The History Of Beauty Products.

Beauty products have been around for centuries. The first evidence of makeup usage dates back to 3500 BC in Egypt. Even though makeup made their first appearance a couple of thousand years before Christ, it took up to the thirteenth century for the first alcohol-based perfumes to be introduced to Europe by the Crusaders. Whilst the origin of these perfumes is the Middle-East, the French introduced the art of blending fragrances about four centuries later.

Before the nineteenth century there were a lot of beauty products that weren't save.
For example, lead oxide was a common ingredient in facial powers, and mercuric sulfide was used in red lipsticks. These makeup products have been known to cause paralysis or even death. Modern day cosmetics are bound to tests to proof their safety before they even hit the market.

The way people think about makeup and beauty products has changed a lot throughout the centuries. During the middle-ages and up to 1800 there have been many points in western history when using make up was frowned upon. It was improper to wear makeup and during the 1800's makeup was primarily used by prostitutes. Queen Victory herself publicly announced that using makeup was vulgar and only acceptable for use by actors.

Nowadays the hair products, skin care products, makeup and manicure items sum up to an astonishing 20 billion US dollar beauty product industry. It has become a natural aspect of life that a lot of women and a growing number of men use. There is also a growing number of brands that supply skin products that are especially made for men. This expands the range of products even further and therefore making the cosmetic industry ranger wider than ever. The twenty-first century has proven that both men and women can enjoy beauty products.

But what was it that made the beauty industry the billion dollar industry that it is today? It's all about appearances and first impressions. People want to look good, they want to make a good impression on one another and beauty products and makeup can help to do that.

The big difference between skin care products and makeup is that makeup is usually used to either cover up flaws and boosting your self esteem, whilst skin care and for example hair care products are entitled to repair, strengthen or rehydrate. They add or repair a certain value to the health of your body. However, the line between these two types of products is increasingly thinning. Moisturizing lipsticks have a factor of both makeup and skin care, just like hair-dye that has nutritional and repairing aspects and isn't ammonia-based. It's expected that these two functions will blend together into even more beauty- and care products in the future.

The makeup and beauty industry has come a long way, and not just through changes of fashion and personal believes, but also according to social standard and playing an active role in making the world a better place. The companies are taking their responsibility to supply a good example and provide products that are not only safe, but also animal and environmental friendly.
There are more and more companies that have turned their back on testing their products on animals. There seems to be a growing awareness amongst these companies of their share in the well being of animals and conserving a healthy environment.

The beauty industry is dynamic and still has some wonderful things to look forward to if the market keeps growing at this pace. We can only guess at the things to come and await them with anticipation.