Making and Testing a Victorian Skincare Routine 

Bernadette about lanolin: "I'm not sure I want this on my face, this is kind of aggressive." Also Bernadette: _makes cleanser out of acetone and rubbing alcohol_

if i had a nickel for every time bernadette got inhalation drunk while recreating victorian beauty recipes, i’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice, right?

Bernadette: doesn't want lanolin on her face also Bernadette: gladly putting ACETONE on her face

It would be so interesting to have a dermatologist react to this video

As someone that paints my nails often, putting acetone on my face sounds like a pure horror movie scene.

The “yes, what the f*ck is wrong with you?” got me good. The kind of response only a true friend can have 😂 “Reevaluate your life decisions.”

I researched some of the strange ingredients in Miss Banner's recipes, because I figured many of you would wonder, "Where could you get all that stuff before the internet even existed?" I figured a lot of this stuff could have been made at home, or in a beautician's workshop, but it turns out, no surprise, that these recipes from the turn of the last century are actually mostly products of early industry or industrial extraction processes. *Benzoin* used to be called "benjamin," and is a tree resin like balsam gum, from several Asian trees. It is an important ingredient in church incense and some perfumes. *Lard* is rendered (de-moisturized) pig fat. It will keep like butter, and can be used like butter, although it tastes a bit porky. *Beeswax candles* were already being replaced with modern paraffin-based candles in the late 19th century or earlier. Modern candles are actually very, well, modern. High tech, even. *Lanolin* is a natural grease that sheep produce, which coats and protects their fleece. It's the main ingredient in Goop, a popular grease and stain remover before Gojo took its place. The trick is, your hands must be dry before applying or handling it, then it'll be easier to get off. It is exactly the consistency and stickiness to provoke an involuntary disgust reaction from many people. *Acetone* is a solvent that's been known since the 17th century, but the modern method of distilling it wasn't invented until a few years after Miss Banner's source was published. In 1911, it was at least as useful as a solvent as it is today, especially industrially. *Boric acid* was usually made from borax, an alkaline mineral mined from dry lake beds, but it's common in small amounts in nature. It had many cleaning and pesticide uses, and was a common household product before trademarked cleaning solutions took over. Yes Boraxo is made with it, yes, they really did, briefly, haul borax out of Death Valley with wagon trains pulled by teams of 18 mules and 2 horses. It took forever. *Alum* is a complex mineral salt that has been used in dying cloth since the Bronze Age. It was a commodity mined from deposits, but was probably made industrially by 1911. *Orris root* is the dried roots of some of the more common ornamental lilies, cured for several years and powdered. It's still used in the perfume trade. Thanks, Yũ! *Magnesium carbonate* is a mineral salt derived from magnesite ore, through inorganic chemistry. This stuff is so versatile, in the industrial age, then as now, that it's hard to make a short list of its uses, from chemistry to food processing to the "chalk" that climbers and gymnasts powder their hands with (it's not actual chalk). *Glycerine* is to this day refined from plant and animal fats. It's always been useful, and it's not that hard to make. *Cocoa Butter* melts at 93 degrees Fahrenheit. Miss Banner did not expect it to have the consistency of solid chocolate. *Tannic acid* is the specific tannin from oak galls. Tannins are highly astringent preservatives. A bit of refining would be necessary, I couldn't' find exactly what or how, but considering the substance, it could be done at home or in a workshop, as well as by industrial processes.

I love how Bernadette always treats surviving the experiment like a pleasent suprise

Bernadette's sunglasses/safety goggles are EVERYTHING and I'm obsessed with this mad scientist vibe

Bernadette's hair gradually unraveling over the course of the video is a whole mood

Watching Bernadette's slow evolution into a Mad Victorian Scientist is exactly what I needed for 2023

If your sibling still edits your videos, tell them we GREATLY appreciate these hilarious cuts!!

Bernadette: * gets two adult sheep's fleeces worth of lanolin, the grease that makes wool weather- and dirt-proof * Also Bernadette: For some reason, this does not come off with hot water and mild soap.

It wasn't the Rubbing alcohol that damaged the towel, it was the Acetone, which is actually very damaging to skin, and will dry it out to the point of possible cracking. Thats also why it smelled like nail polish remover, its the acetone that mainly melts nail polish.

The idea of Bernadette being the chaotic friend is the funniest shit to me.

My Nanna worked in a factory in the 1920's and 30's. She said the main concern for her skin was protection, so perhaps that is why the heavy moisturizer and then the powder to protect. She had the best skin. Love this vlog.

