Historical Skin Care Products
How did we come to a point where billions of dollars are spent annually throughout the world on cosmetics? When did it become customary for me to apply full-face makeup every morning before leaving the house? Undoubtedly, a lady from antiquity did not decide one day to wear eyeliner, mascara, lipstick, lip gloss, concealer, and blush all at once. Actually, it was a hybrid of several elements from different eras.
Do the Egyptians ring a bell? That happened nearly 4,000 years ago. The Egyptians placed a high value on personal hygiene and appearance. The Egyptians associated one’s physical make-up with their metaphysical make-up. They made an effort to always provide a pleasant appearance and aroma. And, of course, if you have a society where people place a premium on how they look, you’ll have plenty of people who want to draw attention to themselves. As a culture, the Egyptians were so creative that they used cosmetics for causes beyond vanity.
The first eye shadow was a mixture of lead ore and copper called Mesdemet. They hoped that the blackout drapes would protect them from prying eyes, so they wore them. In addition to its cleaning properties, it also repelled insects. A black substance called kohl was also dabbed into an oval shape around the eyes. The ingredients were charred almonds, copper, ochre, ash, and lead. They would also use a mixture of water and red clay on their cheeks to enhance their beauty. Henna, a natural dye found in the ground up leaves of some plants, was also used to give the fingernails bright orange and yellow colours.
Time went on, and as contact between cultures increased, the Greeks adopted many of the Egyptians’ cosmetics-related traditions. They used a lead-based foundation to get a bluish tint. On more than one occasion, this was the last straw. It was not until the Romans started using cosmetics that the pursuit of beauty veered away from practical means and into more outlandish practices. The Romans painted their fingernails with a combination of fried sheep fat and blood. As the ancient Roman proverb goes, paint is to women what salt is to food.
After the fall of the Egyptian kingdom, a fairer complexion became a style trend everywhere. Rough, sun-dried skin was a sign of poverty, and only those women who worked in the fields with their husbands suffered from it. Women from higher social classes didn’t have to do such hard work, so they could stay at home and keep their porcelain skin.
A pale, white complexion was often seen as a symbol of prosperity. If you were wealthy enough, you didn’t have to work. For certain people in society, having a fair skin tone is so crucial. Powdered hydroxide, lead oxide, and carbonate were used by women (and males) to paint their faces and bodies to produce this look. Lead poisoning was an unfortunate and occasionally deadly side consequence of this. In the nineteenth century, scientists created a blend of zinc oxide that did not clog the skin’s pores, preventing people from dying of lead poisoning. Since it has had such positive results, cosmetic companies continue to employ it even now.
During the Edwardian period in England, well-to-do city women hosted extravagant and stylish parties. If a woman was hosting a party, she had better be the most attractive guest present. Rapid aging occurred among women living in the city and the upper class due to environmental factors such as the toxic air generated by the cities at the time, poor nutrition, and a lack of physical activity. The ladies of this era depended largely on anti-aging and wrinkle-masking face treatments. Going to the salon was also a frequent part of her day. In the past, things were somewhat different from how they are now. The ladies would enter the salons from the rear, covering their faces as they entered. The House of Cyclax was one of the most well-known of these covert beauty parlors, selling ladies’ foams and rouges. Mrs. Henning, who owned the store, sold and made a wide range of anti-aging products for her desperate customers who were afraid of being judged by their peers if they were seen to be getting older.
As a result of these earlier failures, today’s women may choose from an almost unlimited range of goods to achieve almost any desired appearance. This market is now worth a billion dollars annually, and it has literally thousands of producers. Even in bad economic times, sales of beauty items remain steady. So, women, you may thank your foremothers for caring about how they looked so that you can look good now. Perhaps there were mornings when they got up and, like everyone else, didn’t feel like putting on makeup.
