The history of cosmetics around the world has undergone a sea of ​​change during the last centuries. Today, the cosmetic industry is worth more than $ 50 billion, but it wasn’t always that way. Before studying more about the history of cosmetics, we must look for the origin of cosmetics. Cosmetics were not a business in its early stages and were only used to improve the appearance of facial skin. It all started during the 4th century BC when cosmetics and business were words from two different worlds.

If we analyze the history of cosmetics, we find that the Egyptians were the forerunners of cosmetic use. Here upper-class women used animal fat, scented oils, and eye color to give their faces a real ‘facelift’. During its early years, cosmetics were restricted to the confines of a room where they were made from natural ingredients. Cosmetics had not yet found any commercial use, although they were traded between women.

The Western world also embraced it (albeit a little late) to the great displeasure of the Church and Queen Victoria. The use of cosmetics here was more among lower class women and this is what slowly resulted in cosmetics being manufactured for sale among the common masses. The French were the first to manufacture cosmetics on a large scale using new and improved methods. They replaced dangerous ingredients like copper and lead with zinc oxide and other harmless chemicals. This soon resulted in a huge sale of cosmetics and women from the elite, as well as the lower classes, began to use it for facial beautification.

The history of cosmetics changed with the end of World War II and industrial growth during the 1940s, when cosmetics found acceptance among women in all corners of the world. With the advent of electronic media like television and radio, things were looking really lighthearted for the cosmetic industry as actresses wore cosmetic makeup that appealed to the general masses, a huge boost to sales figures. Soon more and more women made it a habit to wear cosmetic makeup for almost every occasion.

People, mostly associated with the cosmetic industry, wanted to make better and healthier products because they were not treating this as a business, but as something that even had use in their homes. Technological advancements made it easier for companies to test different ingredients for their cosmetics and this has also provided a great deal of choice in front of modern consumers. The history of cosmetics around the world is about providing the right types of cosmetics to quench the obsession to look beautiful and stay young.

Today, the cosmetic industry not only focuses on cosmetics for women, but even gives metro-sexual men the opportunity to improve their facial appearance. Today, the global cosmetic industry is facing high demand and a real challenge in producing good quality cosmetic products. It is still a very lucrative business for new entrants, but the challenge now comes from clinical studies showing the existence of toxic ingredients that are currently used in the manufacture of cosmetic products. These ingredients, used for long periods of time, are now considered harmful to health. Therefore, the history of cosmetics today will evolve where the industry will go in the future with this new information indicating that the continued use of these toxic ingredients could be detrimental to health.

Little did the Egyptians know then, when they lacked options and sat in front of the mirror to use their cosmetics, what challenges would exist today.