Empress Dowager Cixi's Beauty Secret: Pearl Powder
Historical pearl cultivation in China dates back to the Southern Song Dynasty. Renowned women like Yang Guifei, Empress Dowager Cixi, and Cleopatra valued pearl powder for beauty and whitening.
（the photo of Empress Dowager Cixi in Qing Dynasty）
Ever wondered how ancient Chinese royalty maintained their radiant, youthful skin? According to imperial records from the Qing Dynasty, pearl powder is packed with three powerful skin-brightening ingredients: glycine, natural methionine, and taurine. These components work together to hydrate the skin, boost radiance, enhance elasticity, promote blood circulation, and purify the blood.
Empress Dowager Cixi, as noted in the Qing Imperial Medical Archives, was a devoted user of pearl powder. She insisted on only the finest quality: "coreless whole pearls, pinkish-white in hue, micron-level fineness, dissolving effortlessly in water, and imperceptible on the tongue." She exclusively used freshwater pearls from Taihu Lake in the Jiangnan region, taking a spoonful each night before bed to preserve her vibrant energy and timeless beauty.
The royal physician once remarked, “Pearls from Yangzi River District are cultivated in water for three years. Each one is coreless, truly nourishing the skin.”
An expert in both internal and external use of pearl powder, Cixi took it daily on an empty stomach every morning and evening, and applied it topically as a face mask. She even established a dedicated palace department for pearl skincare. Through long-term practice, she perfected a consistent, measured, and sustained beauty regimen using pearl powder—so effective that Princess Derling marveled at Cixi's skin, still "as smooth as a maiden's," well into her fifties and sixties.
But the legacy of pearl beauty doesn’t end there. Let us also introduce Xishi, one of ancient China's legendary “Four Great Beauties.” Her hometown—Zhuji City in Zhejiang Province, one of China’s wealthiest regions—is the heartland of pearl cultivation. When it comes to freshwater pearls, the town of Shanxiahu in Zhuji is world-renowned. Spanning just 42.56 square kilometers, this small town is celebrated as the “Pearl Capital of China.”
Since last year, we’ve proudly introduced a pearl powder series under the esteemed Hu Qing Yu Tang brand, featuring products for both internal wellness and external skincare. Take a 0.3g sachet before bed to enjoy a calming, restful sleep. For external use, our ultra-fine pearl powder, crafted using pure water-milling technology, can be mixed into DIY brightening face masks to even skin tone and fade dark spots.
✨ Rediscover timeless beauty, rooted in tradition and perfected for today. ✨
(Click the image above to purchase a trial pack of oral pearl powder)
Pearl Powder Brightening Recipe:
Ingredients Needed:
Pearl powder, bletilla striata (白芨), white poria (白茯苓), apricot kernel (杏仁) in a 1:5:5:5 ratio, ground into fine powder.
Steps:
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Mix the ingredients evenly according to the ratio.
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Slowly add a small amount of distilled water into the powder mixture and stir until it forms a sticky paste.
Tips:
When preparing the mask powder, it’s best to use cold boiled water—avoid tap water.
Mix an appropriate amount of powder with water to a consistency thick enough to stay on your face without dripping. If the mixture is too thick, it may dry quickly and possibly cause fine lines.
Generally, it’s recommended to leave the mask on for 8–10 minutes, then rinse off with clean water.
