Because ye are worth it: 15th-century beauty tips

TEETH-whitening, hair dyes and anti-wrinkle creams were as much a part of life in Renaissance Italy as they are today, according to an academic from Edinburgh University.

Art historian Dr Jill Burke has worked with herbalist Anna Canning to recreate some of the creams and potions used by 15th-century women to enhance their appeal.

Although many of our ideas of what is beautiful have changed, Dr Burke believes the Renaissance preoccupations with a smooth skin, fresh breath and shiny hair are similar to those we have today.

Dr Burke said her interest was sparked by the art of the period: "A lot of the idea was to make sense of what was going on in the paintings. The idea was to understand what Renaissance people saw when they were looking at these paintings."

Yesterday the art history lecturer joined art historians, literature and medicine experts at the Scottish National Galleries to try testing out cosmetics recipes based on the work of a Renaissance beauty expert, Caterina Sforza, in her Book of Experiments.

Dr Burke said: "A lot of people imagine women in the Renaissance wore thick makeup - but that came later. What they were interested in was the quality of their skin. A lot of the recipes are to do with getting rid of redness or marks on the skin caused by smallpox or syphilis. They liked the idea of having a white face and rosy cheeks. There was very little eye makeup."

Sforza, a powerful Renaissance beauty who was one of the models for Botticelli's Primavera, wrote A Book of Experiments advising women how to maintain their beauty.

Many of these were later collected in Books of Secrets - recipes which were passed from generation to generation.

Sforza recommmended a concoction of white lead and rose-water to achieve a pale complexion. For a blusher and lip colour she recommended ground red sandalwood in brandy.

Other recipes advocated the use of quicklime and arsenic for hair removal and fresh walnut peelings for hair and skin dyes.

Although the cosmetics were mainly used by women, researchers say men of the time used hair and beard dyes, as well as cures for baldness.

While some ingredients - particularly white lead, recommened by Sforza for use on the face and breasts - are now considered dangerous, others, such as nettle roots, rosewater and honey, are still used by herbalists today.

By trying out some of Sforza's recipes, Dr Burke hopes to gain insight into the way beauty was perceived during the period.

She said: "It was surprising to realise that a lot of their remedies were effective."