Cosmetics
Cosmetics: are substances used to enhance or protect the
appearance or odor of the human body. A subset of cosmetics
is called "make-up", which refers primarily to colored products
intended to alter the user’s appearance.
The U.S. FDA defines cosmetics as: "intended to be applied to
the human body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting
attractiveness, or altering the appearance without affecting
the body's structure or functions."
Early use of Cosmetics
Greeks
called it “Kosmetikos,” which means skilled in
adornment.
Egyptians
Drawings by ancient Egyptians show face and
body decoration.
Romans
Roman culture further refined the art of
make-up
Chinese
Between Pre-Qin ( The 21st Century BC—221 BC)
and Han (202BC－220AD) Dynasties, instead of
applying lip balm to all parts of the lips, women
put a big red dot on the lower lip and painted the
upper lip in a pointed shape, leaving the rest of
parts to be covered with powder.
The art of cosmetics can be traced back to prehistoric times.
From the prehistoric times, human has been using some or the
other natural cosmetic in order to make up their appearance and
evidences have been found dating back to almost 5000 years old
that confirm that the civilizations at that time used the natural
cosmetics in order to improve upon their appearance.
Archaeological evidence found in Blombos Cave near Cape Town,
South Africa, indicate that the cave dwellers not only made body
paint but sold it other cave dwellers, as signs of trade were also
found in at the site.
Abalone shells
from the
ochre toolkit,
Blombos Cave
Makeup Origin
• Cosmetics have been used in the art of making women and men beautiful
for years.
• The Gaul’s dyed their hair red, the Anglo-Saxon went pink with green,
orange and blue locks while the Greeks opted for a more sophisticated
look, sleeking their hair with gold and silver powders.
• It was the Egyptians who first manufactured cosmetics on a very large
scale and the preparation they used are surprisingly similar to today’s. The
Egyptian women lined their eyes with dusty kohl and lids shaded with
turquoise powder from green copper and lead ore. The lips and cheeks
were rouged with powdered red clay while henna was used on their feet
and toes. Cleopatra took baths in milk, which softened and conditioned
her skin.
• In the Victorian era makeup was frowned upon as being indicative of an
immoral character and cosmetics had to be applied discretely. Queen
Alexandra revived the popularity of painted faces and women were soon
copying the exaggerated look of stars.
Makeup pioneers
Early Cosmetics
• Both Egyptian men and women applied makeup; rouge and lip ointments
were considered essentials, as was and henna for giving a red tinge to the
nails. Women traced the veins in their temples and breasts with blue paint
and tipped their nipples with liquid gold.
• Eye shadow was important to both sexes; it was usually green and applied
to both the top and the bottom lids. Eyelash and brow enhancers
consisting of carbon, black oxide, and other (often toxic) substances were
also applied to give wearers that dark, painted–on look so associated with
the culture.
• Eyebrows of Ox and a Little Imagination
Some of the earliest evidence of modern beauty equipment has been
found in Babylon ruins. Tools such as tweezers, brow brushes, and
toothpicks were common. Both the men and women of Babylon also
curled their hair and make up their eyes with eye shadow, eyeliner, and
eyelash and brow enhancers. They frequently painted their faces with
white lead and used henna to color their nails.
Time Line of Make Up
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100,000 BC Prehistoric paint pot found in South African cave, for body paint
33,000 BC colored pigments of soot and animal fat
4000 BC Lipstick found in a Babylonian tomb of a man
3000 BC Chinese use dye to stain their fingernails
1365 BC Egyptians adorn themselves with lavish eye makeup
1 AD Romans use Kohl for eyeliner, Greeks used chalk for lighter complexions,
Persian women dyed their hair with henna
600 AD Women bled themselves to look pale
1300 AD Different color lipsticks were available.
1500 AD Lead Paint and arsenic are used to whiten the complexion
1600 AD Elizabethian women wore egg whites for a glazed complexion
1800 AD Red lipstick and rouge was a sign of good health
1888 AD Deodorant was inventet
1907 AD Synthetic hair dye was invented
1913 AD Mascara was invented
1936 AD Sunscreen was invented
1970 AD Cosmetics were specifically made for African American females
1980 AD Mineral make up is introduced to the public
Cosmetic use is Every where
Cosmetic Preparations
Cosmetics were made for personal use and religious
ceremonies. Historical records show that many different
materials were used for body adornment.
Makeup Ingredients:
Plant Life
Bark
Leaves
Food Items
Nuts
Herbs
Berries
Other Items
Minerals
Insects
Minerals as pigments
• Bases are Rutile (TiO2) and Zinc Oxide (ZnO)
• Sparkle is from Mica, muscovite, sericite (fine grained
mica)
• Kaolin, clay, is to absorb oil from the skin
• Pigments are colors that do not dissolve
– Iron oxide colors red to orange
– Chromium oxide colors green
– Copper oxide colors green
– Azurite colors blue
– Lead sulfide (PbS) or Kohl for black, not used in USA
Dangerous Beauty
•These materials also were
used on hair, skin, and nails.
