Throughout History, There Have Been Beauty Products

How did we, as a society, get to the position where we spend billions of dollars yearly on cosmetics and where it has become socially acceptable for women to wear cosmetics on a daily basis? It is clear that a woman in ancient times did not just wake up one morning and decide to put on eyelashes, lipstick, eyeliner, foundation, and rouge all at the same time as she does now. No, it was a mash-up of many elements from various eras, as is the case with many things.

Cosmetics were originally used by the Egyptians, who were the first people to do so. The event took place four thousand years ago today. The importance of good hygiene and appearance to the Egyptian people could hardly be overstated. The Egyptians had the idea that the look of a person was directly related to the health of his or her spiritual essence. They worked hard to keep their appearance and scent fresh all the time. And in a culture that places a high value on appearances, societies will always have individuals who will make an effort to stand out from the crowd. However, the Egyptians, being the ingenious people that they were, used cosmetics for purposes that were much more practical than just trying to seem attractive.

Mesdemet, a mixture of lead ore and copper, was the catalyst for the invention of eye shadow. They wore dark sunglasses in the hope that it would keep malevolent eyes away from their own. It also served as an excellent disinfectant and insect repellant. Kohl was a black pigment that was applied around the eyes in an oval form, as well as on the brows. It was made out of a mixture of lead, ash, ochre, copper, and burned almonds, among other things. To further improve the look of the cheeks, a combination of red clay and water was applied to them. They would also use henna, a natural material, to color their fingernails in various colors of orange and yellow.

As civilizations began to contact one another more often, the skill of make-up was passed down from one culture to another, and the Greeks eventually learned it from the Egyptians. They would paint their faces a light shade of beige using a foundation that had lead in it. This turned out to be fatal on more than one occasion. As the Romans began to adopt the practice of cosmetics, the quest of beauty grew less concerned with function and began to take increasingly odd detours in search of the perfect complexion. They would use a mixture of sheep's blood and heated body fat to paint their nails, and they would do it daily. It was reportedly stated by an elderly Roman citizen that a lady without paint is like bread without salt.

Centuries after the Egyptian kingdom was destroyed, a fair complexion was the fashion standard all across the globe. An unattractive, dark face was linked with being a plebeian who spent her days working in the fields with her husband. Obviously, upper-class women did not engage in such strenuous labor, as shown by their preference for staying inside and having pale complexions.

The whiteness of a person's skin was often used to determine their wealth. If folks had enough money, you didn't have to work if they wanted to. As a result, for certain members of society, having a pale skin tone was essential. To get this appearance, women (and men, too) would paint their faces and bodies with a powdered mixture of hydroxide, lead oxide, and carbonate, which was mixed together in a mortar and pestle. Unfortunately, this resulted in a potentially fatal side effect known as lead poisoning. To solve this issue, scientists in the nineteenth century developed a zinc oxide combination that did not obstruct the skin's ability to breathe, thus preventing individuals from dying from the exacerbating effects of lead poisoning. It was so successful that cosmetics makers have continued to utilize it to this very day.

In the Edwardian period of London, metropolitan women with discretionary income threw lavish and beautiful parties for their friends and acquaintances. The fact that they were the hosts of the party meant that they needed to be the most beautiful women at the event, which meant that they needed to appear as young as they possibly could. Women were rapidly aging as a result of their city and extravagant lives, which included variables such as smoggy air generated by the cities at the time, poor diets, and little or no exercise. Women throughout this time period placed a high value on anti-aging products as well as face treatments to conceal flaws. They would also make the trip to the hair salon. At the time, things were a little different from what they are now. Ladies would enter the salons via the back door and hide their faces as they walked through the door. The House of Cyclax was one of the most well-known of these modest beauty establishments, and it sold foams and blushes to women in particular. Mrs. Henning, the proprietor, marketed and introduced a variety of goods to meet the needs of desperate clients who did not want anybody to realize that they were becoming older.

All of these years of mistakes have benefited the modern woman, who now has a nearly limitless selection of cosmetic items to choose from for whatever appearance she desires.Product development in this billion-dollar-per-year sector involves hundreds of firms. Skin care products are in high demand throughout the year, even during recessions. As a result, women, express gratitude to your forefathers and foremothers for their care of their personal appearances in exchange for the one you have today. They, too, were probably not in the mood to put on their makeup some mornings.