excerpts from articles in this issue

The History of Makeup

by Karen Lange

1. From Ancient to Victorian Times

Is it any surprise that early cultures valued the outward appearance more than inner beauty? Roman philosopher Plautus said, “A woman without paint is like food without salt.” Historical accounts of makeup use date back as early as 4000 B.C. Even men, and occasionally children, wore makeup through the ages.

Early Egyptian women used perfumes and oils to protect their skin from the sun and dry climate. They painted their lips, using red ochre mixed with oils. To make the skin look fashionably pale, women used blue paint to trace the veins on their temples. Their eye shadow, liner, and mascara was made from finely ground minerals such as kohl, galena, minerals, carbon, and green malachite. Stylish Egyptian women (and some men too) lined their eyes with a heavy outline of green or gray kohl. One theory says that Egyptians thought that painting their eyes would provide magical eye protection. A more practical supposal, however, is that it was a matter of vanity and status.

In ancient Rome, it was fashionable for women to be pale, and they used powdered chalk and white lead to whiten their arms and faces. They also made pastes of honey, wheat, eggs, and other ingredients to whiten the skin. Ash or antimony was used as eye shadow. Women liked bright lips, and painted them with wine sediment or plant dye. Rouge was sometimes applied on the cheeks for special occasions. Romans, as well as the Persians, used henna to color hair, areas of the face, and nails.

It was customary for ancient Greek women to bathe daily and apply scented oils to help prevent the drying effects of the sun and climate. The skin was lightened here too, and dark makeup helped create this effect. Lips were painted and rouge applied, using a mixture of mashed seaweed, mulberries, and other natural resources. Eyebrows were darkened, and sometimes augmented by applying fake eyebrows made from the hair of oxen.

Get the Chemicals Off of Your Skin With Natural Cosmetics

By Melissa Stepan

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the demand for natural make-up has been increasing. What used to be a “niche” market 10 years ago is now becoming increasingly more popular. Consumers are educating themselves, and are now not only wanting make-up free of chemicals but are desiring makeup that is organic.

The Chemicals in any one consumer product alone are unlikely to cause harm. But unfortunately, we are repeatedly exposed to industrial chemicals from many different sources on a daily basis, including cosmetics and other personal care products.

Many chemicals have gotten in our bodies, our breast milk and our children. An Environmental Working Group analysis of product ingredients finds that more than 1 in 5 of all personal-care products contain chemicals linked to cancer; 80 percent contain ingredients that commonly contain hazardous impurities and 56 percent contain penetration enhancers that help deliver ingredients deeper into the skin. And it really doesn’t help that major loopholes in federal law allow the $50 billion cosmetic industry to put unlimited amounts of chemicals into personal care products with no required testing, no monitoring of health effects, and inadequate labeling requirements.

Independent laboratory testing initiated by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics in 2007, found that lipsticks from top brands contain lead. Two-thirds of the 33 samples they tested contained detectable levels of lead; of those, half were above the lead limit for lead in candy. Lead is a potent neurotoxin and linked to numerous other health and reproductive problems -- and it does NOT belong in lipstick. Remember: Lipstick is eaten when a woman is wearing it and then consumes food or a beverage.

Other independent laboratory tests found phthalates (substances added to plastics, especially polyvinyl chloride, PVC, to increase flexibility) in more than 70% of health and beauty products tested – including popular brands of shampoo, deodorant, hair mousse, face lotion and every single fragrance tested. Some phthalates have been shown to cause hormone imbalances and birth defects in rodents.