14. Beet Juice Rouge
The reaction to this product may vary based on how disgusted one is by sweet root vegetables. This product persisted well into the 20th century and was not widely replayed until cosmetic prices became affordable to the average woman. Many different staining agents were used as makeup in times before cosmetics were invented and especially in eras where makeup, even when it existed, was frowned upon and connected to both the stage and the brothel.
If you have eaten cooked or pickled beets, you likely know just how stained they are. Beets are rich in betalains, which give them their beautiful purple-red coloring, and made them ideal for use in cosmetics. A light dab of beet juice would leave a lovely reddish flush and be often used on both the cheeks and lips before makeup was widely available and accepted.
One unique factor about beetroot juice was its availability to women of all social classes. Root vegetables were once strongly associated with underclasses and were considered peasant food. Even isolated rural women who were survival farming would likely have had access to at least a small amount of excess beet juice that could be used cosmetically. Whether or not a peasant woman would have had the time for such matters is another question entirely.