Have we just found the predecessor of the lipstick? Archeologists found a small chlorite vial discovered among numerous artifacts looted and recovered in the Jiroft region of Kerman province, southeastern Iran, containing a deep red cosmetic preparation that is likely a lip-coloring paint or paste.
Through analytical research involving the use of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy-energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, the researchers were able to conclude that the mineral components of the reddish substance were identified as hematite, darkened with manganite and braunite, and traces of galena and anglesite, mixed with vegetal waxes and other organic substances.
The mixture bears a striking resemblance to the recipes of contemporary lipsticks, the archeologists explained in their discovery published in Scientific Reports.
