Cold Cream

"For cleansing the skin and for nightly massage, you need an oil cream, a smooth, easily spread emollient." -- Pond's Cold Cream advertisement

The original Cold Cream was said to have been invented by the Greek physician Galen, made from beeswax, olive oil, water and rose petals.* By Edwardian times it was an important cosmetic, used both as a moisturizer and a cleanser. Additionally, it was recommended to be applied to the skin before using any other makeup -- it allowed a sticky base for powder cosmetics to cling to, and a slick surface for blending liquid cosmetics.

Many varieties of cold cream existed -- Violet Cold Cream, Witch Hazel Cold Cream, Lanolin Cold Cream and others. Perhaps the most commonly repeated recipe for the basic Victorian/Edwardian cold cream was the following:

1.5 ounces white wax

1.5 ounces spermaceti (use jojoba wax or another replacement)

8 ounces almond oil

4 ounces rose water

10 drops otto of rose

To make any kind of cream emulsion, the instructions are as follow: melt together the solid fats with the liquid fats, remove from heat, then slowly beat in any waters, stirring continuously till the mixture cools. Add any essential oils at this point and stir them in thoroughly.

It is notable that the above recipe does not have any preservatives to prevent its going rancid. That is normal; and apparently spoilage was a common problem with these old time cold creams -- there were even brands that advertised themselves as being "The Kind That Keeps." Personally I would either make this only in small batches and try to use it all within a couple months, or I would add a drop or two of the modern preservative phenonip to the mix. Adding some vitamin E oil is also a preferred method by some home cosmetics makers for extending shelf life.

If you don't want to deal with the confusing art of spermaceti replacements, there is also the following recipe for "Cold Cream Without Spermaceti" :

2 ounces white wax

8 ounces almond oil

4 ounces rosewater

1 dram borax

10 drops rose essential oil

Dissolve the borax in the rosewater, then follow the instructions above.

*Various recipes claiming to be Galen's can be found online, but they usually include telltale anachronisms like rose essential oil or borax in the mix. A theoretical (totally untested by me!) way to combine the ingredients of Galen's original would be 1.5 ounces beeswax, 4 ounces olive oil, 1-2 ounces water, and about a half cup of dried rose petals. First infuse the petals in the water to make a strong tea of it, strain, and then proceed to melt the beeswax and oil together. Turn off the heat and slowly beat in 1 ounce of the rose infusion.