The Ancient Glow-Up: Rituals Of History's Most Beautiful Princesses

But ancient princesses didn’t separate their health, makeup, and beauty treatments. Often, what appeared to be makeup was actually medicine for the skin and body. Even the eyeliner Ancient Egyptians are famous for was actually medicine they believed could heal their eyes and vision. In short, it was never just makeup.

This pattern appears again and again throughout history. Many ancient princesses were just as obsessed with health and beauty as we are today, and would stop at nothing to acquire the most coveted ingredients.

And many of their beauty secrets are now backed by science.

They swore by things like herbal beauty baths, floral mists, sleeping in mulberry silk sheets, raw milk hot chocolates with egg yolk (Marie Antoinette believed chocolate to be so medicinal that she had her own personal chocolate doctor), crushed pearls, beeswax, collagen-rich bone broths and organ meats, herbal creams, and so much more.

But beyond that, the entire process of getting ready was wrapped in ancient and whimsical lore, even down to the way they believed their ingredients were created.

Could you imagine getting ready at a beautiful, beeswax candle-lit vanity while believing the ingredients in front of you had come from the moon, the sea, and ancient love stories?

They loved crushed pearls in their beauty regimens, believing pearl itself was created from celestial dew hardened in the sea by moonlight. And vanilla? Legend held that it was born from the blood of an ancient princess killed for her forbidden love.

Could you imagine getting ready at a beautiful, beeswax candle-lit vanity while believing the ingredients in front of you had come from the moon, the sea, and ancient love stories?

Getting ready wasn’t just another task to rush through; it was romantic. It was a moment to add beauty and nourishment not only to yourself, but to your life as well.

And they loved having their own signature treatments, as well as entire teams dedicated to their beauty. Royal parfumeur-apothicaires crafted custom skincare from raw honey, animal fats, herbs, and floral waters, as well as custom scents for their perfumes, sheets, and baths from natural herbs, oils, flowers, and musks.

After years of studying ancient princess beauty rituals, I've created a cheat sheet of the best ones. Years ago, I also began recreating many of these formulas myself.

I was shocked at how much more clean and effective they were than modern synthetic makeup. It was like feeling cashmere for the first time after a lifetime of polyester.

No seed oils or synthetics. Every ingredient chosen because it’s filled with benefits for your skin.

How could we have forgotten this?

That question eventually became Fauna: a medicinal makeup brand born from the beauty rituals of ancient princesses.

So, let’s get into it. Shall we?

Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi)

1837–1898 | Known for her legendary waist, ankle-length hair, and extreme beauty discipline.

Empress Sisi of Austria has quite a reputation for being almost too obsessed with her wellness and beauty rituals. But that’s what makes her so fascinating. She would try anything and everything available, no matter how expensive, painful, or shocking.

Here were her favorite beauty rituals:

1. She applied crushed strawberries mixed with raw honey as a morning face mask and cleanser to keep her complexion soft. And yes, science does back this up. Raw honey contains antibacterial compounds, antioxidants, amino acids, enzymes, and naturally occurring peptides that reduce inflammation and improve skin hydration. And strawberries? They're naturally rich in vitamin C, one of the most important nutrients for collagen production. They also contain ellagic acid, a powerful antioxidant that research suggests may help protect collagen from breakdown caused by UV exposure. In addition, strawberries contain naturally occurring alpha hydroxy acids that gently dissolve the bonds between dead skin cells, revealing brighter, smoother skin underneath.

2. Her signature beauty baths: warm extra-virgin olive oil baths, which she swore would soften her skin and keep her young. Science backs this up as well. Extra-virgin olive oil contains polyphenols that combat visible signs of aging, and combining it with warm water makes it so the oil actually seals in the hydration.

3. Her craziest beauty ritual: she had a custom leather mask created to strap raw veal to her face overnight. I really want to judge her, but I guess these days it’s been swapped for salmon-sperm overnight masks (yes, the viral PDRN masks are salmon sperm!), so can we truly judge her?

