Forgotten Secrets - Old Book Treasures –

Cosmetic Recipe books published before 1923
When making my own skin care I like to stay away from modern chemicals, fragrances and preservatives as I am looking for healthier alternatives than the cosmetic industry.

So much of what we now buy in drug and hardware stores we made for ourselves in 1923.
Just how much, I hadn't realised until I found these offbeat old books with formulas for everything you can imagine. They have sections on The Household, The Druggist, Toilet Articles, The Chemist and more.
I'm powerfully struck by how in touch with physical processes our ancestors were! 

Take the recipe for Cold creams. It's the same cream my Nana used to make for me, the same I teach during my workshops.
People really did do much of this stuff for themselves. That was just ending when I was a child. And today -- these little books seem to represent life on another planet with so many forgotten secrets.

To my special request, SoapConscious, just added to its e-books library a collection of these old book recipes about soap making, skin care and perfumery.
They are Real treasures of information for the expert crafter and will inspire the cosmetic artists!

These books are maybe not recommended for the beginners, they are quite technical, but the expert will find precious information about ingredients and many famous traditional recipes.

Some ingredients from these old recipes need to be replaced by more modern equivalents, but the technique will be the same. For example I am not sure if we can still buy the Spermaceti but it can be replaced by Palm oil or Coconut oil in soap making.

These e-books are EXACT reproductions of books published before 1923.
They may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, that were either part of the original artefacts, or were introduced by the scanning process.
These types of reproductions assure you are looking at the original information and not to modified or partial copy.
We believe these works are so culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. I appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and I know you will enjoy these valuable books.

These e-books are in PDF file format and are NOT hard copies. No physical books will be shipped. The e-book files being very big (sometime 700pages!), they can not be downloaded directly but you will received your copy printed on a CD.

Make sure your postal address is correct as the CD will be mailed to you. We offer free postage for Australia.




The Art of Perfumery and The Method of Obtaining the Odours of Plants by G.W. Septimus Piesse written 1857 (180 pages). With Instructions for the manufacture of perfumes for the handkerchief, scented powders, odorous vinegars, dentifrices, pomatums, cosmetics, perfumed soap, with and appendix on the colours of flowers, artificial fruit essences, etc.

A Practical Treatise on The Manufacture of Perfumery written by Dr. C Deite in 1892 (360 pages), Comprising Directions for Making All Kinds of Perfumes, Sachet Powders, Fumigating Material, Dentifrices, Cosmetics, etc. etc. With A Full Account of the Volatile Oils, Balsams, Resins, and Other Natural and Artificial Perfume-Substances, Including The Manufacture of Fruit Ethers, and Tests of Their Purity.   "A Translation of the portion of the "Handbuch der Parfiimerie-und Toiletteseifen fabrikation," edited by Dr. C. Deite, relating to perfumery and cosmetics, is presented to the English reading public with the full confidence that it will not only fill a useful place in technical literature, but will also prove for what it is chiefly intended a ready book of reference and a practical help and guide for the perfumer's laboratory."

Perfumery and Kindred Arts by RS Cristiani (396 pages). Containing a History of perfumes, A Completed Detailed Description of The Raw Material and Apparatus Used In The Perfumer's Art; With Thorough Practical Instructions, Careful Formulae, Advice As To The Fabrication Of All The Best Preparations Of the Day: Including Essences, Tinctures, Extracts, Spirits, Waters, Cosmetics, Infusions, Pastils, Cachous, Oils, Hair Tooth Powders and Dyes, sachets, Flavouring, Washes, Essential Extracts, etc., and Full Details For Making and Manipulating Fancy Toilet Soaps, Shaving Creams., etc. by New and Improved Methods. The recipes and formulas given have been carefully revised, and are generally devoid of all substances which can be at all injurious ; and will be found to be the most pleasant and the most useful for their various purposes possible.

Happy Natural Skin care Making!
Marlene Daniels