In the 19th century, cosmetics—especially face powders used to achieve the pale complexions fashionable in Europe and North America—sometimes contained arsenic and other toxic substances. These compounds appeared in both commercially produced and home-made preparations. Medical case reports, coroner inquests, newspapers and later historical studies record instances of sickness and death linked to cosmetic arsenic exposure, making these products among the first widely discussed examples of deadly cosmetic poisoning. Context and ingredients: A pale complexion was highly prized during much of the 18th and 19th centuries. To achieve it, women (and some men) used white lead, ceruse, and various powders. By the mid-19th century, arsenic compounds—most notably arsenic trioxide and arsenical pigments—were inexpensive and widely available for use in wallpapers, clothing dyes, medicines and cosmetics. Some face powders and “complexion wafers” contained arsenic deliberately as a whitening agent or inadvertently through contaminated pigments and manufacturing processes. Documented harm: Medical literature from the 19th century includes case reports of chronic arsenic poisoning whose symptoms—gastrointestinal distress, skin lesions, neurological problems, and eventual organ failure—were traced to prolonged use of arsenical cosmetics. Coroners’ reports and contemporary newspapers described women who developed progressive illness after prolonged application of arsenic-containing preparations. In some cases, post-mortem examinations or chemical analyses of residue supported arsenic exposure as a contributing factor to death. These reports, while not always numerous compared with industrial or medicinal arsenic poisonings, were significant because the exposure route was cosmetic application to the skin and face. Public reaction and regulation: Awareness of the dangers grew alongside advances in toxicology and public health. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, scientific analyses began to detect arsenic and lead in consumer products more systematically. Campaigns by physicians, chemists and some reform-minded journalists highlighted the risks posed by adulterated cosmetics. These developments contributed to public pressure for safer products and, eventually, to regulatory reforms in the 20th century that restricted hazardous ingredients in cosmetics. Limitations and historical uncertainty: Precise counts of deaths attributable solely to arsenical cosmetics are difficult to establish. Contemporary diagnostic tools were limited, symptoms of chronic arsenic exposure overlap with many other conditions, and record-keeping varied. Some historical accounts conflate different arsenic exposures (occupational, medicinal, dietary, wallpaper) with cosmetic use. Where direct chemical testing was performed, findings are more reliable; where reliance is on symptom descriptions or circumstantial evidence, causation is less certain. Modern historians and toxicologists therefore treat individual cases cautiously while acknowledging a well-documented risk. Legacy: The issue of arsenic-laced face powders illustrates how aesthetic norms, industrial chemistry and limited consumer protections combined to create health hazards in the 19th century. It also helped spur scientific and public-health responses that eventually improved product safety. Today the episode is cited in histories of cosmetics, public health, and consumer protection as an early example of the dangers of unregulated chemicals in everyday products.