4. Instead of perfume, she applied violet water mists. Sometimes it was rose or orange blossom water, but violet was her favorite. Sisi used these to refresh her skin throughout the day, and these doubled as her perfumes. Rose and violet waters were believed to cool the complexion, reduce redness, soothe irritation, and maintain smooth and hydrated skin. Science backs this up as well: Violets contain flavonoids, mucilage, and antioxidant compounds that soothe irritated skin. The mucilage naturally found in violet flowers forms a light, moisture-binding film on the skin, helping improve hydration and reduce dryness. Rose water contains polyphenols and flavonoids that help protect the skin from oxidative stress, one of the major contributors to visible skin aging. It’s also anti-inflammatory, reduces redness, and helps support your skin barrier.

Cleopatra VII

69–30 BC | Absolute beauty icon of the ancient world

Cleopatra is one of the most mysterious ancient princesses. Most of her rituals come from ancient legends rather than verified documents. Nonetheless, let's get into what those supposedly were.

1. Her signature beauty baths: sour donkey milk baths. You know how I told you ancient princesses were wildly dedicated to their beauty rituals? Well, she had a farm of 700 donkeys just to supply the milk for her baths. It’s not as crazy as it sounds: the raw fats, enzymes, lactic acid, and vitamins A and D in raw milk moisturize, exfoliate, and soothe the skin and are incredible for skin conditions like eczema or sunburn. When milk is fermented, it becomes much richer in lactic acid, a type of exfoliant that's shown to reduce wrinkles and soften the skin while removing pigmentation. The raw honey helps with hydration as well!

2. She was so obsessed with swimming in mineral-rich thermal pools that Mark Antony gifted her one that you can still swim in today among the fallen Roman columns. Swimming is not only a full-body lymphatic drainage treatment but also an incredible workout.

3. She was said to have used raw honey masks to cleanse her skin. Raw honey delivers intense hydration, reduces inflammation, and removes acne causing bacteria.

4. She swore by hibiscus tea, which was known as the “Drink of the Pharaohs” and is now often called “nature’s Botox.” It’s rich in vitamin C, antioxidants, is incredible for lymphatic drainage, and aids in flushing out excess fluid you may be holding onto.

Marie Antoinette

1755–1793 | Queen of France

Marie Antoinette was the last queen of France before the Revolution, an Austrian archduchess who married into the French court at just 14 and spent the next two decades turning Versailles into her personal playground of silk, powder, and excess. Her beauty routine was every bit as over-the-top as her reputation, built on imported scents, elaborate hair, and skincare concoctions that would make a modern shelfie blush. If anyone understood the assignment when it came to high-maintenance glamour, it was her.

1. She had a personal chocolate doctor to make her medicinal chocolate. For her daily breakfast, she swore by a raw milk hot chocolate made with her medicinal chocolate and a raw egg yolk, normally served to her in her steaming morning bath.

2. Her signature beauty bath: A hot bath always taken in the morning, and infused with sea salt, thyme, and marjoram. She was onto something with that: hot baths melt lymphatic congestion to detox, the minerals from the sea salt soothe muscles and skin, and thyme is rich in thymol, which is incredible for the skin, fights acne-causing bacteria, lowers inflammation, and is antioxidant-rich. All while the scent of thyme boosts energy and sharpens focus, which is perfect for the morning. Marjoram’s scent is deeply calming and grounding, and it’s a natural remedy that can soothe irritation, clear acne, and reduce signs of aging.

3. She swore by drinking orange blossom water as a calming nervine and beauty tonic. Studies now show that it improves sleep, and it has traditionally been used for centuries as a natural sedative and medicine for anxiety.

4. She was said to use crushed pearls on her skin, which were also loved by Chinese royalty and prized for their anti-aging and skin-smoothing effects. Science backs this up: crushed pearls contain peptides like conchiolin that encourage cell repair, promote collagen production, smooth skin tone, and reduce hyperpigmentation.

