ABSTRACT
Although Marie Meurdrac's La Chymie charitable et facile, en faveur des dames (Useful and easy Chemistry, for the benefit of Ladies, first published in 1666) is celebrated as the first chemistry treatise authored by a woman, it is also remarkable for its bridging of the realms of chemistry, medicine and beauty. This chapter analyses Meurdrac's practical guidance on ‘all the things that can preserve and enhance beauty,’ including over 100 recipes for beautifying the face, hands, teeth and hair. It situates Meurdrac within a lineage of female authorities on cosmetics and frames the art of beauty as a site for both chemical experimentation and female expertise. By considering her recipes for Queen of Hungary water and a black hair dye as case studies, the chapter also foregrounds Meurdrac's emphasis on accessibility, practicality, empiricism and collaboration, thus empowering her female readership to be active agents in their beautifying endeavours and artists of their own bodies.
