I wonder is that if using the pearl or rice powder would have prolonged her life, or would she have still died when she did. She was 69 when she died, so I can't imagine her living much longer, but I could be wrong.

The life expectancy of a modern European female who made it to age 10 is 78. In the 1700s (which was not that much more advanced than the middle ages in terms of sanitation) it was... 71. Apparently most of the life expectancy improvements was in the "under 10" stage. I honestly thought germ theory, vaccination, surgery, and modern sanitation would have counted for more for adult life expectancy!
 
The life expectancy of a modern European female who made it to age 10 is 78. In the 1700s (which was not that much more advanced than the middle ages in terms of sanitation) it was... 71. Apparently most of the life expectancy improvements was in the "under 10" stage. I honestly thought germ theory, vaccination, surgery, and modern sanitation would have counted for more for adult life expectancy!

If one made it through the minefield of childhood illness, childbirth etc you were most likely pretty tough. Any population is going to have some members out at the 4ighht hand side of the Bell Curve in terms of life span, I suspect that the numbers who made it to seventy were far fewer than today percentage wise.
 
Any population is going to have some members out at the 4ighht hand side of the Bell Curve in terms of life span, I suspect that the numbers who made it to seventy were far fewer than today percentage wise.

Oh I don't doubt that. I was just surprised that all those advancements would have extended the right side just a bit more dramatically than that though
 
Also worth noting is that Elizabeth's family wasn't particularly long-lived. Her father died at 55, her two known half-brothers and her paternal uncle died in their teens, her half-sister died at 42, her maternal aunt died at 44, her paternal aunts died at 42 and 51, her maternal grandparents died at 62 and 58, and her paternal grandparents died at 52 and 37. And that's not counting her mother and maternal uncle who were executed. I think the last major member of the English royal family to live past 60 before Elizabeth had been Edward III, about 300 years previously.
 
Also worth noting is that Elizabeth's family wasn't particularly long-lived. Her father died at 55, her two known half-brothers and her paternal uncle died in their teens, her half-sister died at 42, her maternal aunt died at 44, her paternal aunts died at 42 and 51, her maternal grandparents died at 62 and 58, and her paternal grandparents died at 52 and 37. And that's not counting her mother and maternal uncle who were executed. I think the last major member of the English royal family to live past 60 before Elizabeth had been Edward III, about 300 years previously.
True but if she used pearl powder or rice powder she may have died a bit more peacefully.
 
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