From Lethal to Lovely: A Brief History of Makeup Trends

From Maybelline to Mac, the makeup industry is booming. With a new makeup trend happening every week thanks to a plethora of beauty gurus and makeup artists having a hefty online following, it should come as no surprise that makeup has a long and rich history. However, its recorded 7,000-year history has seen its fair share of interesting and even deadly beauty trends. You know what they say though, beauty is pain. So, let’s take a deeper dive into what crazy concoctions our ancestors came up with for the sake of a pretty face.

Good Enough for the Pharaohs

The first historical record of makeup comes from the 1st Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. Unguent is one example of cosmetic use. This creamy substance was used excessively by both men and women to keep their skin hydrated and supple, as well as avoid wrinkles due to the dry heat of the desert. As far as we know, it appears this unguent had no long term negative effects and could be comparable to an all-natural salve found on today’s market.

A common trend for the women of Egypt, Cleopatra included, was enhancing their eyes by applying kohl to their lashes and upper lid. While kohl remains popular today, the version you’d find in the ancient world was made of minerals like green malachite or black galena mixed with oils, animal fats, and plants. Despite sounding like something you definitely wouldn’t want to get into your eyes, it actually had several benefits to it.

Kohl contains several ingredients now known for their medical benefits. Zinc oxide, a natural sunblock, is just one of these great ingredients. As well, you could find several plants that had antibacterial and anti-viral properties. That being said, it also contained lead and other heavy metals which means lead poisoning. This could be one of several factors as to why Ancient Egyptians typically didn’t live past thirty.

A Painted Face

Starting in the 14th century, a lead-filled foundation became all the rage as it was fashionable to be fair-skinned. Paired with the popular face powder Aqua Toffana, which was made from arsenic, these cosmetics could do an immense amount of damage to your health. The long-term exposure caused the wearer’s teeth to rot, discoloration of the skin, hair loss, and eventually death.

Despite this, the painted face would reign for quite some time. During the rule of Charles the II, heavier makeup began to gain popularity as it hid an unhealthy pale appearance from being inside due to epidemics. Following the rule of Charles II during the Regency Era, rouge and white skin was the look to strive for. Fair skin signified a life of leisure and wealth, and there were many ways women, in particular, attempted to keep on trend. Sadly, more than most of the remedies used were lethal. However, that didn’t stop women from using lead and mercury-filled skin whiteners.

Deadly trending cosmetics would continue well into the 1800s as women would use Belladonna, a plant known even then for its poisonous properties, to make their eyes shine brighter. Another interesting trend of the time was that cosmetics were now being made by pharmacists. Many common ingredients found in these newer cosmetics were mercury and nitric acid. Mercury in particular is known for the negative effects it can have on one’s mental health. The U.S. Drug and Food Administration cites too much mercury can cause anxiety, depression, memory problems, and more. Such heavy makeup, and even heavier consequences of wearing it, would soon fade as a more natural look became all the rage during the Victorian Era.

Painted Faces Out, Natural Beauty In

Victorians hated makeup. It was heavily associated with what could be considered a less than desirable crowd. Even the slightest hint of makeup was looked down upon. So, all-natural beauty products were used to achieve a naturally beautiful look.

During this time, we saw women creating homemade face masks out of foods such as oatmeal and honey. This is a trend we still see to this day. Oatmeal can soak up excess oils on the skin, has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to help with dry skin, and is even a great exfoliant. Honey is one of the best all-natural skin remedies, especially for those with acne. It’s anti-inflammatory and a humectant, which means it cleans the skin while still retaining moisture. To cleanse the skin, rosewater and scented vinegar was the go-to. While rosewater is still popular to this day, due to its many wonderful properties, vinegar wasn’t nearly as great. Long-term exposure to undiluted vinegar can corrode your skin due to the high acidity levels. While it’s clear all-natural cosmetics trended early on, makeup as we know it today wouldn’t find its foundations until the early 1900s.

The Real Evolution of Makeup Begins

Once the 1900’s hit, the makeup game would be changed forever. During this time, a common and concerning trend was women making their mascara by adding hot beads of wax to the tips of their eyelashes. The alternative to this was using petroleum jelly. While there are no known serious health problems caused by this practice, getting burned by the flames used to heat the wax and the hot wax itself wasn’t uncommon. Luckily, in 1914 T.L. Williams would find an easier way to accentuate lashes by creating the mascara now known as Maybelline.

We would then see the first pressed powder foundations, with pressed powder blushes soon to follow. Lipstick would also gain popularity during this time, including lipstick that was tattooed on the lips. While tattoo makeup is still around to this day, the electric needles, dark powders, and probably not-so-up-to-code doctor’s offices left women scarred and unhappy with their looks.

 As the century went on, we would see various trends and luckily, safer cosmetics being created.

Today’s Trends

 Today, you can find a whole world of makeup and not enough time to try it all. You might be wondering what’s trending now, but it isn’t so much the type of product as it is the company behind it. Lots of companies are turning to cruelty-free and vegan products as a way to make buyers feel good while they look good. There's also been a recent push by environmentalists to introduce more eco-friendly packaging. With trends leaning this way, we may see a resurgence in all-natural beauty in the coming years. Hopefully, they’ll be a bit better for our skin than their predecessors.