Some of the ingredients used
as cosmetics during ancient
times are considered
dangerous today. For
example:
–lead white was used in eye
shadow, eyeliner and face
foundation caused the skin to
corrode, then it poisoned the
body and eventually lead to
death.
Dangerous Beauty
In Greco-Roman societies, women wore white lead and
chalk on their faces to attract attention. Ancient
Egyptians wore foundation to lighten their skin, and
the kohl eyeliner they used was only a bit heavier
than the eye makeup popular in the mid-1960s.
Meanwhile, Persians believed henna dyes, used to
stain hair and faces, enabled them to summon the
majesty of the earth.
Early Cosmetics
• In the Roman Empire, women applied pastes of narcissus,
lentils, honey, wheat, and eggs to achieve pale complexions.
For evening wear, chalk and white lead were applied to the
skin, along with rouge. The old Egyptian trick of using blue
paint to enhance prominent veins was also popular. Some
people—men and women—rubbed their teeth with a pumice
stone. Wealthy women had at least one slave assigned the
role of cosmetician.
• With the rise of Christianity, the heavy use of makeup
gradually diminished in many cultures. However, by the
Middle Ages, women were still striving for the fashionably
pale look. Staying out of the sun was one way to stay pale (if
you were rich enough to have servants), but women also
often painted their faces with water–soluble paints and white
powder.
• The European Middle Ages followed the
Greco-Roman trend of pale faces.
Those rich enough not to work
outdoors and acquire a suntan wanted
to show off their affluence by being
pale. Spanish prostitutes wore pink
makeup to contrast with high-class
women's pale faces, while regal 13thcentury Italian women wore pink
lipstick to show they could afford
synthetic makeup.
• In the 17th century, men and women
used makeup to limited degree; ceruse
was used as a base, and a cheek and
lip reddeners were sometimes applied.
From the late 1600s forward, makeup
began to get heavier. First, white paint
was applied, then white powder, then a
brownish rouge, and red lip color.
Europe
• In Elizabethan England, cosmetics were seen as a health
threat because many thought they would block vapors and
energy from circulating properly. Because men's makeup
wasn't as obvious as women's (women wore egg whites over
their faces to create a glazed look), it was seen as even more
deceptive than women's.
• By the reign of Charles II, Europe was still recovering from
sweeps of illness. Many were hesitant to go outdoors, so
heavy makeup supplied the color that sun-fearing people
couldn't get elsewhere. During the French Restoration in the
18th century, red rouge and lipstick were the rage and
implied a healthy, fun-loving spirit. This stuck in France, but
eventually people in other countries became repulsed by
excessive makeup use and said the painted French must be
unattractive because they had something to hide.
Victorian Era
Victorians claimed to abhor makeup, associating
it with prostitutes. When makeup regained
acceptance in the late 19th century, it was
with natural tones so that the healthy, pinkcheeked look could be achieved without giving
in to the moral decadence of full makeup,
which was still seen as sinful.
Victorian Era to Present
The Victorian face was in fashion until mass makeup marketing
hit in the 1920s. American women gained the vote, and the
newly liberated woman showed how free she was by
displaying her right to speak out—red lipstick practically
became a social necessity.
From the 1930s through the 1950s, the looks of various movie
stars defined vogue, from Mary Pick ford's baby-doll face to
Audrey Hepburn's cat-eyes eyeliner.
The '60s brought a slew of makeup changes, from whited-out
lips and Egyptian-style eyeliner to fantasy images like
butterflies painted on faces at high-fashion outings. The
heavy eyeliner look remained through the late '70s and '80s,
with wide color ranges entering the wearer's palette.
Makeup of today's Western world claims to be a melange of past
styles with a new emphasis on the natural look—a natural
look that took centuries of painting faces to achieve.
Makeup Arts Developments
Many styles and forms of
cosmetics were developed
throughout the Middle
Ages, the Renaissance
Period, the Elizabethan
Era, the Age of
Extravagance (Baroque
Period), and the Victorian
Age.
Cultural Influence
Every era represents a
time period of cultural
influence and change in
society - during the
roaring ‘20s, the wartime
‘40s, the glamorous ‘50s,
and the psychedelic ‘60s.
Do not limit yourself just to a few new colors or trends
Regardless of the season or popular culture, do not
limit yourself just to a few new colors or trends.
Improvise and have your artistic juices flow.
Makeup should suit the individual
Fashion, Style, and Makeup
should suit the individual. The
colors, textures, and techniques
should reflect a style of the
individual’s personality.
Eye Art
The End
The most beautiful makeup of a woman
is passion. But cosmetics are easier to
buy.”
― Yves Saint-Laurent