There was even a sixteenth-century ‘chemical peel’ advocated by physician and alchemist Ruscelli. He recommended that a woman use eggs, vinegar, turpentine, camphor, rock alum, quicksilver, lemon juice, tartarum and white onion mixed into a paste and applied to the neck, breast and face letting it ‘drie of itself, at night when you goe to bedde …’. There was, however, a drawback as the concoction had to be left in place for no less than ‘eight daise …’ then removed via another complicated recipe before steaming the face.
