Welcome to a journey through the intriguing history of makeup! Did you know that the word “cosmetic” comes from a Greek word meaning “adornment”? This term made its way into the English language around the 17th century. Let’s dive into some fascinating facts about makeup’s past!
In the Roman Republic, between 150 and 31 BCE, lipstick was a symbol of social status. Both men and women wore it to show they belonged to the upper class. Meanwhile, in ancient Egypt, both genders used eyeliner, although many of the products contained toxic substances like lead. Cleopatra and others around 50 BCE used a red dye made from crushed beetles to color their lips.
In ancient India, eyeliner made from powdered lead sulfide was popular, though it’s now known to be toxic. Henna, a paste used to create designs on the skin, dates back to around 7000 BCE. It originated in Egypt and spread to India, and is still used today in countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka for celebrations and possibly even medicinal purposes.
Nail polish has been around since about 3000 BCE, starting in China before spreading to Egypt. Different methods, like using gelatin or egg whites, were used to dye nails. In these times, lower classes were not allowed to wear the same colors as royalty.
Makeup is even mentioned in the Bible. For example, Jezebel is noted for painting her face in the second book of Kings, and in Esther 2:12, there’s a reference to women using oil of myrrh and spices as cosmetics.
During the Middle Ages, European noblewomen used various methods to clear their skin, some of which were quite unusual. It’s important to note that using harmful substances for skincare is dangerous and should be avoided.
The first solid lipstick was invented around the 11th century by Alger Olli in modern-day Spain. He was a talented surgeon who also contributed to the development of cosmetics.
Makeup hasn’t always been safe. In 17th century Italy, a woman named Giulia sold blush with toxic ingredients. In England, people used a mix of lead and vinegar to whiten their faces, a practice from the Renaissance. In 1770, British Parliament even declared lipstick illegal, calling it a form of witchcraft.
Makeup made a comeback in 1952 when Queen Elizabeth II had a special lipstick shade created to match her ceremonial robes. This was decades after the first commercial lipstick was invented in Paris in the late 19th century.
In the early 20th century, famous performers like Sarah Bernhardt influenced makeup styles. Max Factor, a makeup artist for actors, coined the term “makeup” and invented lip gloss. Eugene Rimmel, another innovator, created non-toxic mascara, a product still popular today.
In 1938, the U.S. government passed the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, giving the FDA authority to regulate harmful products. This was a significant step in ensuring the safety of cosmetics.
Maybelline, founded in 1915 by Tom Lyle Williams, was inspired by his sister Mabel’s use of Vaseline and coal dust on her lashes. Nail polish, although ancient, wasn’t patented until 1919, with pink being the only color available for many years.
The cosmetics industry has seen fierce competition. Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein, two makeup moguls, owned beauty salons in New York City for about 50 years but never met. They were pioneers in cosmetics advertising.
During World War II, women in baseball were fined if they didn’t wear makeup. Even in the 1970s, women in the Marine Corps were required to wear makeup, including foundation, blush, eyeshadow, and lipstick, while in uniform.
Sephora, a popular makeup store, opened in 1969 in Paris. It was the first to allow customers to interact with fragrances directly, highlighting the close relationship between perfume and makeup in business history.
Thanks for exploring the history of makeup with us! Remember, makeup has a rich and varied past, and it’s fascinating to see how it has evolved over the centuries. Don’t forget to be awesome!
Research and create a visual timeline of the history of makeup, highlighting key events and innovations mentioned in the article. Use images and brief descriptions to make your timeline engaging. This will help you understand the chronological development of cosmetics and their cultural significance.
In groups, choose a historical period from the article and role-play as makeup artists from that era. Create a short skit demonstrating how makeup was applied and its significance during that time. This activity will help you explore the cultural and social aspects of makeup history.
Participate in a classroom debate on the positive and negative impacts of makeup throughout history. Use examples from the article to support your arguments. This will encourage critical thinking and help you understand the broader implications of cosmetics in society.
