Cosmetic is synonymous to women and we say this because billions of dollars will be spent by women on cosmetics to increase their beauty quotient. Cosmetics are an indispensable part of a women’s life : the love for beauty-enhancing سایت قهوه دکتر بیز elements cuts across all strata of society. In my effort to dig into the cosmetic history and find the love affair between women and cosmetics, I found many interesting facts that I must give all my readers.
Sampling into the history of the use of cosmetics, we know that the Egyptians were the ones who started it all (sometime around the final century BC). There are historical evidences of the Egyptians using eye paints, scented oils and even animal fat based creams. These cosmetics were as used by the women of the high class in order to enhance the beauty of their facial skin and even treat skin problem like lines and wrinkles, stretch-marks, scarring, new hair growth etc. This brings us to an interesting conclusion i. e. there will not be any major shift in the purpose behind use of cosmetics.
The Western area of the world was a late entrant into cosmetic history and the use of cosmetics and it all started during the middle ages. Here too cosmetics were an elite affair and the commoners were bereft of this luxury. The use of cosmetics was not taken in a very positive way by the Church and it ultimately banned its use. Queen Victoria extended her support for the Church’s position. Thus cosmetics found its new lovers in the brothels where it adorned the faces of prostitutes. An interesting twist to the story was included with Hitler declaring that cosmetics were better suited for the faces of Clowns and women on the master race should shun its use.
The next two hundred dollars years witnessed an immediate growth in cosmetic usage and even women on the lower strata of the society started to use cosmetic products. The 18th century was very significant in terms of the changes in technology for the production of cosmetics. The French started to use new methods, chemicals and natural ingredients. Safer chemicals like zinc oxide were being used as the base and the use of lead or office assistant was abolished. At the end of the 19th century, the first beauty salons were set up.
Rapid use of makeup cosmetics started from the early 1930s; performers and theater artists started to use make up in their films. Danny Bernhardt and Jean Harlow spearheaded the so-called cosmetic movement and made the use of cosmetics fashionable. After World War II, there was rapid growth in the cosmetic industry where more and more women started using cosmetics. Soon with the introduction of electronic media like TV and Radio, cosmetics became a part of every women’s life.
To date the significance of cosmetics hasn’t already reduced, but in fact, increased in the life of women. It is now over a 50 billion dollar industry. However, as its history evolves, cosmetics will take on new meaning. Past cosmetic history focused on women’s beauty and the culture of anti-aging. The future will focus on the dangers inherent in the continued use of synthetically designed cosmetic products. These man-made chemicals have proven to be toxic in nature, and over time, clinical studies will prove them to be hazardous to one’ health. Many of these toxins have already been connected to cancer, birth problems, infertility, liver organ and kidney malfunctions, and much, much more.
Recently, a lecture was presented by the Environmental Working Group, the EWG. Their mission is to protect children from the effects of toxic chemicals in the food, water, air, and products we use daily. Without getting into too much detail here is a summary of the findings of the EWG as it relates to cosmetic products.
Women, over, use 12 personal care products daily that expose them to 160 toxic chemicals; 10 babies, still in their mother’s womb, were tested for chemicals in their bloodstreams with your results; 287 toxic chemicals were found that 134 were connected to cancer; 151 were connected to birth problems; 186 were connected to infertility; 130 were for this immune system, and so on.
Now, if one questions what this all means, consider the following statistics; there is an 84% increase in Extreme Lymphocytic Leukemia in children from 1975 to 2002; a 57% increase in brain cancer during the same period; a doubling of Hypospadias (birth problem of the urethra in males) in infant males in the same period; sperm counts in men are dropping at a rate of 1% each and every year; 1 in 8 women will get breast cancer; 1 in 3 women will experience some form of cancer in their lifetime; 1 in 2 males will experience some form of cancer in their lifetime.
That is enough statistics to give you stop in the cosmetic products used daily. Past and future articles will delve deeper into this subject. For now, over time, we have presented the two sides of cosmetic history. The past emphasized the sweetness areas of personal care products, while the future should and hopefully focus on the dangers inherent in the daily use of toxic-laden cosmetic products.