The Renaissance was a time when the trend was for people to enjoy music, art, and beauty much more than they had in the past. This can be seen in the many iconic Renaissance paintings that can still be seen in museums today.

Just like today, when something became trendy, people were willing to go to great lengths, and even through great danger, to participate.

For women of this era, having a fair and serene look was all the rage. So, if you could afford it, you would do much the same thing that people today do.

Apply some makeup.

The makeup that was used to give that pale look was called Venetian ceruse or Venetian white, among other things. It worked much the same way as modern concealers do today.

The problem, however, was the main ingredient in this product was a mineral known as cerussite, which contains large amounts of white lead. Lead is very harmful to humans.

This product was mixed with vinegar and then applied to the face to give the white aesthetic that you have likely seen in paintings. Unfortunately, this type of makeup is listed as the most toxic makeup ever to see regular use in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Exposure to lead is very dangerous and has been linked to a variety of unwanted effects, including reduced impulse control, increased violence, reduced IQ, and more. Exposure as a child can have lifelong negative impacts.

Some research suggests that this makeup even caused many of the women who wore it to experience hair loss. This may explain why so many paintings from this period show women with abnormally large foreheads.

It is even possible that Queen Elizabeth I of England may have died from exposure to lead over the course of years. She has been painted many times with the pale skin and large forehead that was popular at the time, which indicates she almost certainly wore this makeup frequently.

Whether this was truly the cause of her death or not, the Venetian ceruse makeup was classified as a poison 31 years after her death.

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