The History Of Cosmetics

INTRODUCTION:

Cosmetics and makeup are a pervasive aspect of human culture weed or bar skin for many reasons perhaps to display national pride while watching a game of rugby we may paint our faces to camouflage ourselves when hunting or during combat but mostly we paint our faces to augment our features to look good. In the UK alone the cosmetics industry is worth more than 15 billion pounds per year and it seems that more than ever we are concerned with the effects of the cosmetics what is hot and what is not pick up any celebrity gossip magazine and you are likely to see how horrific they look without their makeup indeed to many women cosmetics are their public face that they will not leave the house without but how cosmetics always been important to human beings.

The Blombos cave in South Africa:

In 2011 archaeologists discovered possibly the earliest cosmetics in human history in Blom boss cave in South Africa they uncovered a one hundred thousand-year-old paint factory colors that were being carefully mixed with specific recipes in shells possibly for cave art but also with the potential to paint delicate patterns upon the skin.

The Neolithic:

By around 6,000 BC we see evidence of cosmetic use in the Neolithic tell of chattel Haic Anatolia Turkey we know that red ochre was used to paint upon the walls but with the finds of pestles mortars palettes and application tools it seems likely it was also used to paint people's bodies.

Cave art in France:

A few thousand years or so-called modern human painting cave art in parts of France along with the famous images of animals such as Oryx there are equally famous impressions of human hands made by spraying paint to leave a negative image this would have left pigment upon the skin and along with so-called red Ochre Crayons, it is hard to imagine they didn't draw upon their bodies creating striking statements of personality and power.

The Sumerian:

We travel east and flash-forward to around 3,000 BC and the Sumerian civilization famous as one of the places where the wheel was likely invented they also had complicated cosmetic regimes in a single grave a bewildering array of pots containing the remnants of pigments and creams can be found here. The Sumerians spent money on how they looked with both men and women sharing a passion for cosmetics.

Mesolithic:

As we move into the Mesolithic there is less direct evidence of body pigmentation though such practices probably did continue the evidence we do have is more along the lines of moisturization animal fats and blubber were likely used to keep people's skin clean and supple this along with an increasing interest in exotic jewelry points to at least a probability of cosmetic use.

Shang Dynasty:

Around 1500 BC and the Shang Dynasty in China for this period is known for increasing awareness of aesthetic enjoyment the Shang Dynasty saw some employed solely to apply rouges and powders to those that could afford them.

Neanderthal Spain:

If we traveled 10,000 miles north from 50,000 years forward we arrived in Neandertals Spain this species of home sapiens has been accused of being brutish and uncouth but in the Murcia region of Spain, shells have been unearthed showing that they stored and mixed pigments within the desire for a portable cosmetics kit is not necessarily unique to ourselves.

Cosmetics in Ancient Egypt:

When we think of ancient Egypt it is hard not to think of heavy makeup applied around the eyes a huge array of cosmetics jewelry clothing and wigs were employed in the pursuit of looking good but more than this there was a belief that elaborate eye makeup could ward off evil spirits and improve sight even the poor wore eye makeup and thus there is plenty of evidence for the use of cosmetics indeed one of the most iconic images for the use of makeup in the world comes from ancient Egypt.

Cosmetics in ancient Greece:

In ancient Greece the idea of beauty was an effortless natural pale skin and golden locks to achieve this women would smear their faces with a toxic white lead and for their lips, a paste made with iron oxide and Ochre mixed with Olive oil. Charcoal was used for eyeshadow and also to connect the eyebrows a feature deemed most beautiful.

Cosmetics in ancient Rome:

In ancient Rome, it was felt by many that only the preservation of beauty was acceptable not unnatural embellishment rich Roman women strived for an understated beauty and a pale complexion all the while they walked a precarious path adding to their beauty without making them seem lowborn to their faces they would apply chalk powder or once again white led one beauty recipe called for the application of sweat from sheep's wool to be applied to the face before.

Conclusion:

In this article, We have barely scratched the surface of the cultures times, and places, where people have employed cosmetics not to, mention the rise of the cosmetic industry in the 19th and 20th centuries and archaeology shows us that the use of cosmetics is something which is common across cultures and throughout time sometimes for ceremony sometimes to impress and sometimes just for fun and occasionally even to slightly freak people out it seems the application of pigment or cosmetics to our skin is defining human characteristic and indeed an activity for which we potentially have some of the oldest evidence in the world.

Image's Source:

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