Why Did Women Start Wearing Makeup? – It all goes back to the ancient Egyptians, who were the first women to wear makeup.
For generations, makeup has been seen as a "girls-only" enterprise, so we forget that it wasn't always that way. For millennia, stretching from 4000 BCE through the 18th century, men traditionally used makeup in myriad ways.
The earliest historical record of makeup comes from the 1st Dynasty of Egypt (c. 3100-2907 BC). Tombs from this era have revealed unguent jars, which in later periods were scented. Unguent was a substance extensively used by men and women to keep their skin hydrated and supple and to avoid wrinkles from the dry heat.
When considering the origin of cosmetics as we know them today, many argue that it was the Egyptians who first invented makeup—but as early as the first millennium BCE, Chinese royalty in the Zhou dynasty were using gelatin, beeswax, egg white, and gum arabic to paint their nails gold and silver.
Early history
Ancient Sumerian and Indus Valley men and women were possibly the first to invent and wear lipstick, about 5,000 years ago. Sumerians crushed gemstones and used them to decorate their faces, mainly on the lips and around the eyes.
Shiseido: The World's Oldest Cosmetics Company.
The first recorded use of eyeliner suggests royals in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia were lining their waterlines as early as 400BC. The more the makeup the higher your status was, so Egyptians would pile on the kohl, winging it out to their hairlines and forming the incomparable, first 'cat eye. '
One of the earliest examples of the use of eyeshadow in the ancient world can be found in ancient Egypt. A substance known as kohl (made by grinding stibnite) was used to accentuate the eyes of royalty. In Egyptian culture, kohl allowed the Egyptians to emulate the appearance of their gods.
Since it was invented in the 19th century by Eugène Rimmel, who used a bulk made of petroleum jelly, mascara has been evolving and transforming almost constantly.
The usage of beauty products and cosmetics has been an age-old tradition in India. Actually, the earliest records of cosmetic products and their application date back to the Indus Valley civilization, circa 2500 and 1550 B.C, according to an article by Kunda B. Patkar published in the Indian Journal of Plastic Surgery.
Even though the terminology for kajal has an Arabic origin, this substance was first used in Egypt during the Protodynastic period in 3100 B.C. Kohl was used by ancient Egyptians as a form of adornment for the eyes, and also as a cure for any eye ailment.
When Egyptians wore the kohl around their eyes, they had an unusual style of applying it. They would draw even lines above and below the eyes and slightly arch the ends. Kohl was so significant throughout the culture that even artwork depicted a face with the signature eyeliner, such as the mummy in figure 1.
The term 'kohl' was derived from the Arabic word 'kuhl' and interestingly enough, despite the terminology having an Arabic origin, the history of kajal dates back to the first use of kohl by the Egyptians in 3100 B.C. It was believed that this black powdery substance could protect the eyes from harsh sun rays and act ...
Made in USA
And while cosmetics are made all over the country, California has the biggest concentration of cosmetics facilities in the USA, with the west coast state home to more than 25% of America's beauty establishments.
Kohl is a traditional Muslim cosmetic product, manufactured with a mixture of red antimony, ground precious stones, and herbs. Tribesmen seeking this traditional ritual "hail from all regions" of Yemen, Al Bitar explains to EFE from his improvised workplace.
Using a kajal or Surma on your baby's eyes is a traditional Indian culture, which is believed to ward off evil eyes (buri nazar). A lot of Indian parents use kajal to make the eyes of their babies look bigger and more beautiful.
'Kajal' (Kohl) is a popular eye care product and its use has been reported since ancient times. Kohl (surma) has been defined as an eye preparation in ultra fine form of specially processed “Kohl Stone” (galena) incorporated with some other therapeutically active ingredients.
Both men and women in ancient Egypt wore makeup. Some researchers think that a reason that everyone wore makeup in ancient Egypt was that they thought it helped protect them from the gods Ra and Horus. Egyptians also used cosmetics for their alleged healing powers. They lined their eyes with black eyeliner.
In ancient Egypt, during periods when the Nile flooded, Egyptians had infections caused by particles that entered the eye and caused diseases and inflammations. The scientists argue that the lead-based makeup acted as a toxin, killing bacteria before it spread.
Benefits of kohl
It protects against eye infections, and also safeguards your peepers from the harmful effects of the sun. When used in its pure form, it is a coolant, which enhances eyesight, prevents eye inflammation and redness, and also boosts eyelash health!
It's the first product that a girl uses,” confirms Chhabra. Since kohl is such an intrinsically Indian product, the formulation fits perfectly. “When we're creating a kohl product for the Indian market, we're thinking of three things.
Kohl was first used during the Protodynastic Dynasty in Ancient Egypt circa 3100 BCE. During this period and the periods that were to follow, kohl was made of stibnite, a non lead-based sulfide of antimony. Noblewomen and queens famously donned this compound as a sign of status.