A Comparison Between the Traditional and the New Mineral Makeup

The cosmetic industry is a multi-billion dollar industry with literally hundreds of different cosmetic lines. Brand names like Almay, Avon, Bonnie Bell, Clinque, Cover Girl, L'Oreal, Max Factor, MAC, Mary Kay, Maybelline, Neutrogena, Revlon, SmashBox, and others are familiar to women of all ages. But what makes cosmetics so popular? An even better question would be, why do women even wear cosmetics?

The truth is that women have been wearing some form of cosmetic for thousands of years. The word cosmetic is the general term applied to all preparations used externally to condition and/or beautify the body by cleaning, coloring, softening, or protecting the skin, hair, nails, lips, or eyes.

The earliest known cosmetics came from Egypt where dyes and paints were routinely used to color skin and hair. Both Egyptian men and women used rouge on their lips and cheeks, stained their nails with henna and lined their eyes and eyebrows heavily with kohl. They also used scented oils and ointments for sun protection and to soften their skin as well as to mask body odor. It is believed that Jews adopted the use of cosmetics from their Egyptian captors. References to face painting appear in the Old Testament about the time that the Jews were released from Egypt and were led into the dessert by Moses.

Romans also used kohl for darkening eyelashes and eyelids. Another popular practice was the use of chalk for whitening the complexion. They used pumice for cleaning their teeth and even developed hair-removing preparations. It is widely believed that Romans are responsible for early exportation of cosmetics to the Far East where they were further refined.

Women love their makeup!

Credit: Click Art

Copyright: Broderbund