Well, most of you might regularly use makeup. There is hardly any person who doesn’t own and loves good cosmetics. Though make up items and cosmetics have become a part of our daily lives yet there are few things about this industry, which most of you might be unaware of.
Here are the some of the little-known facts about our beloved cosmetics.
1. The Makeup industry is one of the biggest industries in the world
The beauty industry is worth more than $200 billion worldwide
Makeup makes you look good but good makeup makes money. Brands like Chanel, L’oreal, MAC make millions of dollars every year from the sale of cosmetics. According to a study, apparently, women spend about $15,000 in their lifetime on cosmetics.
2. The Makeup industry is one of the oldest industry in the world
Ancient Egyptians and Cleopatra were believed to be some of the first to use cosmetics as far back as 4,000 B.C.
While the Greeks get credit for the origins of the word “cosmetics,” the ancient Egyptians were the first to use makeup.
Egyptians would fill in their brows and line their eyes with Kohl—a cream made from the fat of sheep mixed with powdered lead or antimony and soot.
3. The patent for nail polish dates back to 1919. It was light pink
Interestingly, the first nail polish was invented in China wy back in 3000 B.C.
Unlike the formula today, the original version that the Chinese people used was a mixture of beeswax, gum, egg whites and colored powder.
Surprisingly Neon nail polish is illegal in the United States. So, while brands do sell neon shades yet none of the nail polishes actually contain the neon colorant.
4. The Egyptians also get credit for creating the perfume, which they used cosmetically and also medically
Cleopatra was said to have soaked her ship sails in perfume so everyone could smell her arrival.
Talking about perfumes, there is an interesting story of Estee Lauder was said to have “accidentally” dropped a bottle of her perfume on the floor of a department store so women would smell it and demand to know what it was, thereby creating the first customer base for her products.
Well, one should learn some marketing techniques from her.
5. Every year there are close to 900 million lipsticks sold worldwide
The Aztecs used beetles to make red lipstick.
When it comes to cosmetics nothing can beat lipsticks. It is one most selling cosmetics product in the world. Elizabethan people even believed that lipsticks have magical power.
Well, you might have your favourite lipstick colour and you might not like other people using the same colour. But nothing can beat Elizabeth Taylor, who allegedly banned other women on-set from wearing red lipstick.
6. Officially, the first mascara was created by Eugene Rimmel in the 19th century.
Ironically, the word Rimmel closely translates to mascara in many languages.
Though officially the first mascara was created by Rimmel, Elizabethan-era women also used some kind of coal tar as mascara. Though Rimmel is credited with inventing the mascara yet the worldwide acceptance of mascara came when T.L. Williams developed a similar product. The name of his new company was Maybelline.
7. Romans were fascinated with teeth whitening and ancient Romans also had their own toothpaste.
Ancient Roman toothpaste contained ammonia from human urine, which whitened the teeth.
It’s been said that ancient Romans used a pretty unorthodox method to whiten their teeth back in their time. Back in ancient Rome as well as other parts of the world, some people used urine therapy and whitened their teeth by brushing and gargling with urine!
This is quite possibly the grossest of the facts about cosmetics.
8. Roman women used belladonna drops to make their pupils look larger and sexier.
They even created acne treatments by combining barley flour and butter.
When it came to fashion and makeup, the Romans and the Greeks were not too far behind the Egyptians. The belladonna drops that the Romans used were so poisonous that it could actually kill somebody. The Greeks used to darken their eyelashes using black incense. They even used vermillion and juice from berries for their cheeks and lips.
9. The first deodorant appeared on the market way back in 1889.
People all over the world spend almost $18 billion a year on deodorant and antiperspirants.
Today, the deodorant has become one of the most popular items in the market. Irrespective of sex everybody uses deodorants. You might be a little shocked to know that deodorants are actually unisex. The basic component of both male or female deodorant is actually the same. It is just the packaging and the fragrance that creates the difference.
10. Hairless underarms came into fashion only after 1915
Underarm hair was first said to be unfeminine by the Wilkenson Sword razor company in 1915 after a woman appeared on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar magazine without any.
Before 1915 it was not considered unfeminine for women to have underarm hairs. After the advertisement not only said it to be unfeminine but also unhygienic. This single advertisement probably changed the industry forever.
No matter what, you still have to admit that we cannot imagine our lives without these cosmetics.