Cosmetics and skin-care preparations weren't invented in the twentieth century. Historical evidence shows that beauty potions have been concocted for over five thousand years, at one time or another in nearly every corner of the earth--in small farming communities as well as the meccas of trade and industry, often on the basis of secret family formulas passed on from mother to daughter. Even our prehistoric ancestors probably used animal and plant oils to soothe their uniquely hairless skins, and clay and mineral colors to call attention to their most fashionable features. To produce cosmetics, you don't need the military-industrial complex!
Ironically, now that the production of cosmetics has, in fact, moved almost completely out of the kitchen and into the factory, and beauty has become one of the biggest of businesses, the industry's advertising stresses that its products are "natural" and its chemists are striving to recreate the purity and effectiveness of hundreds-of-years-old formularies.
A Long History
The cosmetics industry as we know it today originated over 4,000 years ago when Chinese scholars collected, classified, and recorded in a book the compounds being used in their country for skin beautification and the colorants made from herbs and ores being used as cosmetics. This was the earliest recorded mention of rice powder as a complexion-maker.
Rice Powder: put several tablespoons of rice flour in a thin silk scarf or linen handkerchief. Force the rice flour through the cloth and collect the resulting rice powder. Dusted on your face, it stays fresh and light, and defies shine.
There are also records of cosmetics in ancient Babylon and Egypt. The Babylonians--and later the Iberians who populated what is now the Spanish peninsula--used urine in compresses to soothe the skin and mixed it with flour for a toothpaste. Little wonder that Egypt gradually became the cosmetics leader--mummified bodies and tiny flasks retrieved by archeologists give evidence of their expertise. The Egyptians used fragrant oils as body rubs and skin softeners and as additions to bathing waters. Their perfumes were mostly based on oil or wine; some were perfected as part of the embalming process that resulted in Egypt's famous mummies. Throughout the ancient world, the Egyptians were celebrated for their skill in cosmetics and their trade in perfumes. Cleopatra is a demonstration of the success and power of their potions.
Scent of the Past: Mix together 9 drops oil of rose, 6 drops oil of lemon, 5 drops oil of pine, 4 drops oil of orange, 3 drops oil of lavender, and 1 cup vodka. Pour into a glass jar, seal, and shake vigorously three times a day for a week. Strain through a coffee filter into small bottles. Seal carefully
A characteristic Egyptian cosmetic was kohl, made from lampblack mixed with oils or from the metallic crystal antimony, which was used to darken eyebrows and the eye area. Clays and henna powder were used as shadows and dyes for the hair, palms, soles, and nails.
Some of the Egyptians' knowledge of cosmetics eventually passed on to other cultures. In ancient Greece, however, respectable women used few cosmetics; most
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