Makeup is an everyday staple and has become one of the biggest industries in the world. Used for self-expression or simply to look your best, makeup is the unsung hero of a completed look. However, creating the makeup we have today was a long process that took centuries and influenced cultures and revolutions during that time. The history of makeup is a journey of beauty, complexity, and culture.
BC Makeup
Makeup started around 10000 BC to 6000 BC, Egyptians started using herbs and oils for skincare. This early form of skincare was mostly used for the sun and dry winds. However, the skincare eventually shifted to makeup around 4000 BC as a sign of being close to one’s god. It was seen among all social classes, but was also a sign of wealth when it came to the applicators and storage of the makeup. At the same time, around 3000 BC, the Chinese nobility were using white lead powder as a foundation and mulberries as blush. Makeup in China was a big distinguisher between the social classes. When gum arabic and beeswax were used to make early nail polish, it was forbidden for the lower classes to use any bright colors on their nails. How light a foundation was also became a status of wealth.
Starting AC Makeup
Rome was the next to embrace makeup around 100 AC, using flour and blood as materials. Mud baths also became popular during this time. Henna started to develop in India as both hair dye and mehndi around 300-400 AC. Henna became a staple of Indian weddings and even traveled into some North African cultures and traditions. Back in China, the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) was the first group to start a makeup trend. This trend was different eyebrow shapes and styles that would be drawn on over the white base.
Elizabethan Makeup
Perfumes first came to Europe from the Middle East in the 1200s as a result of the Crusades. Makeup and beauty began to spike in popularity around the Elizabethan era (1558–1603) as women started to dye their hair red and adapted the style of pale skin, bright eyes, and red lips to emulate Queen Elizabeth. Unfortunately, this caused a major number of health problems around Europe. The materials used to make the makeup being used were highly poisonous, such as egg whites, ochres, and mercury. This became the standard of European makeup, and pale complexions became even more popular as time went on. This is until the early 1800s, when Queen Victoria publicly declared makeup improper and vulgar did the overwhelming popularity of makeup start to diminish.
Industrial Revolution Makeup
In America, with the start of the second industrial revolution, makeup is made more mainstream and accessible. Companies focusing on cosmetics were starting to pop up all over the United States in the late 1800s, such as California Perfume Company and Avon. These companies and others became worldwide by the 1900s. In 1907, Eugene Schueller, a French chemist, invented a synthetic hair dye he named “Oréal.” which became the company L’Oréal in 1909. In 1915 Chemist T.L. Williams created Maybelline Mascara for his sister and later the company. This ability to buy more affordable makeup from bigger companies is the start of how we use and consume makeup today.
Early 20th Century Makeup
The 20th century was the pinnacle of makeup trends. After WWI, the roaring twenties paved the way for more artistic makeup. Previously, the goal of makeup was to appear beautiful, with it seeming like you were not wearing makeup. The 1920s, however, introduced rosier cheeks, more exaggerated lips, and large eyelashes. Liquid nail polish and lip gloss were also invented during the 1920s and added to the overall look of the decade. The great depression made buying makeup harder, so different cheap or free trends emerged, such as tanning. On the wealthier side, Revlon started in 1932 and became a multimillion dollar company in only 6 years. They also introduced the concept of seasonal colors to increase demand for their different shades. Finally, in 1938, the first commercially viable sunscreen came out, and cosmetics were included in the Pure Food & Drug Act of 1906, creating the FDC.
Mid 20th Century Makeup
The 1940s saw a scarcity in some products due to the war effort and trends correlating with that scarcity. Stockings became rare because the materials were used for parachutes, so women would tan their legs and draw a line down the back of their legs to create the illusion of stockings. The 1950s saw the emergence of home televisions and makeup advertisements and tutorials coming to the screen. Also, the first commercially marketed deodorant was in 1952, and Crest toothpaste in 1955. The 1960s were another revolution in how we apply makeup, introducing colorful eyeshadow and graphic liner. Makeup users also started paying more attention to the ingredients with the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act in 1966. This act bled into the 1970s, where the courts fought with makeup companies to make their ingredient lists easier to understand. This helped establish the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel in 1976.
Late 20th and Early 21st Century Makeup
The 1980s introduced a wave of new shades of eye shadow and a reemergence of the lighter shade foundation. The 1980s also saw the beginning of abandoning animal testing for something more humane. Avon became the first major cosmetics company to permanently end animal testing of all its products in 1989. Jumping to 2004, the European Union (EU) banned animal testing on finished cosmetics products. Socially in the 2000s, makeup was separating off into different subcultures such as clean, club, emo, punk, and many more. Finally, in 2017, Fenty launched their foundations, which were the first in history to have 40 shades. The majority of which were for darker skin tones who had never had shade matches before.
Makeup is one of the more embedded bits of self expression in culture throughout history. It connects communities, celebrates and honors people, and is a way of embracing beauty. Just know, every blush, foundation, and eyeliner was brought forward by generations of women.
