THE HISTORY OF COSMETICS

The first archaeological evidence of cosmetics usage is found in Ancient Egypt around 4000 BC. The Ancient Greeks and Romans also used cosmetics. The Romans and Ancient Egyptians used cosmetics containing mercury and often lead.

In the western world, the advent of cosmetics was in the middle ages, although typically restricted to use within upper classes.

Cosmetic usage was frowned upon at some points in history. For example, in the 1800s, queen Victoria publicly declared makeup improper. It was viewed as vulgar and acceptable only for use by actors.

By the middle of the 20th century, cosmetics were in widespread use in nearly all societies around the world.The cosmetics industry today is a multinational, multi-billion-dollar industry. Of the major firms, the oldest and the largest is L'Oréal, which was founded by Eugene Schueller in 1909 as the French Harmless Hair colouring company. The market was developed in the USA during the 1910s by Elizabeth Arden, Helena Rubinstein, and Max Factor. These firms were joined by Revlon just before World War II and Estée Lauder just after.