It's the hair, the glasses, and the lab coat for me... Totally sells the turn-of-the-century mad scientist vibe, while also being unfathomably stunning!

So, fun fact! When you are a nursing mom, they make a 100% lanolin ointment to protect your nipples! Because it is very hydrating and protective and safe for newborns to ingest. My littles grew to rather like the taste of it. 😆 But it is indeed SUPER GREASY and sticks to everything! But it is the best for otherwise incurably dry lips, elbows, and heels!

As someone who has made cosmetics for herself for quite some time: shea butter can be a good substitue for lard. Also: you need an emulsifyer to mix fat and water based substances. otherwise they will always separate. don't know, what victorians would have used, theres plenty of options for different fat-water rations with different proerties now a days. If the fat is liquid you can skip it in some recepies and make a "shake-emulsion" -where you shake it up, before use, mixing the water and fat particles for a short time.

The way the gradually falling hairdo kept perfect pace with the frustration and (possible) inhalation intoxication was just *chef’s kiss*.

I’m a licensed esthetician, a skincare consultant, and I have say, I was not surprised at seeing the moisturizer separating with the cacao butter floating up to the top, as the recipe did not mention any binding ingredients, and lanolin, while it did help the product to adhere to the skin, is unfortunately not a binding ingredient that would have prevented suspension from happening. As for the face cleaner, I would recommend anyone using isopropyl alcohol on their face to limit that to just chemical peels which is ethically a once a month ritual, as isopropyl alcohol removes the entire skin’s acid mantle making it easier for the acid to penetrate the skin’s top layer for acid exfoliation. Professionally, though, I would suggest instead using a pre-peel solution of Alpha Hydroxy Acids en lieu of the isopropyl alcohol. Still, happy to see your skin looking more clear and supple. Happy experimenting 👍🏻

For the separating for the dry skin lotion, it probably needed to be emulsified while it was heated up, so that it would stay in suspension when it was poured into the jar. You could reheat it in the jar and use a small wisk or a milk frother to mix it well, and that might work to help it combine again.

Measuring the lanolin is a lot like trying to measure crisco oil or lard for cooking. My grandma told me about the water method.... If you need 1 oz of lanolin, fill the measuring cup to 2 oz mark with water, then add the lanolin until the water rises to the 3 oz mark (or fill to 1 oz with water, and then add lanolin until it hit the 2 oz mark, whichever is easier). It makes having to handle the lanolin easier and not make such a mess.

ok, but can we take a second to discuss how beautiful Bernadette's hair is? I mean, those curls are immaculate!

We need a How To Cook That x Bernadette collab - between Ann's 200 year old cookbook and Bernadette's proclivity for ancient recipies, they could probably actually fill an old Pharmacy of pastilles and potions!

I love the part where she calls her friend if she can get inhaled drunk and she gave Bernadette a straightforward answer lmao

A few random notes: Camel hair brushes in art are more commonly just a variety of cheaper animal/synthetic bristles. I wonder if the face cleanser had more of a place when people were working around things like mechanical grease and factory floors. It reminds me of a toner in todays skincare regimen. The thin film over your skin would also help protect it. Pretty interesting!

I like the "French in the morning, Korean at night" routine; gentle massage with lukewarm water in the morning, followed by sunscreen, and 5 steps of gentle cleansing and moisturizing at night.

My eldest had an absolutely horrible diaper rash once as a baby and my lovely great aunt took her, washed the diaper cream we had been putting on her off and put straight lard on her skin. Rash was calmed down significantly in the time it took to have to change her again and gone by morning. She smelled kinda porky for a day but she was no longer in pain and healed completely in that short time.

Bernadette grating candles and making Forbidden Parmigiano™ is what I'm here for

Just in case you get the urge to make some more old timey cosmetics let me tell you a secret! I've made some lotion from a very old recipe before, and I'm guessing that second to last recipe was not supposed to separate. There's a very tedious method of emulsification that you're supposed to use where you melt the solids and oils at a very low temperature (I used beeswax, because I was too smart to touch lanolin 😂) and you add it to the room temperature waters/alcohol very slowly at first. You need to add literally one drop of oil mix to the water mix and whisk it for several minutes, then add another drop and mix for several minutes over and over, until it starts to thicken a tiny bit from a water like consistency to a soupy water consistency (it will stick enough to cover the back of a spoon for a few seconds). Then you can start adding 2-3 drops at a time. It takes hours if you're doing it by hand. At some point it will reach a threshold that's hard to describe but it's very noticeable as you're doing it when you're halfway through the oil stuff, where it changes from slightly viscous fluid to an almost custard like texture and you can mix in a fraction of a teaspoon at a time. If at any point you add too much oil at once the emulsion breaks and it can't be recovered. Depending on the recipe it can come very close to a lotion consistency and you'll be able to form soft peaks (points that fall over) with your stirring utensil when you lift it out of the mix. Cosmetic makers made the technique very hard to find so I think I got the info from a recipe for salad dressing or something like that. Modern emulsifiers make the technique redundant so it's almost impossible to find unless you get obsessed with finding it for a few days.

