The History Of Beauty Products Around The World
Did you know that beauty products have been identified as early as 4000 BC in Ancient Egypt?
Where In The World Did Beauty Products Originate?
Ancient Greeks and Romans also left evidence of using beauty products. Surprisingly, these even used mercury and white lead in their cosmetics! There are numerous references in the Bible to fragrances, like the frankincense and myrrh mentioned at the time of the birth of Jesus.
In the Middle East, beauty products were in use from very long ago. While some branches of Islam that are fundamentalist do not allow the use of cosmetics, others do use them. In 936-1013 AD, there was a physician, Abu al-Qasim al-Zahrawi (Abulcasis) who wrote a huge medical encyclopedia titled Al-Tasrif. He wrote a chapter about cosmetics. He considered beauty products to be a branch of medicine ? what he called "Medicine of Beauty". He wrote of perfumes, incense, etc. But he also had things that were the precursors to our lipsticks and deodorants.
In India, they’ve been using henna since about the 4th or 5th century. They used it as both a hair dye and in their art called mehndi, in which, often before a Hindu wedding, complex designs are painted on the hands and feet. In some north African cultures they also used henna, but with bolder designs than the Indians more complex designs.
The practice of coloring the fingernails began in China around 3000 BC. The social class of the person would determine which color they were allowed to wear on their nails. If they were earlier royals, they wore gold and silver. Later, the royals wore red and black. Those who were in a lower social class were not allowed to wear any bright colors on their nails.
In Japan, the use of beauty products was spearheaded by geishas. They wore lipstick made from crushed safflower petals. They also used the same product to paint their eyebrows and the edges of their eyes. They used a wax (bintsuke wax) as a base for their makeup. They used rice powder to color their face and back, and rouge for their eyes and nose. They would use ohaguo ? a black paint ? to color the teeth for a certain ceremony when the maiko (apprentice geisha) graduate from their training and become independent geishas. Occasionally, the geisha would make a lighter color from bird droppings.
In Europe, their skin was getting darker because of exposure to the sun. It was seen as a sign of higher class to have lighter skin, because it showed one did not have to work outdoors but had leisure time inside. Therefore, it was common to try to lighten the skin. They used a variety of beauty products, including white lead paint.
Some of the native tribes in America painted their faces for special ceremonial events and to go into battle.
Once the 20th century began, makeup became popular in the United States of America and Europe, because of the influence of the ballet and theater. The movie industry also had a great impact. The makeup companies of Max Factor, Elizabeth Arden, and Helena Rubinstein rose up at this time. Hair dye was invented in 1907 by the founder of L’Oreal. He also invented sunscreen. In 1888, deodorant was invented. It came in roll-on form in 1952, and aerosol form in 1965. In the 1920s, makeup style was influence by the flapper era, with its red lipstick and red nail polish. Coco Chanel convinced women they wanted a suntan, resulting in fake tanning products being marketed.
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