5. Tone the skin with grapevine sap (called “Vine Tears”): Collected from grapevines in May, Marie Antoinette reportedly applied fresh grapevine sap to her skin after cleansing in order to soften and brighten her skin. Grapevines are naturally rich in polyphenols, flavonoids, minerals, amino acids, and antioxidant compounds. Modern research on grapes and grapevine extracts has found them to be particularly rich in compounds that help protect against oxidative stress, one of the major drivers of visible skin aging.

6. Her signature beauty mist, Eau d’Ange (which means Angel Water). It was made with rose water, orange blossom water, benzoin, and other sweet herbs. Rose water contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds that help soothe redness and support the skin barrier. Orange blossom water contains flavonoids and aromatic compounds with antioxidant properties and traditionally was used to calm, soothe, and refresh the skin and body. Benzoin is really incredible. It’s a resin harvested from the bark of Styrax trees and has been used for centuries in both medicine and perfumery. It contains naturally occurring antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory compounds and was traditionally applied to help protect damaged skin and support healing. It also forms a light protective film on the skin that can help reduce moisture loss while smelling like vanilla.

7. Marie Antoinette regularly used a version of Galen’s Cold Cream, one of the most beloved moisturizers of ancient princesses in Europe for 2,000 years. Originally created by the Greek physician Galen in 150 C.E., it was made by emulsifying extra virgin olive oil, rose water, and beeswax into a rich fluffy cream designed to keep the skin soft and hydrated. The formula is incredible. Beeswax forms a breathable protective barrier over the skin that helps reduce transepidermal water loss, the process by which moisture escapes from the skin throughout the day. Extra virgin olive oil contains vitamin E, antioxidant polyphenols, and skin-softening fatty acids that help nourish and support the skin barrier. Rose water contributes additional antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds that help soothe irritation and redness, and adds hydration to the skin that fats alone can’t.

Catherine de’ Medici

1519–1589 | Queen of France

This one, I just have to show you direct quotes. I didn’t even want to change a word of it!

“Her secret to flawless skin and rosy cheeks was a zealous wellbeing routine that involved plunging herself in cold baths every morning, drinking gallons of bone broth, taking regular exercise, and having early nights. Her discipline paid off; she was also acknowledged as the most beautiful woman in the realm, if not the life of the party.” -Katrina Lawrence

Cold plunge and bone-broth morning routine? Very Gwyneth Paltrow. However, I’m more of a morning hot bath and hot chocolate girl, à la Marie Antoinette.

There's nothing I love more than bringing back the forgotten beauty rituals of ancient princesses.

This all started when I couldn’t find a lip product that I would ever put near my mouth. Even "clean beauty" today is often filled with seed oils and synthetics.

As I dug into what women used decades or even centuries ago, I realized makeup shouldn't just be free of toxic chemicals. Every ingredient should be so nutrient-dense that it doubles as a skincare treatment while still looking like makeup.

And lips were the most important place to start. Women eat up to 10 pounds of lip product in their lifetime. That’s 10 pounds of toxic chemicals, seed oils, and literal plastic. If we're so careful about what we choose to eat, why would we ever coat our mouths in that?

It’s time to remember what beauty was always supposed to be: medicine.

So we created the solution.

Allow me to introduce you to Fauna, a medicinal makeup line based on the beauty secrets of ancient princesses. We just launched with our first product, the Tinted Lip Mask.

It looks like the most gorgeous gloss, and it doubles as a lip mask. I wear it when I get ready for the day and apply it before bed as an overnight treatment. And, of course, there are no seed oils or synthetics; only real, edible ingredients.

My favorite shade is Flushed because I made it look like your lips post-sauna; that pinky color that comes out when you’re flushed from the heat. It looks natural while bringing so much life to the face.

It’s time to remember what beauty was always supposed to be: medicine. For the soul and the skin.