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Cosmetic history: makeup from time to time

With the introduction of so many amazing new products to the world of cosmetics, you’d think these makeup and other beauty products were discovered right now. But then, the history of cosmetics goes back to ancient times, from the ancient Egyptian era to be exact.

Having said this, we can say that this cosmetic history is really very rich. For starters, makeup had already been used by men and women thousands of years earlier, and this can be proven by archaeologists’ discovery of numerous jars of makeup items inside Egyptian tombs dating back to around 3000 BC.

We all know that in the past, the Egyptians worked hard and were exposed to the hot sun in the desert for long periods. And so, to combat the scorching heat, they formulated a product very similar to the lotions we have today, specifically, the lotions that soothe dry skin and help prevent wrinkles at the same time.

Egyptian women also began using kohl to line their eyes. Kohl is a chemical element that contains antimony or lead sulfide. This eyeliner was typically used by both men and women as an eyeshadow. The most used color for this was green.

Although we are aware that lead has some toxic properties, sadly, people in the early days had no idea that their makeup or cosmetics were slowly poisoning them. Also, in the Babylonian relics, experts had unearthed white lead which was probably applied as a base to make the face appear lighter or whiter. It was also discovered that the Greeks had been using white lead for the sole purpose of enhancing their skin tones.

This fashion for looking paler had intensified until the mid-19th century. During this time, most women and some men wanted to have a pale face. They thought this look was a mark of aristocracy, particularly for people who didn’t have to bake in the sun while tilling the fields and eventually get a darker complexion in the process.

And as proof that people went totally nuts over this lighter skin tone thing, women even went to such lengths of making themselves bleed just to make their faces look pale. But of course the habit of using white powder and paint was still around to accompany the bloodletting practice.

At the dawn of the 1600s, the fashionable look did not only comprise pale skin tone, as red lips, rosy cheeks, and brighter eyes had already been added. It was also common to put blush or makeup in red or brown tones on the cheeks and lips. However, to achieve large eyes, the women again resorted to another toxic element that was arsenic. They also rinsed their eyes with certain acid juices such as lemon and orange. In exaggerated cases, women even used hallucinogenic belladonna which came from the deadly belladonna plant. This is usually dropped into the eyes to enlarge the pupils for soft-looking, dreamy eyes.

Finally, after thousands of years, people have become wiser and more concerned about the things they put into their bodies and that is how they were able to discover that they are actually slowly poisoning themselves and that the culprit is the poison. ingredients in makeup or cosmetics. As a result, in this century, medical experts have finally started trying to regulate cosmetic ingredients to make users safer and prevent toxic lead, mercury, aluminum, carbon, etc. from getting into their bodies with the skin or mouth as the point of entry. However, in the US, the Cosmetic Industry continues to fight regulation of ingredients used in the manufacture of personal care products.

In conclusion, this is not the end of the cosmetics story as more new products are sure to come and we all know that anything goes in the 21st century. Take wrinkle fillers, non-surgical cosmetic procedures, and the creation of facial enhancers like Botox as examples. All these cosmetics, to beautify a person, are gaining popularity, but they are still full of toxins.

With this, we can say that all the products that are to come in the future will all be aimed at making us look like 15 years have been subtracted from our original age, but at what cost! Interesting indeed, right?