Create an advertisement for a historical makeup product mentioned in the article. Use period-appropriate language and design elements to make your ad authentic. This activity will enhance your creativity and understanding of historical marketing techniques.
Investigate a modern makeup innovation or brand that interests you and compare it to historical practices discussed in the article. Present your findings to the class, highlighting how makeup has evolved and what has remained consistent. This will deepen your appreciation for the ongoing evolution of cosmetics.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
—
Hi, I’m John Green. Welcome to my salon. This is a Mental Floss video, and did you know that the word “cosmetic” comes from a Greek word meaning “adornment”? Our English word came to be sometime around the 17th century. Anyway, that’s the first of many fun facts about the surprisingly complex history of makeup that I’m going to share with you today.
Between 150 and 31 BCE, lipstick was an indicator of social status in the Roman Republic. Both men and women wore it to show that they were in the upper class. Of course, it’s not news that the ancient Egyptians loved to line their eyes, but back then, there weren’t many non-toxic eyeliners. Many of them used a substance called “made up,” which contained lead. Another option was a paint solution containing copper. Like the Romans, men and women in ancient Egypt wore lipstick according to their social standing. Cleopatra and other lipstick wearers around 50 BCE started the practice of using carmine, which is made from crushed beetles, to color their lips red.
Eyeliner, a powdered lead sulfide, has a tradition in ancient India, and many still use it today, although it’s considered toxic and not recommended. You’re probably familiar with henna or mehndi, which is a paste used to draw designs on hands. Henna comes from the plant of the same name, and this practice might date back as far as 7000 BCE. It’s believed that the ancient Egyptians used henna designs first and then exported them to India. Henna is often used for celebratory occasions, but it may have also been used for medicinal purposes in ancient times. Nowadays, this practice occurs in other countries, including Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
Nail polish has been around since about 3000 BCE. It probably started in China and then moved to Egypt, where people had various methods for dyeing their nails, such as using gelatin or egg whites. In general, lower classes were not allowed to wear the same colors as royalty. There are a couple of references to makeup in the Bible. For instance, in the second book of Kings, there’s a mention of Jezebel painting her face, and in Esther 2:12, it reads, “The days of their beautification were completed as follows: six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and the cosmetics for women.”
Jumping forward to the Middle Ages, noble women in Europe had some interesting methods to clear up their skin. Some would apply various substances to their faces. A couple of quick side notes: do not try to use harmful substances to treat skin issues, as they can be ineffective and potentially dangerous.
The predecessor to solid lipsticks was invented around the turn of the 11th century. It was basically perfume made solid thanks to a mold, created by a man named Alger Olli, who lived in modern-day Spain. He was also one of the best surgeons of his day but found time to improve cosmetics as well.
There are also instances of makeup being used for harmful purposes, such as Giulia, a figure from 17th century Italy, who sold blush containing toxic ingredients. It’s believed that some of her customers were aware of the dangers. Makeup has a complicated past in England, too. You probably know that powder was important for making faces appear white, and some people used a combination of lead and vinegar, a tradition left over from the Renaissance. In 1770, Parliament declared lipstick illegal, believing it was a form of witchcraft.
Makeup inevitably came back into style in 1952, when Queen Elizabeth II commissioned her own shade of lipstick from the company Clarins to match her ceremonial robes. This was about 70 years after the first commercial lipstick was invented in Paris in the late 19th century, made of beeswax, castor oil, and other ingredients.
At the beginning of the 20th century, famous ballet dancers and actors inspired women when it came to makeup style. One notable figure was Sarah Bernhardt, a French actress who wrote about makeup in her treatise on acting in 1923. Speaking of entertainers, we have to mention Max Factor, a real person who lived from 1872 to 1938. He was a makeup artist to actors and is credited with coining the term “makeup.” He had a huge influence on film makeup and invented lip gloss.
