The Appeal of Arsenic

In today’s day and age, if someone wants to achieve a pale-complexion one would turn to light shades of makeup products. In the 19^th century, people turned to arsenic, a known poison, to achieve their beauty goals. Arsenic as a beauty product, was seen as a “pale complexion miracle product” that promised to remove freckles, pimples, lighten the skin and remove any other unwanted facial marks. Pale skin itself was a status symbol, showing that the women with pale skin did not have to perform any labor tasks outside, where they would achieve a tan. However, these women also used arsenic as a way to achieve a “perfect” skin complexion, and an overall look of no blemishes. Dr. McKenzie’s Improved Harmless Arsenic Complexion Wafers are one of the many arsenic products that hit the market around that time, and is one of the popular options that were available. Dr. McKenzies package states that “THE SECRET ONE BOX of Dr. MACKENZIE’S IMPROVED HARMLESS ARSENIC COMPLEXION WAFERS will produce the most lovely complexion that the imagination could desire, clear, fresh, free from blotch, blemish, coarseness, redness, freckles, or pimples.”

 

Aside from women wanting to up their beauty routine, a group of peasants in Styria and Lower Austria were also in the habit of eating arsenic. They ate the arsenic either to acquire a fresh complexion or the appearance of flourishing health. While someone could achieve these results from taking the arsenic wafers, the results that often occurred with ingesting the arsenic outweighs the benefits. The amounts that people ate were small enough so that their skin would whiten and clear up blemishes, but not enough that they would actually die. However even in low doses, the consumption of arsenic in itself increases a person’s risk of getting cancer. Also, as their body gained tolerance to the arsenic, they would have to up their consumption amounts in order to achieve the same effects that they were previously experiencing with the smaller dose. People would begin their dosage by taking a small piece of arsenic several times a week. Over time, they would gradually increase the dose, as the smaller quantity loses its effect due to gaining toleration. They also became dependent on the consumption of arsenic and would suffer ill consequences if they ceased using it. No longer taking arsenic could cause one’s complexion to revert back to the original state, and even worsen, as well as cause severe symptoms, thus causing people to keep up with consumption. The symptoms of withdrawal included anxiety, indigestion, loss of appetite, vomiting and others. The wafers were effective in their purpose by destroying red blood cells, which would eventually lead to death. Aside from death itself, this product could also make you go bald, contradicting the purpose of the arsenic itself. Arsenic, while being used to create a flawless complexion, and the image of flourishing health in general, was doing the exact opposite of its purpose, slowly poisoning people from the inside out destroying their health.