Ep 1: The Things We Do For Beauty - A Horrific History of Skincare

Throughout history, skincare mixed ritual, culture, science, status, and risk. What people put on their skin tells stories about gender roles, class, colonialism, and medicine.

From ancient Egypt and Rome to today’s TikTok trends, the journey is kind of crazy. We've come a long way, but we also have a long way to go.

Ancient Egypt 

Let’s start with Ancient Egypt. In Egypt, beauty mattered to everyone. Cosmetic palettes in tombs show makeup was both aesthetic and sacred. Green eye paint came from malachite and black kohl from galena. Pigments were crushed, mixed with gum or water, and swept over eyes; red clays tinted their lips and cheeks. Palettes often had symbolic shapes, and fish designs linked to fertility were common. Cleansing oils sat in jars ready to remove color. They also used ingredients like henna for hair and nail dye, crushed bird bones and sycamore for waxes, and fat from animals like crocodiles, snake, geese and hippos for scalp treatments. 

The oils, pastes and hair colors they used also contained heavy metals (such as copper and lead) which successfully fought bacteria and infections. This sounds contradictory, but basically heavy metals can have short term benefits but long-term consequences. When lead salts are present in low concentrations, they can trigger mild immune responses that can fight infection. Long-term, though, lead is a neurotoxin that damages the brain, kidneys and blood cells. Copper was also found in a lot of the pigments they’d use around their eyes; copper can protect eyes from bacterial infections, but long-term it can cause oxidative stress, which is dangerous because it can damage DNA and proteins, which can lead to things like aging, cancer, inflammation and disease.

Ancient Rome

Greek and Egyptian ideals shaped Roman routines. “Natural enhancement” was praised, while heavy makeup looks drew suspicion or moral judgment. Some men even believed that women who used cosmetics were involved in witchcraft. 

Of all the surviving texts mentioning cosmetics (all written by men) Ovid is alone in his approval of their use. Archaeologist and Haaretz columnist Terry Madenholm writes: “Ovid is one of the few who understood the sexist social system of his time, portraying in his poems the expectations and criticisms women were facing. Where men shaped their identity through public engagements, women were defined through the prism of being wives and mothers. In a society where women had little liberty, makeup was undoubtedly a tool of expression and, perhaps, for some, even a means of voicing their individuality. Women who were using makeup were consciously or unconsciously assuming some control over their lives. They were projecting a self-constructed image that they wished to present to others."

Ancient Roman skincare routines usually consisted of many steps; first, one would apply a face mask of lanolin (which is sweat from sheep wool) on their face before bedtime. This usually got a bad reaction from men (shockingly!). Some other ingredients they’d use were things like juice, seeds, horns, poop, placenta, vinegar, bile, animal urine, sulfur, ground oyster shells, and white lead. They’d also bathe in donkey milk if they were rich, which was exfoliating because of the high concentration of lactic acid. After their baths, they’d apply things to whiten their faces, like chalk powder, white marl, crocodile poop and white lead. 

Pure white skin was the beauty standard in ancient Rome, because people thought that if a woman had pale skin, it meant she stayed inside because she was rich enough to afford slaves to go do labor for her. Because of this, A lot of Roman makeup used lead. It’s actually a very fine, clingy, white powder- quite ideal for makeup looks. 

They pretty much used the same sorts of cosmetics as we use today; they applied blush, eyeliner, eyeshadow, and eyebrow darkeners. They also kept them in similar containers/pallets and a lot of them have been found by archaeologists. They also really prioritized white teeth, so they would make fake teeth from bone, ivory and paste. 

Ancient Middle East

In the middle east, both men and women used cosmetics during pre-Islamic times. Most women wore cosmetics privately, but female slaves and singers would use them in public. Henna was also very popular in the Middle East, especially at weddings, Eid, and Ramadan. They’d combine dried henna powder with water, lemon juice tea or other substances to make a paste. Then they’d apply it to their skin in intricate powders, which would leave a reddish-brown stain that could stay for several weeks. Today, it still remains widely used and symbolizes tradition, experience and wisdom.

Ancient China and Japan

Flowers are important in Chinese culture; legend says that on the 7th day of the 1st lunar month, Princess Shouyang was resting under plum trees after wandering the gardens, and a plum blossom drifted down onto her face and left a floral imprint in her forehead that enhanced her beauty (10). It was said that the ladies of the court were so impressed, they started decorating their own foreheads with these designs. This story is also the origin of the floral fashion “Meihua Zhuang” (plum blossom makeup) that was popular from the Southern Dynasties to the Song dynasties (420-1279). 

Upper class women used nail stains starting around 3000 BC; they’d use things like egg whites, beeswax, roses and Arabic gum. Only the rich and powerful could have red, gold, or silver nails, so painted nails became a symbol of social class. It was actually considered criminal for members of the lower class to have painted nails.

