As we scroll through time and take a glimpse into the past of our ancestors to view the way cosmetics performed we find a colorful picture that depicts woman of all ages having a yearning to look better.

When we look into the Egyptians around 4000 BC we find women using brightly colored green paste made from copper minerals to provide color and definition. They used creams made from sheep’s fat, lead and soot.

In 1500 BC China and Japan used rice powder to paint the pasty white faces common in that era. Eyebrows were shaved and teeth painted gold or black. Henna was commonly used to stain hair and faces. In other words teenagers looked exactly as they look today.

1000 BC Greece – woman as well as men wore wigs mainly to hide the fact that they seldom bathed. And everyone wanted white skin so wearing chalk or white lead face powder was very common. They spread their palms with reddish henna, supposedly to look younger.

100 AD – In Rome, these super-civilized ancestors put barley flour and butter on their pimples and sheep’s fat and blood on their fingernails. They had specially dedicated slaves to apply their cosmetics.

In the 14th Century cosmetics were regarded as a health threat because many thought they would block proper circulation. Well to do women wore egg whites to create a whiter countenance and slept with slices of raw beef on their faces to get rid of wrinkles. I think some English playwright wrote something to the effect “ A beautiful woman is like a
delicatessen….” Then again, maybe not.

In the 15th and 16th centuries in Europe the aristocracy only used cosmetics. Italy and France became the chief centers of manufacturing cosmetics. The French perfected the art of creating new fragrances. This process was developed through the blending of ingredients that was very labor intensive and gave birth not only to the means for producing modern cosmetics but also for murder, as arsenic was sometimes used in face powders instead of lead.

Until next time we will continue to explore the world of beauty Where Time Stops and Beauty Begins.

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Tags: history of cosmetics

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