A History of Cosmetics

Are Cosmetics a Modern Idea?

With the cosmetic industry reaching billions of dollars spent every year worldwide on cosmetics, you might wonder, ‘How did it get to this point? When did it become normal for us to wake up every morning and paint our faces from top to bottom before we even go out the door ? Surely way back in history, a woman didn’t just wake up one morning and apply eyelashes, lipstick, eyeliner, foundation, and rouge that very day. No, it was, like many things, a culmination of habits acquired in the past.

The Egyptians were wearing make-up over four thousand years ago. Cleanliness and appearance were terribly important to the Egyptians. They believed the appearance was directy linked with the health of the soul. They strived to always look and smell good, but their appearance made a difference to their social standing and they also used it to make themselves stand out. So the Egyptians, being the innovative people they were, used cosmetics for reasons that were more than just trying to look good.

As time moved on people travelled and cultures were exposed to each other more and more. The Greeks began to pick up on the many practices of the Egyptian’s use of cosmetics and before long others followed. As the Romans began to practice using cosmetics, the pursuit of beauty became much less about it’s function and turned into a much more exotic idea and even utterly necessary. An ancient Roman man once said, “A woman without paint is like food without salt.”

People adopted some unfortunate ideas too.They would give themselves a pale color with a foundation that contained lead which, of course, proved fatal on more than one occasion.

Why the Pale Face?

For centuries after the Egyptian empire faded, it was fashionable around the world to have a pale complexion. A tanned, sun-dried face was associated with being a commoner who worked out in the field all day as many a country women worked outside alongside her husband in those times. Indeed, there are many who still work in the fields, with or without husbands! Naturally, the upper class ladies did not need to participate in physical labor outdoors, they occupied themselves indoors and stayed inside. If they went out they protected themselves from the sun and they had white faces. It followed that a white, pale complexion was also a symbol of wealth.

If you had enough money, then you didn’t have to work. So a pale complexion was extremely desireable to those who had caught the sun. To get this look, women (and men too) would use a combination of hydroxide, lead oxide, and carbonate in a powder form to paint their faces and bodies.

And there lies the cause of that fatal side effect, lead poisoning.
The original paste had other deficiencies besides the poison. Air was blocked from the skin causing all sorts of ugly skin problems.
To remedy this, chemists in the nineteenth century finally discovered a mixture of zinc oxide that didn’t block the skin from being able to breathe and removed the danger from lead poisoning sickness. It worked so well that it is still used today by cosmetics manufacturers.

Other Make-up

Ancient peoples also used ingredients that we in the modern world would find distasteful. The Romans would paint their nails with a combination of sheep’s blood and cooked body fat, for example.

They liked a face to have a ‘sculpted’ look and to further enhance their appearance, they would apply a mixture of water and red clay to the cheekbone area. They would also paint their nails colors of orange and yellow with a substance called henna.

The earliest eye shadow was called Mesdemet – a substance made of copper and lead ore. The dark shades, they believed, would ward off evil eyes from their own eyes. It was also a great disinfectant and insect repellant. Kohl was a dark powder that was also applied around the eyes in an oval shape. It was a combination of lead, ash, ochre, copper, and burnt almonds (Note the dangerous lead!). Kohl is still used in some parts of the world, I believe, but the ingrediants may have changed somewhat, at least I hope so.

Modern Development

Moving on from Ancient to Modern, I leap both in time and geographically, to around the turn of the century 1900, the Edwardian era in London .

By this time make up had become normal for high society women with a disposable income.
Such society women enjoyed showing off their wealth and would throw lavish parties and do a lot of entertaining.

As hostesses of the party, they wanted to be the best looking woman present, so it was extremely important for them to look as young as they possibly could. Women at that time lived extravagant lifestyles and they did not eat well, would not exercise, and breathed in the heavily polluted air that the cities of the time produced. They would rely on products like anti-aging cream and face cream to help hide their blemishes.

The Birth of the Beauty Salon

The early 1900’s we begin to see the earliest business models of the modern cosmetics industry being formed.
Discreet beauty houses and salons appeared where society women would go for their cosmetics. It was something to be shy about back then, not being accepted as it is today. Women would sneak into the back of the salons and hide their faces as they entered.
One of the most famous of these discreet beauty houses was the House of Cyclax, selling creams and rouges to ladies. The owner, Mrs. Henning, sold and created many products for her desperate customers who didn’t want anyone to know that they were getting old. Mrs. Henning’s House of Cyclax in London sold many products that you can still buy today from world famous companies like Avon.

Another beauty salon owner found herself expanding her products to meet the demands of her upper class clientele. From a facial cream that protects women’s skin from the sun, she went on to develop lipstick and face powder. Today, you can find a whole line of cosmetics from Helena Rubenstein.

The popularity of beauty salons continued to increase and in 1909, a salon called Selfridges began to sell cosmetics openly, over the counter.

Women’s attitudes began to change and, as confidence grew, the colours became bolder and artistic influences came in.
When the Russian ballet came to London, the influence of high art was apparent and many designers were inspired. A man named Paul Poiret was one of the first to come out with a much more vibrant and colorful look. During the 1930’s the fashion for lipstick color became darker, with a variety of shades becoming available.

With the new fast pace of life women wanted the morning routine to be quicker and this is the the first time that permanent cosmetics was seen. Women could have their lipstick and eye shadow tattoed permanently on their faces.

Triggers for Change and Growth in Beauty Care

Before and during WW II, ingredients for cosmetics became scarce and there was at a severe shortage so women wore less make up or none at all. The shortages extended to food and though food was scarce, it was good natural food grown by themselves and in the countryside. Much of the food was grown by the celebrated ‘Land Girls’ and the outdoor natural look was something to emulate. The improvement in diet meant healthy skin and hair, the most important ingredients for beauty.

In spite of the love of the ‘natural look’, as soon as the war ended demand for cosmetics increased more than ever. Women wanted cosmetics that enhanced that natural look and Competitors began manufacturing a number of products to meet the demands of the female consumer.

The demand was great as women discovered that they could have all kinds of looks to go with all kinds of activities and they revelled in the choice as it grew and grew.

Today’s woman benefits from all those years of trial and error with a virtually unlimited choice of products for any look they want to achieve.

There are literally thousands of companies who have products in what has become a billion dollar a year industry. Cosmetic fashions change Winter and Summer and beauty products are in demand whatever the season. Even in times of recession cosmetics and beauty potions provide an inexpensive way for a woman to give herself a treat.

So ladies, whether you consider your face to be a canvas for your art or a window to your inner beauty, you have your ancestors to thank for the incredible choice you have today. Their concern for their appearance led the way to the development of the beauty products you now have available online.
And if you don’t feel like going through the hassle of putting stuff on your face, be kind, eat well, stay active and avoid anxeity, and you will be beautiful anyway..