Cosmetics


Cosmetics are substances that are intended for application to the body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering appearance. They are mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either natural sources or created synthetically. Cosmetics have various purposes, including personal and skin care. They can also be used to conceal blemishes and enhance natural features. Makeup can add color to the face, enhance features, or alter appearance to resemble a different person, creature, or object.
People have used cosmetics for thousands of years for skin care and appearance enhancement. Visible cosmetics for both women and men have gone in and out of fashion over the centuries.
Some early cosmetics contained harmful ingredients, such as lead, which caused serious health problems and sometimes resulted in death. Modern commercial cosmetics are generally tested for safety but may contain controversial ingredients, such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, formaldehyde releasers, and ingredients that cause allergic reactions.
The European Union and regulatory agencies around the world have stringent regulations for cosmetics. In the United States, cosmetic products and ingredients do not require FDA approval, although marketed products are monitored for safety. Some countries have banned using animal testing for cosmetics.

Definition and etymology

The word cosmetics is derived from the Greek κοσμητικὴ τέχνη, meaning "technique of dress and ornament," from κοσμητικός, "skilled in ordering or arranging," and from κόσμος, meaning "order" and "ornament.".

Legal definition

Though often referred to socially as makeup, cosmetics technically include substances used to clean or alter the complexion, skin, hair, or teeth -- placing eye shadow, teeth-whitening strips, and perfumes under the same umbrella.
In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates cosmetics, defines cosmetics as products "intended to be applied to the human body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance without affecting the body's structure or functions." This broad definition includes any material intended for use as an ingredient in a cosmetic product, with the FDA specifically excluding pure soap from this category.

Use

Cosmetics designed for skin care may be used to cleanse, exfoliate and protect the skin, as well as replenish it, using body lotions, cleansers, toners, serums, moisturizers, eye creams, retinol, and balms. Cosmetics designed for more general personal care, such as shampoo, soap, and body wash, can be used to clean the body.
Cosmetics designed to enhance one's appearance can be used to conceal blemishes, enhance one's natural features, or add color to a person's face. In some cases, more extreme forms of makeup are used for performances, fashion shows, and people in costume and can change the appearance of the face entirely to resemble a different person, creature, or object. Techniques for changing appearance include contouring, which aims to give shape to an area of the face.
Cosmetics can also be designed to add fragrance to the body.
Products used for haircare, such as permanent waves, hair colors, and hairsprays, are classified as cosmetic products as well.

History

Cosmetics have been in use for thousands of years, with ancient Egyptians and Sumerians using them. In Europe, the use of cosmetics continued into the Middle Ages—where the face was whitened and the cheeks rouged— Though attitudes towards cosmetics varied throughout time, the use of cosmetics was openly frowned upon at many points in Western history. Regardless of the changes in social attitudes towards cosmetics, many occasionally achieved ideals of appearance through cosmetics.
According to one source, early major developments in cosmetics include:
Historically, the absence of regulation of the manufacture and use of cosmetics, as well as the absence of scientific knowledge regarding the effects of various compounds on the human body for much of this time period, led to a number of negative effects upon those who used cosmetics, including deformities, blindness, and, in some cases, death. Although harmless products were used, such as berries and beetroot, many cosmetic products available at this time were still chemically dubious and even poisonous. Examples of the prevalent usage of harmful cosmetics include the use of ceruse throughout a number of different cultures, such as during the Renaissance in the West, and blindness caused by the mascara Lash Lure during the early 20th century. During the 19th century, there were numerous incidents of lead poisoning due to the fashion for red and white lead makeup and powder, leading to swelling and inflammation of the eyes, weakened tooth enamel, and blackened skin, with heavy use known to lead to death. Usage of white lead was not confined only to the West, with the white Japanese face makeup known as oshiroi also produced using white lead. In the second part of the 19th century, scientific advances in the production of makeup led to the creation of makeup free of hazardous substances such as lead.
Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, changes in the prevailing attitudes towards cosmetics led to a wider expansion of the cosmetics industry. In 1882, English actress and socialite Lillie Langtry became the poster girl for Pears of London, making her the first celebrity to endorse a commercial product. She allowed her name to be used on face powders and skin products. During the 1910s, the market in the US was developed by figures such as Elizabeth Arden, Helena Rubinstein, and Max Factor. These firms were joined by Revlon just before World War II and Estée Lauder just after. By the middle of the 20th century, cosmetics were in widespread use by women in nearly all industrial societies around the world, with the cosmetics industry becoming a multibillion-dollar enterprise by the beginning of the 21st century. The wider acceptance of the use of cosmetics led some to see makeup as a tool used in the oppression and subjection of women to unfair societal standards. In 1968, at the feminist Miss America protest, protesters symbolically threw a number of feminine products into a "Freedom Trash Can", with cosmetics among the items the protesters called "instruments of female torture" and accoutrements of what they perceived to be enforced femininity.
, the world's largest cosmetics company is L'Oréal, founded by Eugène Schueller in 1909 as the French Harmless Hair Colouring Company.
Although modern makeup has been traditionally used mainly by women, men also use makeup in order to enhance their own facial features or cover blemishes and dark circles. The negative stigma of men wearing makeup in countries such as the United States has weakened over the years, with the number of men using makeup increasing in the 21st century. Cosmetics brands have increasingly targeted men in the sale of cosmetics, with some products targeted specifically at men.
Lead has been used as a makeup product since the 18th century. It is said to be lethal to women who apply it daily to achieve a pale complexion, representing nobility, as tanned skin represents the working class. Lead can be detrimental to people's health and cause death if mixed with vinegar, which it allows lead to be absorbed through the skin.

