Renaissance Beauty: hair, makeup and skincare in the 16th century

19 snips

Sep 5, 2025

Joined by historian Jill Burke, a visual cultures expert from the University of Edinburgh, and comedian Tatty Macleod, known for her hilarious takes on cultural differences, this lively conversation dives into the extravagant beauty rituals of 16th-century Italy. They discuss the perilous beauty standards women faced, from toxic cosmetics to elaborate hairstyles and body treatments. With a mix of humor and historical insight, they explore the intersection of power, creativity, and the sometimes absurd lengths women went to achieve societal ideals.

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INSIGHT

Art Shaped Real Beauty

Renaissance art reshaped real beauty ideals as people tried to emulate classical sculpture and painted figures.
This shift changed body shapes from pear-like to fuller hourglass figures in fashion and self-image.

INSIGHT

Books Turned Beauty Into Knowledge

Printing and medical texts spread thousands of cosmetic recipes across Europe and boosted demand for beauty knowledge.
Doctors like Giovanni Marinello published large recipe collections that made cosmetics widely available and medicalised beauty.

ANECDOTE

Daily Washes, Occasional Baths

People often washed daily with cloths and scented waters and changed linen frequently rather than bathing.
Bathhouses offered monthly full immersions and communal washing despite medical fears about 'open pores'.

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Greg Jenner is joined in sixteenth-century Italy by historian Professor Jill Burke and comedian Tatty Macleod to learn all about Renaissance beauty standards and treatments. Early modern Italy is renowned for the gorgeous artworks created by painters like Titian, Rubens and Botticelli, many of them featuring beautiful women looking at themselves in mirrors or getting made up for a night out. In this episode, we take you through a Renaissance Get Ready With Me as we explore how these women would have been taking care of their hair and skin. We look at what hairstyles and makeup men and women wore, how often they bathed, whether or not they removed their body hair, and how they shaped their bodies through dieting and underwear. Along the way, we dive into the recipes for popular cosmetics and skincare treatments, ask where Renaissance beauty standards came from, and uncover the sexist, racist and classist ideas that often underpinned them. But we also explore how their beauty routines could be an avenue for women’s self-expression, and show the importance of the history of beauty, even amidst the turbulent politics and warfare of the early modern period.

If you’re a fan of women’s creativity through time, whacky historical recipes and early modern Italian art, you’ll love our episode on Renaissance beauty.

If you want to know more about the beauty standards of the past, why not listen to our episode on the history of high heels, or haircare entrepreneur Madam CJ Walker. And for more from Renaissance Italy, check out our episodes on the Borgias and Leonardo Da Vinci.

You’re Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past.

Hosted by: Greg Jenner Research by: Emma Bentley Written by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner Produced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner Audio Producer: Steve Hankey Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett Senior Producer: Emma Nagouse Executive Editor: Philip Sellars