Beauty and cosmetics in ancient Egypt

Cosmetic Box of the Royal Butler Kemeni; 1814–1805 BC; cedar with ebony, ivory veneer and silver mounting; height: 20.3 cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City)
Used to crush and mix makeup paste.
Fish Shaped Makeup Palette used to crush and mix different powders to create makeup paste. Metropolitan Museum of Art.[1]
Merit's cosmetic box; circa 1390-1352 BC; wood, paint, faience, glass and alabaster; height: 22 cm, width: 29.5 cm, length: 49 cm; from Deir el-Medina (Egypt); Museo Egizio (Turin, Italy)[2]
Cosmetic box in the shape of an Egyptian composite capital, its cap being in the left side; 664–300 BC; glassy faience; 8.5 × 9 cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art

The ancient Egyptians regarded beauty as a sign of holiness. Everything they used had a spiritual aspect to it, including cosmetics. Both men and women wore makeup. Traders traded makeup often, especially in the upper classes. In tombs, cosmetic palettes were found buried in gold with the deceased as grave goods, which further emphasized the idea that cosmetics were not only used for aesthetic purposes but rather magical and religious purposes.

  1. ^ "Fish-shaped palette". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
  2. ^ Campbell, Price (2018). Ancient Egypt - Pocket Museum. Thames & Hudson. p. 119. ISBN 978-0-500-51984-4.