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Eye make-up with lead – the ancient Egyptians had it right – well nearly!
It was kohl, that dark eye make-up applied around the rim of the eyes, that gave the ancient Egyptians the profound gaze we still see on statues and papyrus images. But did you know that it was also used to treat eye infections? Most surprising of all is the fact that this beneficial property is linked to the presence of… lead. A bit of explanation is required!
Especially when we consider what a bad press this heavy metal has for causing lead poisoning. However … French chemists at the CNRS (the French National Centre for Scientific Research) have repeated the experiment today and have found that in very low doses, lead does not cause cell death.
Quite the opposite, it stimulates the immune system! Researchers placed minute quantities of lead chloride on keratinocytes (skin cells). They reacted by overproducing nitric oxide, a gas that stimulates the arrival of macrophages which are able to digest and destroy bacteria. The ancient Egyptians manufactured these substances for cosmetic and therapeutic purposes. And they were right: wherever the lead goes, eye infections are gone! However, don’t try this at home: our body is unable to eliminate lead … and today’s eye makeup, if good quality, is of course guaranteed to be lead free!
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