The Ugly Truth About Cosmetics

Have you ever thought about who created makeup? Or how it was created? When, where and how? Why was it created? How has it changed over time? Has it affected anyone? Well I’m going to tell you some of it. Make up wasn’t just created by powder or anything small and simple like that, no. Makeup actually has a lot of its own differences. In 180 BCE was when makeup had first had started but it wasn’t commonly used as much as then. People would limit the use of makeup because it was so expensive and hard to get and or find. The women who actually had it or used it were the prostitutes and the wealthier women. The “Cheap Knockoff’s” were the ones who were sold to the poorer women. The people didn’t really care if the slaves used makeup but

Many others didn’t use makeup in ancient times, such as Greece. Women in Sparta were refused from wearing makeup, believing they had the quality of natural superior beauty. (S11). As the Roman Empire grew, they got famous for their baths. Treated them in steps of massage, swimming, exercise, and relaxation. In China, the “perfect” look was pale skin and a dark mouth, using soot and or ash to black out their teeth. (S11). During the middle ages, women were discouraged to wearing makeup. Not until Renaissance times did women return to wearing makeup again. (S11).

The psychology of beauty is complex not just because the concept of beauty is as yet undefined, but also because it is largely true that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder or how individuals perceive other people or things. The importance of beauty has been taught since the first civilizations. It is known that the cave people of the Mesolithic period (around 10,000 B.C.) softened their skin with castor oil and grease, and also used plant dyes to tattoo their skin. Lipsticks first appeared in the ancient city off Ur, near Babylon, 5000 years ago. Ancient Greek women painted their cheeks with herbal pastes made from crushed berries and seeds. A dangerous development of beauty

The idea of cosmetology and beauty was commenced by ancient tribal hunters. It is believed that they would smear ash under their eyes and use animal urine to alter their smell. This is where the idea of eyeliner and perfume originated (Schurman). Around the world cosmetology is being introduced like Egypt is suggested to be one of the most ancient culture that associates with cosmetics. Make up to them was really significant especially to the royal egyptians. Their idea of eyeliner was made up of lead, ash and mercury. The use of this eyeliner helped reduce glare, prevent any type of infection, and mostly to make their eyes beautiful (Schurman). Now the Chinese ancient culture had mixtures of natural ingredients to produce stimulating nail polish. The nail polish to these people were sign of wealth (Murphy). In ancient Rome and Greece those who could afford it would receive baths in lotions. They wore perfume, face powder, blush, eyeliner, and lipstick. During this period it was discovered that oils, lotions, and animal fat have beautification properties (Schurman).

Accordingly Makeup can be used for many things. The ancient Egyptians used makeup made from oils and cream to help clean and

Priests had to be clean for the Gods and if they did not they would get lice and/or parasites. In hot weather, Egyptians would use deodorants like we use today. When people smelled bad, they rubbed incense into their skin or they would put balls of incense into their joints. Around 1400 BC, three ladies of Tuthmosis’s III court were buried with expensive royal equipment and lots of cosmetics. Two jars of cleansing cream made with oil and lime were found in the sarcophagus with the three ladies. Since Egyptians had good diets and a lack of sugar, they had nice pearly whites. However, the peasants didn’t have good personal hygiene, so the bread that they made had little grains of sand and grit that eventually wore down the Egyptians teeth. To improve breath, Egyptians chewed on herbs or gargled some milk. When people got scarred, they would use special ointment to make the scar(s) less obvious. Both men and women wore perfumes made from cinnamon, oil, and myrrh (sap from a thorny tree called Commiphora). The most popular tool in Egypt for making people look better is the brush. Brushes were used to apply almost every makeup onto Egyptians. The most common brush was made from the Salvadorapersica (salva-dor-ra-per-sica) tree. Not only did the brush apply makeup, it was used as a toothbrush! Nobles and government officials used chalk and white lead pigments to showcase their pale skin to show position and

