The other day, I walked through the makeup section of a department store just outside of Chicago. Every step of the way, I was bombarded by sales attendants trying to sell me the latest anti-aging potions. There was Rodial Snake Venom—an anti-wrinkle cream which allegedly simulates the paralysing effects of a viper bite to reduce expression lines in the face—as well as a host of other products including Freeze 24/7, which purports to be a ‘clinically proven dream cream.’ Topping the list of quack remedies was the ‘Vampire Facelift,’ a non-surgical procedure involving the reinjection of gel-like substance derived from the patient’s own blood.

With all these products on the market today, you might think that we are uniquely obsessed with finding eternal youth. Yet, people in the 18th century were equally concerned with turning back the hands of time, and their beauty regime could be just as futile (and toxic) as our own.

Read the full article on Huzzar: The 18th-Century Inspired Fashion and Lifestyle Webzine.