Cosmetic is synonymous to women and we say this because billions
of dollars are being spent by women on cosmetics to increase their
beauty quotient. Cosmetics are an indispensable part of a woman’s life -
the love for beauty-enhancing elements cuts across all strata of
society. In my effort to dig into the cosmetic history and unearth the
love affair between women and cosmetics, I came across many interesting
facts that I wish to share with all my readers.

Delving into the
history of the use of cosmetics, we know that the Egyptians were the
ones who started it all (sometime around the 4th century BC). There are
historical evidences of the Egyptians using eye paints, scented oils and
even animal fat based creams. These cosmetics were used by the women of
the upper class in order to enhance the beauty of their facial skin and
even treat skin problem like wrinkles, stretch marks, scars, hair
growth etc. This brings us to an interesting conclusion i.e. there has
not been any major shift in the purpose behind the usage of cosmetics.

The
Western part of the world was a late entrant into cosmetic history and
the use of cosmetics and it all started during the middle ages. Here too
cosmetics were an elite affair and the commoners were bereft of this
luxury. The use of cosmetics was not taken in a very positive way by the
Church and it ultimately banned its use. Queen Victoria extended her
support for the Church’s position. Thus cosmetics found its new lovers
in the brothels where it adorned the faces of prostitutes. An
interesting twist to the story came with Hitler declaring that cosmetics
were better suited for the faces of Clowns and women belonging to the
master race should shun its use.

The next two hundred years
witnessed a rapid growth in cosmetic usage and even women belonging to
the lower strata of the society started to use cosmetic products. The
18th century was very significant in terms of the changes in technology
for the production of cosmetics. The French started to use new methods,
chemicals and natural ingredients. Safer chemicals like zinc oxide were
being used as the base and the use of lead or copper was abolished. At
the end of the 19th century, the first beauty salons were set up.

Rapid
use of makeup cosmetics started from the early 1930s; actresses and
theater artists started to use make up in their films. Sarah Bernhardt
and Jean Harlow spearheaded the so-called cosmetic movement and made the
use of cosmetics fashionable. After World War II, there was rapid
growth in the cosmetic industry where more and more women started using
cosmetics. Soon with the introduction of electronic media like TV and
Radio, cosmetics became a part of every woman’s life.

To date the significance of cosmetics has not reduced,
but in fact, increased in the life of women. It is now over a 50
billion dollar industry. However, as its history evolves, cosmetics will
take on new meaning. Past cosmetic history focused on women’s beauty
and the culture of anti-aging. The future will focus on the dangers
inherent in the continued use of synthetically formulated cosmetic
products. These synthetic chemicals have proven to be toxic in nature,
and over time, clinical studies will prove them to be hazardous to one’
health. Many of these toxins have already been linked to cancer, birth
defects, infertility, liver and kidney malfunctions, and much, much
more.

Recently, a lecture was presented by the Environmental
Working Group, the EWG. Their mission is to protect children from the
effects of toxic chemicals in the food, water, air, and products we use
daily. Without getting into too much detail here is a summary of the
findings of the EWG as it relates to cosmetic products.

Women, on
average, use 12 personal care products daily that expose them to 160
toxic chemicals; 10 babies, still in their mother’s womb, were tested
for chemicals in their bloodstreams with these results; 287 toxic
chemicals were found of which 134 were linked to cancer; 151 were linked
to birth defects; 186 were linked to infertility; 130 were linked to
the immune system, and so on.

Now, if one questions what this all
means, consider the following statistics; there has been an 84% increase
in Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia in children from 1975 to 2002; a 57%
increase in brain cancer during the same period; a doubling of
Hypospadias (birth defect of the urethra in males) in infant males in
the same period; sperm counts in men are dropping at a rate of 1% per
year; 1 in 8 women will get breast cancer; 1 in 3 women will experience
some form of cancer in their lifetime; 1 in 2 males will experience some
form of cancer in their lifetime.

That is enough statistics to
give you pause in the cosmetic products used daily. Past and future
articles will delve deeper into this subject. For now, historically, we
have presented the two sides of cosmetic history. The past emphasized
the beauty aspects of personal care products, while the future should
and hopefully focus on the dangers inherent in the daily use of
toxic-laden cosmetic products.