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This is a quotation that I think most of us could relate to makeup. When we’re wearing it we may actually feel good, but the aftermath may be unimaginable just like when we take drugs. Since ancient times cosmetics have been used to enhance beauty. Ancient cosmetics are mainly composed of chalk to whiten skin, kohl for eyelids, eyebrow pencils, and stains for the cheeks.
Ancient cosmetics are used for sensual, religious, and hierarchical purposes. Back in the early 18th century cosmetics became a staple for women, the beauty trend in those days are pale white, almost sickly complexion, and it is hard to achieve those without the power of cosmetics. Having pale white skin is a sign of being royalty. They believed that those who have a higher status don’t often go out and are exposed to the sun leading to white skin. It represents how the nobles don’t need to work under the sun (Zarrelli,2015). Cosmetics are based on social class and not gender, so whether you are a male or a female you can use cosmetics. The aristocratic look is much preferred to the natural look. Heavy makeup at this time was considered more respectable than naturally light skin. Cosmetics are also used to create flawless faces and hide blemishes, age, and diseases. It is also believed at this time that cosmetics have the power to cure diseases so many people, whether men or women are often seen wearing cosmetics (Jezerniczky,2017)
Cosmetics were also mainly used for the sake of prostitution. Women wore brightly colored dresses& They used a lot of cosmetics&which&a woman could do only if she earned her living through prostitution. (Gullace,2017). They use the power of cosmetics to modify their appearance to attract men. Cosmetics have been used by prostitutes as a tool to teach men to break the seventh commandment.
In ancient Egypt, cosmetics are also a staple. Eye makeup from malachite, a green paint, for their eye shadows and kohl for their eyeliners were used whether for males or females. The purpose of cosmetics to Egyptians is not only for aesthetics, it also serves its purpose to their religious aspect. Egyptians regarded beauty as holiness (‘Ancient pages’,2017). The statues of their gods at the temples were also often painted with eye makeup.
During the 19th century, it is extremely hard for people to survive. This is a time when there are many changing things on the government due to the industrial revolution. There are many hardships that the people faced at this time such as the population increase due to the famine and unemployment in neighboring countries such as Ireland. The overcrowding leads to slum housing and poor sanitary conditions which lead to various illnesses. The cases of poverty and human rights violations are rampant. During those hard times, it is the church that gave its support to the poor. In 1840, 70% of the people received a basic level of literacy and by 1865, the churches set up over 600 schools for children. There are also various charity missions conducted by the church that aims to help the poor. Due to its constant support, in the 19th century, the church rise into power.
In Victorian times, society was strictly layered – not only into rich and poor, or even upper, middle, and lower class, but hundreds of ‘grades’. People were expected to ‘know their place’, and the Church taught them to be content in their ‘station’ (Dickens,n.d.). During this time, the people gave an emphasis on how people should be contented with themselves and makeup deviates them from the ideals of the church because using makeup shows that they are not contented with what they have hence, modifying it. The church eventually stepped in. It declares using makeup to modify their appearance and seducing a man is punishable as a sorcery. At that time, people also have this concept that when you are a good person it is equivalent to being a beauty so if you use a cosmetic to alter your appearance it means that you are evil. Many followers of the church avoid makeup due to this declaration.
During the mid-19th century, Queen Victoria became the Queen of England when she was 18 years old. Maybe you would think that she hails cosmetics and other products which will enhance her beauty because most of us are at that age where are most concerned with our appearance, but she’s not. She announced makeup as vulgar and something that only prostitutes would use, by announcing this doesn’t mean that Queen Victoria is a party pooper, actually, she loves to party, but she just hated the fact that makeup makes women irrespective (Faye et al,2019). You could imagine how makeup industry’s sudden decline, with both the queen and the church, two of the most influential power at that time, condemning makeup it is not unexpected how the use of makeup during the 19th century was limited.
Cosmetics are also used by entertainers in the East starting as early as 3000 BCE. In China, powders made from rice were used to whiten their skin, and their lipsticks were made from beeswax which aims to protect their delicate lips. Their eyebrows were also considered a sensual part of their body ranging from thin to thick and bushy eyebrows (Bjorkell,2017). Japanese geisha is also one of those who often use cosmetics. They wear a white base powder that contains lead, red lipsticks, and red and black accents on their eyes and eyebrows. (Anamika,2015). In the 19th Century, lead poisoning was also discovered in Japan. Japanese began to develop lead-free cosmetics.
Makeup has been considered a taboo back in the 19th century but when the reign of Queen Victoria ended, the cosmetics industry was revived. During King Edward, the son of Queen Victoria’s reign the makeup industry was revived. The 20th century became the start of the fashion revolution which also boost the makeup industry. If in the Victorian era, people frowned upon the usage of makeup, in King Edward’s reign, people have more access to cosmetics and magazines about cosmetics. The first industrial-made lipsticks are produced, and the actors were required to wear makeup for their performances on the early black and white televisions (‘History of Cosmetics’,2018). Various makeup tutorials, cosmetics companies, and makeup trends have appeared from the 20th to the 21st century. In our current society makeup has been viewed as a saving grace for many women, whether it makes them confident or just for fun, you can count on one hand those women who haven’t been tainted by this superficial beauty. It may seem idealistic that just a few touches of foundation and lipstick could literally transform you.
