From Rice Water to Royal Beauty Routines

Modern skincare enthusiasts might worry about maintaining their complexions if transported back to ancient China, but historical records reveal an unexpectedly advanced array of cleansing options. Long before the invention of modern facial cleansers, Chinese ancestors developed remarkably effective skincare solutions using natural ingredients that would impress even today’s beauty bloggers.

The humble rice washing water served as a multipurpose beauty elixir in ancient households. As recorded in the Book of Rites (Liji), one of the Confucian classics dating back to the Han dynasty, people were advised to wash their hair every three days and use rice water for facial cleansing when needed. This practice wasn’t merely folk wisdom – the slightly alkaline solution effectively neutralized acidic dirt and absorbed excess facial oil. Rich in vitamin B and starch, it even provided temporary brightening effects by forming a light-reflecting layer on the skin. Remarkably, this ancient beauty secret still finds use among some women today, proving the timeless wisdom of traditional skincare.

The Royal Beauty Secret: Empress Wu’s Herbal Ash Toner

For those seeking more specialized treatments, ancient Chinese turned to plant ash solutions. The alkaline properties of wood ash, containing potassium carbonate, made it an excellent cleansing agent when mixed with water. Historical records reveal that Empress Wu Zetian (624-705 AD), China’s only female emperor, favored a facial treatment made from motherwort ash. Medical texts from the Tang dynasty documented this royal beauty regimen as “The Great Empress Wu’s Motherwort Complexion-Preserving Formula.” This might explain her legendary charm that captivated two generations of emperors – first Taizong and later his son Gaozong.

Pig Pancreas: The Ancient Foaming Cleanser

Perhaps the most surprising ancient cleanser was pig pancreas, which became the foundation of China’s earliest specialized facial cleansers. This pinkish organ, about ten centimeters long, contains powerful digestive enzymes that effectively break down dirt and oil. Its cleansing properties were first documented in the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-589 AD) by agricultural scientist Jia Sixie in his seminal work Qimin Yaoshu (Essential Techniques for the Welfare of the People), marking over 1,500 years of scientific skincare tradition.

The Birth of Zao Dou: China’s First Beauty Bars

Building on this knowledge, Tang dynasty (618-907 AD) physicians developed zao dou (bath beans) – solid cleansing cakes that represented ancient China’s most sophisticated skincare innovation. Medical scholar Sun Simiao detailed the production process in his medical classic Qianjin Yaofang (Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold): cleaned pig pancreas was ground into paste, mixed with bean powder, and dried into cakes or balls. These were often enhanced with luxurious ingredients like clove, musk, angelica root, borneol, and even donkey-hide gelatin for additional whitening and fragrance benefits.

Sun Simiao himself endorsed these beauty bars, claiming they could “transform a dark, unclean face into jade-like radiance within one hundred days, eliminating all odor and impurities.” Some specialized formulas even targeted acne – proving that teenage skin troubles transcended time periods. The physician’s enthusiastic endorsement suggests these ancient beauty products delivered visible results that would satisfy even modern consumers.

A Royal Bathroom Blunder

The spread of these sophisticated cleansing products sometimes led to humorous cultural misunderstandings. The 5th-century anthology Shishuo Xinyu records an amusing incident involving Wang Dun, a Jin dynasty general who married Princess Wuyang. Unfamiliar with aristocratic bathroom customs, Wang mistook the provided jujubes (for blocking unpleasant odors) and zao dou (for handwashing) as snacks to be eaten during toilet time. His unwitting consumption of these “toilet treats” became legendary, much to the amusement of the princess’s attendants.

From Imperial Courts to Global Export: The Evolution of Chinese Soap

By the Song dynasty (960-1279 AD), zao dou evolved into fei zao tuan (soap balls), which became so popular that specialized shops emerged in the Southern Song capital of Lin’an (modern Hangzhou). These represented the direct ancestors of modern soap bars, differing only in their natural, handmade production methods.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, these pancreas-based cleansers became commonly known as yi zi (literally “pancreas”). The late Qing period saw remarkable commercialization, with over seventy specialized yi zi shops in Beijing alone exporting products worldwide. Among these, the Huahanchong cosmetic shop stood out – established during the Ming Jiajing reign (1522-1566), it supplied beauty products to the imperial palace for over four centuries before closing in 1952. Remarkably, this historic brand was revived in 2018 at its original location in Beijing’s Dashilanr district, reconnecting modern consumers with China’s rich cosmetic heritage.

The Resilient Legacy of Traditional Skincare

Even in modern times, these ancient formulas demonstrated their enduring value. During China’s period of economic scarcity before the 1980s reforms, when commercial soap was rationed, many families revived traditional yi zi production. Elderly residents in northeastern China still refer to modern soap as yi zi – a linguistic fossil preserving centuries of skincare history. This unglamorous name carries profound cultural memory, connecting contemporary life with ancient wisdom.

From Tang dynasty physicians to modern brand revivals, China’s skincare tradition represents more than beauty routines – it reflects the civilization’s practical wisdom, scientific curiosity, and enduring pursuit of wellness. These historical innovations, born from everyday ingredients like rice water and pig organs, demonstrate how ancient cultures developed sophisticated solutions that continue to inspire modern skincare science.