31 Fun Makeup Facts

Makeup is regulated. This means that any makeup products you buy in the shops are tested and approved first before hitting the shelves. This also means that the sale of a cosmetic product can be stopped at any time if deemed unsafe.
In order to give the illusion of blush (before it was invented), women used to pinch their cheeks to give themselves that rosy glow.
The earliest historical record of the use of makeup dates back to 3100BC in Egypt. It was used as a sign of wealth. Bold eyeliner characteristics shown in Egyptian art were found on both men and women. Kohl, red, and white powders were used to lighten skin tone and green was used for eye shadow.
When you see ‘natural ingredients’ listed on a makeup product, this means that the ingredients are extracted directly from plants or animals.
House-hold name beauty brand MAC stands for ‘Makeup Art Cosmetics’.
Makeup should always be stored in a cool dark place. Storing makeup in direct sunlight can lead to the break-down of preservatives used.
The most common injury, as a result of makeup, is a scratched eye. This typically happens with a mascara wand or eyeliner pencil.
In the late 1500s, coal tar was used for eyeliner, mascara, and eyebrow pencils. As you can imagine, this was extremely dangerous as it’s flammable and known to cause blindness.
Interestingly, makeup is perceived massively differently in certain periods of time. For example, in the 1800s, upper-class women were not seen to wear any makeup as at that time it was predominantly used by actresses, the working-class, and prostitutes. Therefore, in order to appear elite, women who were upper class refrained from wearing any makeup at all.
Tanned skin only became popular after Coco Chanel was seen sporting a beautiful glowing tan when stepping off a boat in St. Tropez. Before then, tans were seen as a sign of lower-class. It was believed that only those who worked outside in laborious jobs would have a tan and so many people avoided the sun entirely to ensure they stayed as pale as possible. In more recent times, this perspective has almost entirely changed. It is now seen as cool and attractive to be tanned. So much so that the fake tan industry is worth billions globally.
The United States of America has the highest rate of cosmetic surgery. This seems somewhat unsurprising given their celebrity culture.
The term ‘cosmetologist’ derives from Ancient Rome. Female servants were known as ‘cosmetae’ and their job was to apply cosmetics to rich Roman women, as well as to bathe them in perfume.
Rather sneakily, the saying ‘dermatologist tested’ does not necessarily mean ‘dermatologist approved’. This is a clever marketing ploy used by many beauty brands to give the appearance that their product is healthy for skin and approved by experts. Whereas in reality, it just means it’s been tested, the actual result of which is unknown. If we’re being skeptical, the fact that they don’t want to say dermatologist approved makes us think the result is not favourable to the brand.
Lipstick used to be made with crushed jewels. Apparently Mesopotamian women used crushed up jewels to decorate their lips.
In medieval times, lipstick was used to distinguish social classes in Europe. For example, bright coloured pink lips represented high class, whereas red lipstick signified a more inferior social status.
Nail polish was first created in China. They used egg whites and beeswax.
During the second world war, the United Kingdom rationed cosmetics. However, lipstick was produced as normal due to its ‘morale-boosting’ tendencies.
Several studies were conducted to see the impact makeup had on women who wore it. The results showed that women who wore makeup were considered healthier, more confident, and thus more employable.
Studies revealed that foundation is voted the most confidence-boosting makeup product. Mascara was ranked second.
The Aztects used beetles to make red lipstick.
It is said that, on average, women spend around fifteen thousand dollars on makeup in their lifetime.
Beauty brand MAC was founded by two men, both named Frank, in the mid eighties.
In the USA, neon nailpolish is banned. Whilst you might see what appears to be neon-coloured polishes in America, these aren’t actually neon. This is because the FDA does not approve the use of genuine neon in nail polish.
As well as the invention of makeup, Egyptians are also considered the first to create perfume. Back then they used it both cosmetically and medically – not quite sure how though!
Though popular now, freckles were once seen as disease-like. Women used various unusual ingredients to ‘cure’ their freckles. Ingredients included urine and crocodile fat. We’re just curious to know who decided to try these ingredients out for the first time…
A clever marketing technique as any, Estee Lauder reportedly ‘accidentally’ dropped a bottle of her perfume in the middle of a department store so that women would stop and smell it and demand to know what it was. If this is true, we think it is extremely clever and we like her thinking!
The cosmetic industry is considered to be worth over $170 billion globally.
In the early twentieth century, Elizabeth Arden and Helen Rubinstein were considered to have built the foundations for what we now consider the modern beauty advertising industry. Through their bold advertising techniques, such as celebrity endorsements and magazine adverts, the cosmetic industry moved into a much more modern era.
Nail polish received its first patent just over 100 years ago. The first colour patented was a light pink.
Actress Elizabeth Taylor is rumoured to have forbidden any women on her movie sets from wearing her shade of red lipstick. Talk about a diva!
The modernisation of makeup and cosmetics was heavily driven by Hollywood movies.