The Origins of Makeup

More than 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 role of history and a larger narrative surrounding cultural approaches to beauty.

The art and ritual of painting one's face, however, is of significance far beyond 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 inside their communities. It'southward a grade of language and symbolism separate from the Northward American Westerner's perspective of makeup.

When because the origin of cosmetics as we know them today, many argue that information technology was the Egyptians who first invented makeup—simply as early every bit the kickoff millennium BCE, Chinese royalty in the Zhou dynasty were using gelatin, beeswax, egg white, and mucilage standard arabic to paint their nails gold and argent. This practice continued for some time, and the nail 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 savage asleep under a plum tree, and a bloom fell and left petal stains on her forehead, enhancing her beauty. Later on her death, she was worshipped as the goddess of the plum blossom. This story is just one of the mythical origins of meihua zhuang or plum flower makeup that gained popularity among 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 powder, and jade.

A painting of princess Shouyang sleeping below a plum bloom tree.

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

The Egyptian rich and royalty, like Cleopatra, too had bright lipstick made from ruddy beetles while the poorer citizens settled for clay to colour their lips. Both men and women Egyptians wore kohl eyeliner—merely it wasn't all almost vanity. Heavily lined optics were meant to protect against the evil eye and other spiritual dangers. Information technology 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 by deflecting the sun. The lead in the kohl likewise killed off bacteria and prevented infections.

Persians also used kohl, and after many converted to Islam, restrictions on cosmetics prohibited substances that were harmful to the body. Many practitioners took a medicinal approach to beauty, which is outlined in the 19th volume of Abu al-Qasim al-Zahrawi's 10th-century medical encyclopedia.

Later on, Greeks and Romans ground up stones to create the showtime-always confront powders; this trend, used to brand skin as pale equally possible, continued until the terminate of the 19th century. The strict codes of apparel among upper-class women meant that merely lower-course or sex workers used makeup to color optics, lips, and cheeks. Equally harsh as that sounds, the upper grade had information technology worse considering the lead-and-vinegar mixture that made upwards the ceruse face powders would cause hair loss, muscle paralysis, and even decease.

A red makeup pulverization found in a tomb in Athens from 5th century BCE.

In Japan, geishas, kabuki actors, and other performers every bit early as the Heian period would also paint their skin as white every bit possible using shironuri makeup. The intent was to make them look beautiful when they were performing by candlelight.

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

Innovations in lighting design that fabricated actors' faces more than visible to audience members sparked a need for the first modern foundation. Blackface was invented by a German actor and fabricated by combining lard with pigment, forming a stick that could exist applied to the pare.

In the 20th century, a need for commercially made and sold makeup as we know it began to emerge 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 fabricated it necessary to wait one's best, but it was motion pictures that really tipped the scales. When stage makeup didn't transfer very well to film (it was too thick), new innovations in the base were required. In 1914, Max Factor, the London-based cosmetics company that withal 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 showtime emerged in 1917 with a mascara fabricated 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 and then sold them to the masses began to crop up, and rivalries and contest for women's attention and money became part of the cultural zeitgeist.

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

Makeup and the cultural ideology surrounding it has come up a long way, and we accept seen several more peaks and valleys in involvement since the get-go of the 20th century. In general, though, the formulations have drastically improved, and the fight for cruelty-free, vegan, make clean dazzler brands tin only go along to benefit us and our health. There is also a mellowing on the horizon of this need to embrace up and a growing want to complement, instead. Information technology is comforting to await back on the origins of makeup and its cultural significance to see that in that location is a purpose to the rituals outside of vanity and, hopefully, a clear path forward.

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July 14, 2020