I never knew I needed Science Bernadette and her Sassy Science Phone Pal until this moment, but now I don't know how I lived without them. Amazing. Bravo. 11/10. Please, continue if at all possible!

I LOVE science Bernadette! The chaos, the style, the everything! Hoep we get more of this in the future

FYI, the "face brush" for soaping cleaning they are probably referring to is more akin to a shave-soap brush or one of those little round, handled exfoliating/cleaning brushes you can find in the cosmetics section of the store. You apply the wet brush circularly to stir up a lather on the soap, and can then "scrub" the face lightly with the brush to loosen dead skin and agitate accumulated soils and oils out of your skin's creases and pores.

I'm a chemist and I'm also a skincare nerd.. acetone is generally used as nail polish remover and to clean lab glassware. Using it on your skin will lead to extreme dryness, especially coupled with isopropyl alcohol. Lanolin is a good ingredient to have in skincare because it helps maintain and rebuild your skin barrier (helps keep your skin moisturised). I'm just praying for her skin 😂😂

I use a lanolin based nipple cream I got when breast feeding my kids as a lip balm and it's uh-may-zing. The only thing that actually creates a nice layer without staying too gooey. I hate the feel of it when applying too, it's so sticky, but once it's on where it should be it works so well. Some people are extremely allergic though

First gasp was hearing Acetone was going in the skin cleanser. The second gasp was seeing a dark towel being used to apply sed cleanser. I'm so glad your skin survived the experiment. 🙂

For the dry skin cream, if you ever re-make it, I highly recommend attempting to emulsify it as it cools. So after you melt everything together, whisk it vigorously over a bowl of ice water. It might stop the separation!

The mad scientist green glasses are amazing. When you think you could not love Ms. Bernadette anymore she is able to surprise. ❤

It is monumentally interesting to me as a long term subscriber to see Bernadette’s recent hair evolution. I absolutely adore the new look and would love to see an updated tutorial.

Every video the last year or so Bernadette's style is slowly morphing into a version of Missy the female version of the master and I love it!

My grandmother (born 1900) advised that we clean our faces at night with witch hazel and then used a light commercial product (Oil of Olay). In the morning we were to rinse our faces with clear, cool water ("Because only a slattern would fail to wash her face."). This was the process because "The angels have spent all night getting your face to the right level of soft." I am now 67 and don't look a day over, well 67. But my friends say that my skin is very nice. :)

I’ve never heard of using lanolin in skincare but I use lanolin based cleaners for all my nice wool clothing because once you’ve spent hundreds of hours knitting something out of Very nice wool yarn it feels more worth hand washing to keep it nice and lanolin is best for wool for obvious sheep reasons

I looked up the 'benefits' of some of the raw ingredients out of curiosity. A lot of them are antibacterial in property, which makes sense for the time period, I don't imagine it was particularly hygienic. As the book said, you probably will pick up all sorts of muck throughout the day! The oils that stick to the face for a long time would also form some kind of barrier to said grime.

As someone who worked very closely with sheep as a vet tech, the best thing was the lanolin that would get on your hands in the middle of winter. Truly a lifesaver on the farms.

The lab coat and safety glasses are giving Missy (Doctor Who) vibes and it's fantastic!

This was so interesting, and it reminds me of a soap making group I belonged to years ago. We were discussing our grandmother's skin care routine and how using lard or Vaseline to cleanse the face was common. We debated about whether it would lead to clogged pores etc., and then just decided to try it and see. A month later, we were all shocked with how well it worked and how good our skin looked.

Oh 15 minutes a day on skincare...tell me you have naturally blessed skin without telling me... I'm jealous and your style is immaculate

Maintenance Bernadette! Victorian home chemistry! And inhalation drunkenness strikes again lol! And yes - applying to the entire face was risky. We appreciate the sacrifice lol Lovely and fun video! And welcome back!

