3,600-year-old red lipstick — the oldest ever found — discovered in Iran, study says
Every year on Valentine’s Day, some women will peruse their makeup and pick a bright red lipstick. A statement for a night out. A pick-me-up for an evening in.
And, as scientists recently discovered, it’s a makeup tradition that goes back at least 3,600 years.
For such a small artifact, the stone vial from Jiroft, Iran, had a tumultuous history. The carved tube came from an ancient graveyard that reemerged in 2001 after the nearby river flooded, according to a study published Feb. 1 in the journal Scientific Reports.
People looted the burial ground and sold whatever they found, the study said. Eventually, officials recovered many of the artifacts and returned them to a local museum.
But of all the returned artifacts, the “distinct” shape of the stone vial commanded researchers’ attention. It was “unlike any other.”
“The size and shape of the vial were completely different from those of other cosmetic vials from the same period,” the study’s lead co-author Massimo Vidale told McClatchy News via email.
Looking closer at the vial and its contents, researchers identified it as a 3,600-year-old tube of red “lip-coloring paint or paste.”
The “slender shape and limited thickness suggest that (the vial) could have been conveniently held in one hand together with the handle of a copper/bronze mirror, leaving the other hand free to use a brush or another kind of applicator,” researchers said.
An ancient Egyptian drawing depicts a woman applying makeup with this type of setup.
Inside, the vial had “a loose, dark purple” powder.
Under a microscope, researchers identified the powder as having hematite, a mineral that served as “the source of an intense red color;” several “darkening agents;” quartz particles possibly used as “a shimmery-glittering agent” and plant wax. A photo with digitally added colors shows this mixture.
“Both the intensity of the red coloring minerals and the waxy substances are, surprisingly enough, fully compatible with recipes for contemporary lipsticks,” researchers said.
Vidale preferred the term “lip-paint” for the ancient red makeup because it does not have the solidity of modern lipsticks.
The ancient Iranian lipstick was made in the Bronze Age, between 2000 B.C. and 1600 B.C., the study said. It is the oldest red lipstick ever found.
Researchers said the lipstick’s age is “far from surprising, considering the long-standing, well-known technical and aesthetic tradition (of) cosmetology in ancient Iran.”
Other ancient Iranian cosmetics include “white or light-colored compounds” used as foundation or eye shadow, and “black kohl eye-liners,” the study said.
The research team included Nasir Eskandari, Eugenio De Carlo, Federico Zorzi, Stefano Dall’Acqua, Claudio Furlan, Gilberto Artioli and Massimo Vidale.
Jiroft is about 630 miles southeast of Tehran.
UPDATE (02/12): The article was updated with comments from the study’s lead co-author Massimo Vidale.
This story was originally published February 8, 2024 at 11:34 AM with the headline "3,600-year-old red lipstick — the oldest ever found — discovered in Iran, study says."