The cosmetics industry is one of the fastest-growing industries today. Due to the influence of social media, this industry is valued at $532 billion and is expected to reach a market value of $805 billion by 2023. (Costello, 2018). You may notice that today even influential personalities are in the cosmetics industry. International artists such as Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian, and Miranda Kerr are investing in the cosmetics industry. Even our local artists such as Vice Ganda, Nadine Lustre, and Anne Curtis are hooked by this industry. The men’s makeup industry is also growing. According to Allied Market Research, the men’s cosmetic industry is also expected to hit $166 billion in 2022. In the 21st century where our physical looks are an investment, and we are always striving for flawless beauty, it is no wonder why the makeup industry became such a huge hit. As we view makeup in a positive light, there are many ‘demons’ behind it that are lurking in the dark. These ‘demons’ had always been carefully hidden even as you read this right now. Using the word evil to describe makeup may be an understatement considering how many lives have been sacrificed for a ten-milligram face cream that you have. Whether it is a life of an animal, a tree, or even a human.
I’ll first start the revelation with some of the hidden toxins in your favorite makeup product. Makeup could be harmful to one’s body. We use cosmetic products to hide our imperfections but what we don’t know is that the makeups that you put into your face are the main reason you have those imperfections, to begin with. Early aging is one of the side effects of continuously using makeup. The chemicals used in these products dry out your skin, removing the natural elasticity of your skin and leading to wrinkles and dry skin. It is also proven that cosmetics can cause a variety of diseases such as cancer, lung diseases, and lead poisoning. The paraben used in preserving your cosmetics has been linked to cancer. The fragrances found in your cosmetics are chemicals rolled into one. Chemicals such as silicate talc, which is a part of the ‘fragrances’ but is not mentioned in the ingredients list can cause allergies and infections in the lungs (Zeb,2015).
Aside from the harmful effects it has on an individual, did you know that wearing makeup does not only harm yourself but also your environment? Titanium dioxide, an ingredient found mostly in the skin tints such as the foundations, concealers, and sunscreens that we use has been found to pollute our beaches. It causes DNA damage to freshwater snails and prevents the phytoplankton, the producer of T of Earth’s oxygen, from growing (Lyons,2016). The decrease in phytoplankton means there may be not enough oxygen not only for us but also for many fishes and other sea creatures which could result in suffocation and death. Another is paraben, you may already hear this for it is a popular harmful ingredient in cosmetics that causes cancer but what you didn’t know is that this also affects animals. Studies have found that accumulations of paraben are found on animals, most commonly in marine life due to the products that are washed through the sewage system (Dubs,2018). Paraben also stunts the growth of the corals and is a top hormonal disruptor for dolphins. You may reason that using natural or organic makeup may avoid this kind of risk but did you know that your favorite palm oil in your moisturizers and lip balms is also a big threat? Palm oil used in moisturizers and lip balms because of its versatility became a vital part in cosmetics but due to the sudden increase in demand, many virgin forests had been deforested causing loss in 100 000 critically endangered orangutans. There are some movement campaigns on palm oil-free makeup but as you can notice they didn’t work out due to the high demand of the market (Teehan,2018).
Cosmetics are not Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved. The only job FDA has on cosmetics is approving color additives and nothing else. In the cosmetic industry, it is the company’s responsibility to ensure the safety and efficacy of the product it releases but as you may know because of greed, some companies lead to routinely market products with ingredients that are poorly studied, not studied at all, or worse, known to pose potentially serious health risks (Trelstad,2018).
There are also some ingredients in our cosmetics that we never expected to be found in them. It’s ironic that most women find it disgusting to be near bugs or snails or even touch a fish, but they actually apply those things to their faces. Carmine found in most lipsticks and blush actually came from crushed beetles. Guanine used in mascaras is from the bat’s poop. Estrogen or sometimes listed as estradiol is found in regenerative face creams that we use to prevent early signs of aging obtained from a pregnant’s horse urine. Lastly, tallow which is most commonly found in lipsticks and foundations was formed from the fats from boiled slaughtered animals. So it’s almost the same as putting dead animals and bugs and their excrement into your face.
Imagine your cute pets at home, it may be your cat or dog, being shaved and then having them exposed to random chemicals that could kill them directly or make them suffer more. According to People for the Ethical Treatments of the Animals (PETA), 100 million animals such as dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, and guinea pigs are killed in U.S. laboratories for experimentation and cosmetics testing. The animals were used for regulatory testing in cosmetics, it tests if the products are safe for use and if the product does their job effectively. They are forced- to feed, forced to inhale, and be injected with various chemicals. These tests cause the animals a lot of pain and distress. It may cause blindness, internal bleeding, damage to their organs, swollen eyes, and burns on their skin. Some chemicals could also result in convulsions, or in any scenario a direct death. While testing these animals they are not given any way to relieve them. The best way to relieve this animal is by breaking its neck or decapitating them. It is kind of perplexing since according to studies animal testing is not really necessary for cosmetics, the findings of diseases on animals are never identical to humans due to a different biological structure. So, animal experiments cannot be applied to humans in a meaningful way, but due to being a traditional way to test those products, they remained widespread in the cosmetic industry.
Almost everyone patronizes cosmetic products that are cruelty-free. Being cruelty-free should not be only about animals. Many of us may not know but the cosmetic industry is also a contributor to child labor. Children three-year-old to 14 years old from India and Africa my mica as early as. Mica has been used for many years for the shimmer of your favorite makeup products such as lipsticks and highlighters. Child labor in illegal mica mines has been documented for years, but debt traps and risks of bondage are under-reported (Bengtsen,2019). There are many cases wherein the children who are used to mining mica were buried alive when the hole where they mine collapsed. The children cannot possibly let go of the opportunity to earn money from mining because of poverty.
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