I would trust an apothecary run by Bernadette with all my hair care and skin care needs 🙌

Her hair is just fabulous in this video. ✨️Turning a look whilst being a scientist ✨️

Lanolin is one of my favorite ingredients in skin care. I found it when i was nursing because it's what nipple cream is made of. It's in a ton of slugging products and lip products, like overnight lip masks. You wake up with the softest skin ever!

I'm loving the Victorian mad scientist aesthetic. This was an interesting video.

I’m having a chuckle at your aversion to lanolin 😂 Lanolin is the oil that keeps sheep nice and cozy in waterproofed wool. The lanolin is washed out prior to spinning the wool. Wearing lanolin on your skin takes you just a bit closer to your beloved wool fabric!❤

In case anyone was wondering about the moisturizer for dry skin, and why it separated; you are supposed to whisk it while it cools. It helps it emulsifie. I may have made that mistake once or twice before as well. The top of the jar is just cacao butter.

For those interested. The "Skin Food" has roughly the same ingredients as Bag Balm, a brand of hand moisturizer available in many pharmacies today. It's also useful for conditioning and waterproofing leather goods.

As someone who loves to history bound victorian fashion AND is training to be a medical laboratory technician this video was so fun! immaculate vibes all around ✨

Bernadette consistently has the best background music of all the CosTubers, plus the most Doctor Who references (agreeing with whoever said there is a definite Missy vibe, plus the Eccleston-era plug). Extra points for consciously and excessively using the word "moist". So glad you didn't die!

With the hair,make up and outfit I totally see bernadette being a mad scientist ❤❤❤❤

Yeah - she's back! Huzzah! 😀. BTW, my Gran always used a 50/50 mix of Rose Water and Witch Hazel, which she got made up at Boots the Chemist, as a cleanser/toner. She had beautiful skin.

I think by "camel hair brush" they mean something like a shaving brush to get a good lather. Also, if you were to mix or shake the moisturizer while it cools or possibly add an emulsifier, you should get a texture more like modern moisturizer. In fact, most buttercreams have a similar ratio of water/emulsifier to fat, so it would feel a lot like that. Also, I think by almond meal, they mean almond flour, which would be much finer and end up exfoliating your skin.

Quick tip for lanolin! I’ve been spinning lots of raw wool recently, and the best way I’ve found to get the lanolin stickiness off of my hands is to wash my hands with hand sanitizer! The alcohol from the hand sanitizer gets rid of the residue in a snap.

Lard (and tallow) is actually really good for skin care! Much more so than vegetable options. It is similar to our skin fat and has some great nutrients in it. And it's very natural. Also lanolin is great (unless your are allergic). Keeps the moisture in the skin.

Midway through the complex formulation, comes the question: I’m not sure if I want this on my face. 😂 You are courageous.

The puffiness reducer would probably be effective. An old home remedy is to place old teabags over your eyes, which also contains tannins. Also, a hard-working woman in 1900 would probably not be getting the same amount of sleep as you. Poignant, when you think of all she had to do, that she still took a little time for self-care.

omg Bernadette, we NEED a hair tutorial for all the hairstyles you did in this video! I loved them all so much but have no clue as to how to recreate them ♡

Random side note. This goddess uses safety pins as cuff links. I adore this.

that skin cleaner is very reminiscent of that Clean and Clear brand cleaner that a lot of people used when I was in middle school/high school. It was basically rubbing alcohol that was meant to remove "excess" skin oils but it just removed all the skin oil.

Paraffin wax might have been what was called white wax in the first recipe. It had been commercially available for several decades. Others have commented on the emulsion issue (like making salad dressing), and the value of lanolin. I suspect that the camel hair brush would have been a shaving brush which was used with a round cake of soap in a shaving mug.

I love how Bernadette has just actually become a potion maker at this point.

Hi bernadette! I really liked this video. A tip I could give about the oil based moisturizer is to actually use less than you appeared to in this video and more pat into the skin than coating and trying to rub in. Keep it to night time/post shower to absorb into the skin the best. Because it is oil based you really only need the tiniest amount because it will spread thin with the heat of your skin and not evaporate or dry into the skin quickly like modern moisturizer. You might also have better luck using a rose essential oil instead of rose water as well if you want it to mix into the oils and get the skin benefits of the rose. The face powder is probably better for an oily skin texture as that can help control the shine. You might also be able to use it in a makeup routine as something like a setting powder or again just to control oil/shine if you have an oily type face.

