Talk:Bismuth oxychloride

The line about bismuth oxychloride being used in "ancient Egypt" may be an urban legend of long standing; possibly it was an advertising gimmick in the Victorian era when the material was being marketed as "pearl white". The mineral form of BiOCl2, bismoclite, is very rare, not found in Egypt, and unlikely to have been made into a cosmetic; furthermore I've been unable to find a single reference to it being found among ancient Egyptian artifacts. If nobody can locate a credible academic citation to this alleged fact, I suggest that the article be altered to state that "There is no evidence for the commonly-repeated claim that bismuth oxychloride was used as a cosmetic in ancient Egypt. It became popular in the Victorian era, when it was marketed as "pearl white" or "Blanc de Perle", and recipes for its manufacture were made available to the public . James P Demers (talk) 18:42, 18 May 2022 (UTC)