In Japan, geisha would wear lipstick made of crushed safflower petals to paint their eyebrows, eyes and lips. For a makeup base, they would use Bintsuke wax which was a softer version of what the sumo wrestlers used as hair wax. In Japan, makeup was considered a standard part of grooming etiquette. There were four main types of cosmetics in the Edo period: white powder, red lipstick, eyebrow blackening and tooth blackening. The white powder they’d use was called Oshiroi and was made from mercury or lead (high status women would use mercury and ordinary women would use lead since it was cheaper than mercury). Blackened teeth indicated that a woman was married, and shaved eyebrows indicated a woman was someone’s mother. 

Eighteenth-Century France and England

In 18th century France and England, both men and women wore obvious cosmetics. In general, people who were trying to rise in social status or become fashionable were wearing makeup; it had less to do with gender and more to do with class. The purpose of makeup was to look unnatural (they literally called it “paint”) and it was considered more respectable to wear heavy makeup than natural skin. Cosmetics were also used to hide blemishes, signs of aging, disease or sun exposure. 

The white paint they used was made out of lead, which was popular because it was so opaque when applied. There still wasn’t any knowledge of lead poisoning, despite it being used (and causing deaths) for so many years. Rouge (blush) on the cheeks was made out of vermilion (cinnabar and included mercury), or creuse; both of these are toxic.  

Nearly all French aristocratic women wore cosmetics. In the 1760s, wearing makeup become so popular that vanity table sets started to be advertised, and dressing rooms were built facing north for the best light. In the 1750s-60s, Englishwomen wore more natural cosmetics than French women, but by the 1770s, English and French women wore pretty much the same amount of cosmetics. However, in the 1780s, a more natural look started to trend and that continued into the Victorian Era. 

The Victorian Era

The beauty standard in the Victorian Era (1837 to 1901) was a natural face free from blemishes, freckles or marks. Excessive makeup was only worn by performers or sex workers, and was seen as promiscuous. Women would make natural skincare at home with things like beeswax, almond oil and rose water. They’d also use lemon juice and vinegar as toners

Similar to previous eras, they would use face powders containing lead and arsenic. Some products would also contain radium. The makeup they used was corrosive to the skin because it continued lead, mercury and arsenic, so women kept having to apply them in order to cover the damage. 

During this time, women romanticized tuberculosis because it caused pale skin, thin waistlines, watery eyes and rosy cheeks, which were all considered desirable at the time. Some women would even intentionally contract TB in order to achieve the look. Women would also squeeze a few drops of citrus juice (like lemon) or perfume into their eyes to make them water. They would also add belladonna drops, which lasted longer, but also caused blindness. Arsenic was also super popular during this time because it caused skin lightening; women knew that Arsenic was deadly, but it was so effective at achieving their beauty goals that they didn’t really care how dangerous it was. 

Living in the Victorian era was super dangerous in itself and the mortality rates were extremely high: “In London, in 1830, the average lifespan for middle to upper-class males was 44 years, 25 for tradesmen and 22 for laborers. Fifty-seven of every 100 children in working class families were dead by five years of age.” (16) People commonly died of disease, house fires, factory accidents, building collapses and illness contracted during surgeries and doctor’s visits. Because of this, people weren’t really as concerned with the dangers of cosmetics; it seemed like a small danger compared to what else they had to deal with. 

America in the 20th Century

Cosmetics in the 1900s focused a lot on youthful, clear, supple skin. A lot of cosmetic claims centered around skin renewal and anti-aging, as well as soothing, moisturizing and anti-aging properties. Many doctors and women’s magazines warned against the dangers of using cosmetics, but product manufacturers labeled their products as “Safe,” and because of the beauty standard at the time, women tended to trust the manufacturers 

Cold creams and vanishing creams were go-to products, and ads focused on claims like purity, natural beauty and refined femininity. From the 1930s-40s, makeup became more popular, and Hollywood stars inspired makeup trends. In the 1950s and 60s, moisturizers and cold creams were the most popular skincare products. Early sunscreens were introduced, and so were self-tanners. Society told women that beauty was an important part of women’s duties as a wife and a homemaker, and ads emphasized “keeping your man” through looking flawless

In the 70s and 80s, the hippie movement lead to “no-makeup” makeup looks, and there was also worry about overly synthetic products. Brands like Neutrogena and Clinique marketed themselves as science backed and fragrance free, and the cosmeceutical trend started around this time. In the 90s, there were major developments in the cosmetic industry; broad spectrum sunscreens were introduced, retinol and AHA’s became big anti-aging ingredients, and more inclusive advertising began. The FDA also started to really crack down on cosmetic versus drug claims. 

