5 Beauty Trends From History That Were Actually Poisonous

Arsenic Wafers — The Candy That Killed You Slowly

Victorian women ate arsenic wafers and drank “Fowler’s Solution”—a liquid arsenic tonic—to achieve a pale, translucent complexion. Arsenic was believed to improve skin, hair, and nails in small doses. It also caused vomiting, kidney failure, and death in large doses. The worst part? Arsenic is addictive. Users built up a tolerance and needed more to feel the effects, slowly poisoning themselves over months or years. It was marketed as a health supplement. It was slow self-poisoning.