Types of cosmetics

Though there are a large number of different cosmetics used for a variety of different purposes, all cosmetics are typically intended to be applied externally. These products can be applied to the face, to the body, and to the hair. These products may be intended for use as skincare, personal care, or to alter the appearance, with the subset of cosmetics known as makeup primarily referring to products containing colour pigments intended for the purpose of altering the wearer's appearance; some manufacturers will distinguish only between "decorative" cosmetics intended to alter the appearance and "care" cosmetics designed for skincare and personal care.
Most cosmetics are also distinguished by the area of the body intended for application, with cosmetics designed to be used on the face and eye area usually applied with a brush, a makeup sponge, or the fingertips. Cosmetics can also be described by the physical composition of the product. Cosmetics can be liquid or cream emulsions, powders, dispersions, or anhydrous creams or sticks.

Decorative

  • Primers are used on the face before makeup is applied, creating a typically transparent, smooth layer over the top of the skin, allowing for makeup to be applied smoothly and evenly. Some primers may also be tinted, and this tint may match the wearer's skin tone or may colour correct it, using greens, oranges, and purples to even out the wearer's skin tone and correct redness, purple shadows, or orange discolouration, respectively.
  • Concealer is a cream or liquid product used to conceal marks or blemishes on the skin. Concealer is typically the colour of the user's skin tone and is generally applied after the face has been primed to even out the wearer's skin tone before foundation can be applied. Concealer is usually more heavily pigmented, has higher coverage, and is thicker than foundation or tinted primers. Though concealer is often more heavy duty in terms of pigment and consistency than foundation, a number of different formulations intended for different styles of use, such as a lighter concealer for the eyes and a heavier concealer for stage makeup, are available, as well as color-correcting concealers intended to balance out discolouration of the skin specifically.
  • Foundation is a cream, liquid, mousse, or powder product applied to the entirety of the face to create a smooth and even base for the user's skin tone. Foundation provides a generally lower amount of coverage than concealer and is sold in formulations that can provide sheer, matte, dewy or full coverage to the skin.
  • Rouge, blush, or blusher is a liquid, cream, or powder product applied to the centre of the cheeks intending to add or enhance their natural colour. Blushers are typically available in shades of pink and red or warm tan and brown and may also be used to make the cheekbones appear more defined.
  • Bronzer is a powder, cream, or liquid product that adds colour to the skin, typically in bronze or tan shades, intended to give the skin a tanned appearance and enhance the colour of the face. Bronzer, like highlighter, may also contain substances providing a shimmer or glitter effect, and comes in either matte, semi-matte, satin, or shimmer finishes. Unlike bronzer, the purpose of contour is to help emphasize your facial features by adding depth.
  • Highlighter is a liquid, cream, or powder product applied to the high points of the face, such as the eyebrows, nose, and cheekbones. Highlighter commonly has substances added, providing a shimmer or glitter effect. Alternatively, a lighter-toned foundation or concealer can be used as a highlighter.
  • Eyebrow pencils, creams, waxes, gels, and powders are used to color, fill in, and define the brows. Eyebrow tinting treatments are also used to dye the eyebrow hairs a darker colour, either temporarily or permanently, without staining and colouring the skin underneath the eyebrows.