Today there are more cosmetic products on the market all over the world than ever before. There has also been an emphasis on beauty and how one presents themselves to others. The combination of these factors lead to an increase in demand for cosmetics. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has little to no control over the regulation over the safety of the ingredients included in personal care products on the market. Problems arise because there are known and identified toxic chemicals in many cosmetics, but not much has been done to change neither the ingredients nor information the general public knows of this problem. The FDA does little to nothing to regulate known toxic ingredients, but alternative ingredients have been

In ancient Greece, eye shadow was known as fucus, and Greek women wore shades of green and blue made from gemstones like lapis lazuli and malachite. From there, the custom spread throughout the world and down through history. As early as 10,000 BC, in ancient Egypt, men and women used scented oils and ointments to clean and soften their skin and mask body odor. Dyes and paints were used to color the skin, body and hair. They rouged their lips and cheeks, stained their nails with henna, and lined their eyes and eyebrows heavily with kohl. Kohl

So many of beauty products have chemicals that aren't good for your health in them but a

Proof of cosmetology was first shown to appear in Egypt in 3000 bc. “The egyptians were first to cultivate beauty in an extravagant fashion…” (De Soto-Fitzgerald 8). Some of the materials the egyptians used to create their cosmetics were minerals, insects, berries, leaves, bark, and blossoms of plants. The process they would go through was very complicated.

Cosmetics, first used in Ancient Rome for ritual purposes, were part of daily life for women, especially prostitutes and the wealthy. Cosmetics were applied in private, usually in a small room where men did not enter. Cosmetae, female slaves that adorned their mistresses, were especially praised for their skills. They would beautify their mistresses with cultus, the Latin word encompassing makeup, perfume and jewelry.

Having laws banning the use of all dangerous chemicals in beauty products will be a step further into dodging many health dangers. On average, most women use approximately 12 beauty products with 168 different ingredients daily, some of which may be associated

The cosmetology industry has been infamously known for their lack of regulations on companies that produce beauty products. The companies do not operate through the FDA, so they are able to exclude important information from labels. In the past, manufacturers could omit ingredients from labels, claiming the right to protect trade secrets (Nguyen 2). More than 9,000 chemicals are found in cosmetic products; however, only half of them can be found on the labels (Pak 2). Because of the label loopholes, the chemicals in the products have also become unregulated. According to Nguyen at Organic Consumers Association, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not saftey test ingredients used in cosmetic or personal care products before they are sold to the public (2). This leads to toxic chemicals being circulated in the public market. Additionally, if there is not a way to

Eye make-up was one of the earliest forms of females enhancing their beauty with make-up. It was told that women in Ancient Egypt would put eye makeup on to make their eyes look larger and to show more of the color of eye. The most used colors were black and dark green. The material used to make this eye product was a rock, copper, galena, and a sulphide of lead. This is a chemistry compound.

Purchasing the most expensive and popular cosmetic brand might seem as the best option to protect oneself from imperfections but, is the product’s price determined by popularity or safety regulations? Cosmetics have transformed the industries to make themselves an essential part of consumer’s daily routine. Cosmetics were first used by tribes as a form of camouflage to disguise themselves from enemies and predators. Mud, ashes and natural dyes, were used to hide themselves from predators and to create a sense of fear in the pray (Goering). During the Renaissance period, cosmetics lost its demand as a protection tool and innovating in the makeup industry. Women began making their own instructions on how to produce products based on households items such as oatmeals, charcoal and berries. Soon they adapted a system that allowed them to make more of the same products and then create profits by selling them as a package product (Goering). Currently in the Twenty First Century beauty products are considered essential in women 's’ life as a key to their physical transformation. From morning makeup routine to late time dinners, women tend to use on average at least ten to fifteen products a day (Averett). Cosmetics have expanded from raw materials used for camouflage to a crucial necessity to in order achieve an emotional realization through the physical appearance. Although cosmetics have helped enhance the natural appearance, due to the manufacturing of the toxic chemicals it