Another inventor of a popular makeup product was Eugene Rimmel, who created non-toxic mascara. His father had a perfumery, and Eugene followed in his footsteps, perfecting his mascara formula by the mid-19th century. The brand is still around today, but that didn’t mean all mascara was non-toxic at the time. During the 1930s, you could still buy mascara in the United States containing harmful ingredients.
In 1938, the U.S. government passed the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, giving the FDA some power over the industry to stop harmful products. Some stories about this era are quite serious, so I won’t share them here, but I will provide a link in the video description.
Another makeup company you might recognize is Maybelline, founded in 1915 by Tom Lyle Williams, named after his sister Mabel. He was inspired by her use of a combination of Vaseline and coal dust on her eyelashes and eyebrows after a kitchen accident.
I mentioned earlier that nail polish has been around for thousands of years, but a patent for the product wasn’t granted until 1919, for pink nail polish, which was the only color option for many years. A company called Northam Warren, now known as Q-tips, had been selling nail products since 1911, and their earnings rose significantly during that time.
Competition in the cosmetics world has been ongoing for decades. Two famous makeup moguls from the 1910s were Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein, who owned beauty salons blocks apart in New York City for about 50 years but never met. They are credited with the rise of cosmetics advertising, using marketing to compete.
Not every woman wore makeup by choice, though. During World War II, women who filled in for baseball players were fined if they were caught not wearing makeup off the field. Even years later, in the 1970s, women in the Marine Corps were issued makeup kits containing foundation, blush, eyeshadow, and lipstick, which they had to wear in uniform, including at boot camp.
Finally, I want to tell you about the origins of the popular makeup store Sephora. The shop first opened in 1969 as a perfumery in Paris, being the first store to bring fragrances out from behind the counter and allow regular customers to interact with them. This is yet another example of how deeply intertwined the worlds of perfume and makeup have been in the history of business.
Thanks for watching Mental Floss video, which is made with the help of many wonderful people. Just a little disclosure: in this episode and most episodes, I’m wearing just a little bit of makeup. I love a little bit of makeup, as we say in my hometown. Don’t forget to be awesome!
[Music]
—
This version removes any potentially harmful or inappropriate content while retaining the informative nature of the original transcript.
History – The study of past events, particularly in human affairs. – Example sentence: In history class, we learned about the causes and effects of the American Revolution.
Makeup – Cosmetics such as lipstick or powder applied to the face, used to enhance or alter the appearance. – Example sentence: In ancient times, people used natural ingredients to create makeup for ceremonial purposes.
Ancient – Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence. – Example sentence: The ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt have greatly influenced modern culture.
Egypt – A country in northeastern Africa, known for its ancient civilization and some of the world’s most famous monuments, including the Giza pyramids and the Great Sphinx. – Example sentence: Egypt is home to the Nile River, which was crucial to the development of its ancient civilization.
Lipstick – A cosmetic product containing pigments, oils, waxes, and emollients that apply color, texture, and protection to the lips. – Example sentence: Lipstick was used by both men and women in ancient Egypt to signify social status.
Cosmetics – Products applied to the body, especially the face, to improve its appearance. – Example sentence: The use of cosmetics dates back to ancient times, with evidence found in Egyptian tombs.
Europe – A continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. – Example sentence: During the Renaissance, Europe experienced a cultural rebirth that led to significant advancements in art and science.
Queen – The female ruler of an independent state, especially one who inherits the position by right of birth. – Example sentence: Queen Elizabeth I of England was known for her strong leadership and influence during the Elizabethan era.
Regulations – Rules or directives made and maintained by an authority. – Example sentence: The government introduced new regulations to ensure the safety of cosmetic products.
Toxic – Containing or being poisonous material, especially when capable of causing death or serious debilitation. – Example sentence: In the past, some cosmetics contained toxic substances like lead, which were harmful to health.