How Regulation Caught Up

From ancient times until the 19th century, there was basically no regulatory oversight in the cosmetic industry. In the 19th century, industrialization led to the mass production of cosmetics, but it was common for products to be contaminated, which led to health concerns. In 1906, the Pure food and Drugs act was passed in the United States

The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) was created to enforce this act. It was the first significant U.S. Legislation that prohibited the sale of adulterated or misbranded food and drugs, and was created to prevent the “manufacture, sale, or transportation of adulterated or misbranded or poisonous or deleterious food, drugs, medications, and liquors…” (21). Cosmetics weren’t included under this act, but at least some regulatory oversight was starting to happen. Then, in 1938, the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act was passed, which expanded the FDA’s oversight to cosmetics in response to issues with cosmetic safety.

Since then, even more advancements have come out to protect consumers, such as regulating certain ingredients as drugs, requiring ingredients to be listed a certain way on products, requiring certain cosmetics to have warning statements, and taking actions against companies who sell adulterated or misbranded cosmetic products, or who market drug claims as cosmetic products. 

Inclusion and Shade Range

Skin lightening has been the beauty standard pretty much throughout all of history. As discussed, this is primarily because lighter skin is equated to being able to stay inside, while darker skin is equated with having to do manual labor outside; it’s kind of a class thing, but it also does have a lot to do with racism in general. Ancient civilizations mostly prioritized the health of their skin, and the obsession with skin lightening didn’t really occur until the European colonization of those communities (which happened primarily in the 1700s and 1800s, depending on what countries we’re talking about). 

In America and Europe in the early 1900s, white women and women of color were all using products to lighten their skin, but cosmetic companies weren’t even acknowledging that women of color were using their products; they weren’t marketed to. In response to this, women like Madame C.J. Walker and Annie Turnbo Malone created companies to supply darker skinned women with skincare and beauty products. They didn’t offer any skin lightening products (at least at the beginning), and Walker’s marketing focused a lot on products that would benefit the skin and self-esteem of women who had to do manual labor.

In the 1920s, it became more popular to have a tan during the summer, and so companies started offering products that were slightly darker to match people who were lightly tanned, or who were people of color with light skin. It wasn’t until the 1960s that society started embracing darker skin tones, and cosmetic companies followed suit. The bronzed, glowy skin color was now the beauty standard, rather than a pale complexion that had been the standard before this. 

Today, there are more companies that offer broader shade ranges to people of color, such as Fenty Beauty, Uoma Beauty, Pat McGrath Labs and Danessa Myricks Beauty (makeup). Other companies like Mac, Maybelline and L’Oreal have become much more inclusive than they were, but it has primarily happened after public scrutiny

It’s great that we have more inclusivity throughout the cosmetic industry, but we still have a long way to go. Some brands still treat deeper shades as an afterthought, and undertones for people of color can still be inconsistent. Also, skincare formulas aren’t always optimized for melanin-rich skin, and many sunscreens (especially mineral) don’t work well for people of color. So we can celebrate how far we’ve come, but also understand that we still have a long way to go. 

Today’s Industry

The Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA) passed in 2022. It was the first update in 84 years) and increased requirements for companies; this included things like giving the FDA more regulatory authority, changes to label requirements, and stricter document control. This has positive effects on the consumer since there is more transparency, but can negatively impact smaller brands. 

Anti-aging, moisturizing and anti-acne products are still some of the most popular skincare focuses today. Popular ingredients include Niacinamide, Hyaluronic Acid, Retinol, Vitamin C, Peptides and Sunscreen. 

Several cool technologies have emerged in the skincare industry, such as AI-driven skin analysis tools, encapsulation technology that can help decrease irritation, formulas that promote microbiome health, and skincare tools like red light therapy masks and microcurrent devices. 

Drugstore brands are becoming more popular, and consumers seem to be prioritizing price and performance over brand name or trendy packaging. Consumers have also become much more focused on the ingredients in their products, which can be a good and bad thing. Consumers seem to be wanting more science-based skincare products (shifting away from clean beauty), which is great. However, there are still many companies who are claiming to be “science backed” and actually are not at all. Also, there are still many regulatory gaps surrounding things like product claims and ingredient regulation. 

Conclusion

Overall, the skincare industry has changed massively since ancient times, and it is more regulated and safer than ever. However, it still has a lot of room to grow- especially when it comes to transparency from companies to consumers, regulations, and meeting the needs of all skin tones and skin types. 

These days on social media, there is a huge emphasis on consumers believing products aren’t safe or effective; this largely stems from companies spreading misinformation about their product claims and ingredients. The misinformation these days is different than it used to be, but it’s still there. Understanding the history of skincare can help us learn where it all started, and be grateful for the regulations we have today to keep us safe. 

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