The Toxic Allure Research Team is very excited to launch this new website. We have been working hard on our research all summer and we want to tell you all about it!
The COVID-19 pandemic meant we started online. We had lots of Zoom meetings, sharing articles on lead compounds, make-up, pigskin, light reflection, and skin absorption. We read Horace Walpole's letters about Lady Coventry and her make-up. We scoured obscure antique books of recipes that told us how to make white lead make-up.
Once we could open our lab, it was all systems go! We bought new equipment. We set it up. We taught ourselves some new areas of physics and new techniques.
We learned a lot outside of science too. We now know how wonderful violet oil and rose water smell, exactly how yucky fresh pig fat is to work with, and the quality of skin coverage of at least seven major brands of make-up.
Do you want to know which make-up you should wear for wedding pictures on a hot day? These physics nerds can tell you.
We have loved every minute of working on this project and have been excited with every discovery we have made. Over the next weeks and months we plan to share everything we have learned with you through this website. We hope you enjoy learning about our work!