I’d reheat the dry skin lotion and see if 1. Emulsifying (whisking) while heating and 2. Shaking the bottle periodically while it cools Keeps it from separating.

I don't think one week is enough for a whole new routine. My dermatologist advised me to wait for 2-3 weeks for changes to happen when I introduce new products to my face, so I would've loved to see the test go on longer. However, science Bernadette is always a delight, love the safety glasses :D

Your wardrobe this episode is astounding. Marvelous ❤!

So happy to have you back!

Welcome back!!! The break seems to have given you so much creativity. “Maintenance Bernadette” was such a clever add transition

The safety pin holding the sleeve cuff together despite being an accomplished Sewist is a total vibe. I sew for a living yet I have so many blouses missing buttons and just safety pinned 😂

Please make more of these fascinating lifestyle history videos! Your best content yet! ❤

Your hairstyle and makeup on the beginning look absolutely astonishing! Love the content, as usual!

I had to comment twice, because I’m a skin care addict and some of the ingredients you put on your skin made me scream out loud. ACETONE!! (HIDES in the 21st century skin care)

I am unreasonably attracted to slightly mussed hair, green safety goggles, mad scientist Bernadette.

Great video, as always! Also love your handwriting on the little jars, it looks gorgeous! ❤

I love your new alter-egos that have been included in your videos. So fun! I have been watching for a few years now and it is cool to see how you have refined your style over the years.

Watching Bernadette mixing things in this Victorian lab get up is my new favorite genre I didn't know I needed in my life

This was so much fun! Thank you for your sacrifices for science. And Victorian women who worked in those horrible factories probably needed the cleanser to get the grime off their faces. Don't forget that coal was literally in the air. Wonderful to see you again!

I'm loving these informative videos Bernadette!

This was a fantastically amazing diversion from the sewing-related content usually seen from you! The commentary and mad-scientist looks - an absolute riot. I think the ground almonds bit are intended to be an exfoliant - I've seen DIY versions use coffee grinds or other ground nuts and seeds for natural alternatives. Very interesting to see the many different steps involved; both in the making of products and using of them too! Thank you for sharing this and so glad your skin had no adverse reactions - but watch out for those alcohol ingredients!

My mum bought me a Victorian apothecary's set for my birthday. I just showed her this video. She is suddenly regretting her gift choices.

Bernadette is that chemist/clerk at the 1900’s local general store who advised to put leeches on my skin and I trust her anyway and too lazy to check out my resources 😂

Regarding the face cream: when making a cream, it's important to slowly add the water to the other ingredients whilst whisking the mixture vigorously in order to properly emulsify them into a smooth moisturiser consistency :) It seems like your oil/fat and water components have separated because they haven't been thoroughly whisked during the creation process! Cocoa butter is a natural emulsifier and should help to combine with water with the lanolin :) just like making mayonnaise! You want to continue mixing until it cools 😎

I always enjoy your videos, so thank you for the adventure. The quasi-mad scientist look with the glasses and the ever-unraveling hair is an amazing look. The adventure of the week of skincare routine was very interesting and a fun look into the not too distant past. Thank you for the fun and I look forward to seeing the next one.

It's amazing how many Victorian skincare ingredients are used in gluten free baking 😂

I love that the general concept is so similar to what we'd do today- cleanser and a heavy night moisturizer before bed; somewhat lighter wash and moisturizing the next morning. We're really not that different!

Your hair looks so pretty in this video! and those green glasses are SO COOL

these videos are so well made!

Lanolin is what they gave me for chaffing whilst breastfeeding and it is VERY effective. Unfortunately, I was unable to produce enough, so I just used it for chapped lips or very dry spots on arms or legs during winter. It really is effective at healing dryness quickly. Highly recommend 😊

So glad to have you back! I giggled so much at inhalation drunkenness round 2, and at "please re-evaluate your life decisions". And your Victorian chemist getup is so cool, I love the green lenses! It's interesting: I have some hand salve (actually called shepherdess body butter) that I got from a local yarn store that has lanolin as a main ingredient (because sheep, haha). It does wonders for my dry elbows and heels but definitely has a greasy feel until it fully absorbs. But yeah, it's neat to see that it's been used as an ingredient for so long.

omg I LOVE your hair and makeup in this video. my fave look so far.

Love the refreshed hair style. Historical look with a modern feel!

I love the research and adherance to safety before beginning historical shenanigans. Also, the green mad scientist glasses are both useful and fashionably fantastic❤ Glad you're back