The Origins of Makeup

More a pretty face.

Do you ever wonder where something started? Why we are fascinated by vintage lipstick cases and jars? Well, they're not cheap and disposable, or even frivolous—they're artifacts, a part of history and a larger narrative surrounding cultural approaches to beauty.

The art and ritual of painting 1's confront, however, is of significance far across beautifying. Many African, Aborigine, and Indigenous cultures use face paint made from clay and coloured with stale plants and flowers to convey messages and values within their communities. Information technology's a form of linguistic communication and symbolism separate from the North American Westerner's perspective of makeup.

When considering the origin of cosmetics as nosotros know them today, many argue that it was the Egyptians who showtime invented makeup—but as early equally the first millennium BCE, Chinese royalty in the Zhou dynasty were using gelatin, beeswax, egg white, and gum standard arabic to paint their nails gold and silver. This practice continued for some time, and the boom colours eventually became a tool to identify social standing, as those in lower classes were forbidden from wearing bright colours.

There is also a story in Chinese culture surrounding a princess called Shouyang, that influenced makeup trends. Legend has it that she roughshod asleep nether a plum tree, and a flower barbarous and left petal stains on her forehead, enhancing her beauty. After her decease, she was worshipped as the goddess of the plum blossom. This story is just ane of the mythical origins of meihua zhuang or plum bloom makeup that gained popularity amidst ladylike women during the Southern Dynasty from 420 to 589 CE. Women would decorate their foreheads with petals or paint florals using sorghum powder, gold pulverisation, and jade.

A painting of princess Shouyang sleeping beneath a plum blossom tree.

Across 7,000 years of history, nearly every culture in the globe has some mention or estimation of cosmetics recognizable equally the makeup we know today. Only every bit romantic equally the origin of makeup may seem—all painted dirt pots and golden filagree compacts—the ingredients themselves were rather antediluvian. Dirt, lead, ash, and burnt almonds were amid the substances used as early every bit 3100 BCE to create the kohl cosmetic products for ancient civilizations in North Africa, India, and the Middle East.

The Egyptian rich and royalty, like Cleopatra, also had bright lipstick made from cerise beetles while the poorer citizens settled for clay to colour their lips. Both men and women Egyptians wore kohl eyeliner—but it wasn't all about vanity. Heavily lined optics were meant to protect confronting the evil centre and other spiritual dangers. It is believed that a lot of Egyptian adornment originated from rituals that honoured gods and goddesses, and warded off the elements. Incidentally, the eyeliner had a sunglasses-effect past deflecting the sun. The lead in the kohl also killed off bacteria and prevented infections.

Persians too used kohl, and subsequently many converted to Islam, restrictions on cosmetics prohibited substances that were harmful to the torso. Many practitioners took a medicinal arroyo to beauty, which is outlined in the 19th volume of Abu al-Qasim al-Zahrawi'due south tenth-century medical encyclopedia.

Subsequently, Greeks and Romans basis up stones to create the first-ever confront powders; this trend, used to make pare as pale as possible, continued until the end of the 19th century. The strict codes of dress among upper-form women meant that just lower-grade or sex workers used makeup to color eyes, lips, and cheeks. As harsh equally that sounds, the upper class had it worse because the lead-and-vinegar mixture that made upward the ceruse face powders would cause hair loss, muscle paralysis, and even death.

A ruby-red makeup powder plant in a tomb in Athens from fifth century BCE.

In Nippon, geishas, kabuki actors, and other performers as early on as the Heian menstruum would as well pigment their skin as white equally possible using shironuri makeup. The intent was to brand them look beautiful when they were performing by candlelight.

Greek and Roman performers had no need for such makeup practices considering they largely wore painted masks, and when they didn't, they would wear sheep's wool beards and colour their faces with pb- or flour-based paints. And contrary to the issues that the close-up Japanese performers had, in Europe the candlelit theatres meant crudity in makeup application passed unnoticed.

Innovations in lighting design that made actors' faces more visible to audience members sparked a demand for the first modern foundation. Greasepaint was invented by a German language actor and made by combining lard with pigment, forming a stick that could be applied to the skin.

In the 20th century, a demand for commercially made and sold makeup as we know it began to sally for several reasons including the invention of the camera, the affordability of mirrors, and the emergence of the starlet.

Portraiture and readily available mirrors in people's homes made it necessary to look one's best, but it was move pictures that really tipped the scales. When stage makeup didn't transfer very well to film (information technology was too thick), new innovations in the base were required. In 1914, Max Factor, the London-based cosmetics company that still exists today, took on the original greasepaint formula and created a semi-liquid version that could be stored in jars. Sales to to the public began in 1920. Maybelline outset emerged in 1917 with a mascara made of petroleum jelly and coal dust that founder Thomas Williams invented for his sister Maybel. Companies that distilled pre-existing tricks for beautification into products then sold them to the masses began to crop up, and rivalries and competition for women's attention and coin became part of the cultural zeitgeist.

A 1946 advertisement for Maybelline's original cake mascara and their brow pencil and eyeshadow that was released out later.

Makeup and the cultural ideology surrounding it has come a long manner, and nosotros have seen several more than peaks and valleys in interest since the starting time of the 20th century. In full general, though, the formulations accept drastically improved, and the fight for cruelty-gratis, vegan, clean dazzler brands can but go on to do good u.s. and our health. There is also a mellowing on the horizon of this need to comprehend up and a growing desire to complement, instead. It is comforting to expect back on the origins of makeup and its cultural significance to see that there is a purpose to the rituals exterior of vanity and, hopefully, a clear path frontward.

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July 14, 2020