Could lead makeup really have killed an 18th century socialite? A scientist investigated

Can makeup really kill you? That’s the myth attached to Maria Gunning, the Countess of Coventry, an 18th century socialite who reportedly died from her lead-based makeup in 1760, aged just 27. In this episode, we speak to Fiona McNeill, a professor of physics at McMaster University in Canada, who has recreated some centuries-old recipes for white lead makeup to test how dangerous these cosmetics really were.

Plus, an extract from a special episode of The Conversation's Don't Call Me Resilient podcast, about Will Smith's Oscar slap.

The Conversation Weekly is produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with reporting from the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra by Ellen Duffy. Sound design is by Eloise Stevens and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode available here.

Further reading

Dying for makeup: Lead cosmetics poisoned 18th-century European socialites in search of whiter skinThere’s a complex history of skin lighteners in Africa and beyond

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Release date

Lydbog: 7. april 2022