  • Eyeshadow is a powder, cream, or liquid pigmented product used to draw attention to, accentuate, and change the shape of the area around the eyes, the eyelids, and the space below the eyebrows. Eyeshadow is typically applied using an eyeshadow brush with generally small and rounded bristles, though liquid and cream formulations may also be applied with the fingers. Eyeshadow is available in almost every colour, as well as being sold in a number of different finishes, ranging from matte finishes with sheer coverage to glossy, shimmery, and highly pigmented finishes. Many different colours and finishes of eyeshadow may be combined in one look and blended together to achieve different effects.
  • Eyeliner is used to enhance and elongate the apparent size or depth of the eye. Though eyeliner is commonly black, it can come in many different colours. Eyeliner can come in the form of a pencil, a gel or a liquid.
  • False eyelashes are used to extend, exaggerate, and add volume to the eyelashes. Consisting generally of a small strip to which hair—either human, mink, or synthetic—is attached, false eyelashes are typically applied to the lash line using glue, which can come in latex and latex-free varieties; magnetic false eyelashes, which attach to the eyelid after magnetic eyeliner is applied, are also available. Designs vary in length and colour, with rhinestones, gems, feathers, and lace available as false eyelash designs. False eyelashes are not permanent and can be easily taken off with the fingers. Eyelash extensions are a more permanent way to achieve this look. Each set lasts for two to three weeks, then the set can be filled, similar to the maintenance of acrylic nails. To apply for extensions, the certified lash artist would start by taping down the bottom eyelashes. The lash artist would then use two tweezers, one to isolate the natural eyelash and one to apply the false eyelash. An individual false eyelash, or lash fan, is applied to one natural eyelash using a lash glue specific for this process. The eyelashes should not be stuck together. The length and thickness of the false lash should not be to heavy for the natural eyelash. If this process is done correctly, no harm will be done to the natural eyelashes.
  • Mascara is used to darken, lengthen, thicken, or enhance the eyelashes through the use of a typically thick, cream-like product applied with a spiral bristle mascara brush. Mascara is commonly black, brown, or clear, though a number of different colours, some containing glitter, are available. Mascara is typically advertised and sold in a number of different formulations that advertise qualities such as waterproofing, volume enhancement, length enhancement, and curl enhancement, and may be used in combination with an eyelash curler to enhance the natural curl of the eyelashes.
  • Lip products, including lipstick, lip gloss, lip liner and lip balms, commonly add color and texture to the lips, as well as serving to moisturise the lips and define their external edges. Products adding colour and texture to the lips, such as lipsticks and lip glosses, often come in a wide range of colors as well as a number of different finishes, such as matte finishes and satin or glossy finishes. Other styles of lip coloration products, such as lip stains, temporarily saturate the lips with a dye and typically do not alter the texture of the lips. Both lip colour products and lip liners may be waterproof and may be applied directly to the lips, with a brush, or with the fingers. Lip balms, though designed to moisturise and protect the lips may also tint the lips.
  • Face powder, setting powder, or setting sprays are used to 'set' foundation or concealer, giving it a matte or consistent finish while also concealing small flaws or blemishes. Both powders and setting sprays claim to keep makeup from absorbing into the skin or melting off. While setting sprays are generally not tinted, setting powder and face powder can come in translucent or tinted varieties, and can be used to bake foundation in order for it to stay longer on the face. Tinted face powders may also be worn alone without foundation or concealer to give an extremely sheer coverage base.
  • Nail polish is a liquid used to colour the fingernails and toenails. Transparent, colorless nail polishes may be used to strengthen nails or be used as a top or base coat to protect the nail or nail polish. Nail polish, like eyeshadow, is available in every colour and a number of different finishes, including matte, shimmer, glossy and crackle finishes.