Lipstick History and Facts

Since the dawn of prehistoric times, humans always had the need to distinguish themselves among others. Clothes, shoes, tools, jewelry and cosmetics were first of the ways we managed to do that, but lipsticks and facial pants were one of the most noticeable ways to change our appearance. Hunters painted their skin to better blend in with their surroundings, priests and acolytes decorated themselves to honor their gods and beliefs, and young people used every way imaginable to make them more pretty and presentable to the opposite sex.

However, in the long prehistoric periods lipsticks were made only from readily available natural sources – fruit and plant juices. As early civilizations started appearing in the Middle East, North Africa and India, advanced manufacturing processes enabled mankind to finally start producing new kinds of lipsticks. First ones to do so were Mesopotamian women, who grinded out precious gems and used their dust to decorate their lips with glimmer and riches. Women from Indus Valley Civilization used lipstick regularly, but it was Egypt where manufacture of lipstick received many advancements. There, royal members, clergy and high class used several types of lipsticks, some of them with recipes that contained poisonous ingredients that could cause serious illnesses. It was there that carmine color became popular, extracted from the bodies of cochineal insects, technique that is widely used even today (although governments in US and EU heavily regulate presence of that pigment in our food and cosmetic products).

Detailed History of Lipsticks

Modern fashion could not be what it is today without the presence of lipsticks. Here you can find out how they came to be, and how they traveled through ages and slowly gathered popular acceptance.

Facts about Lipstick

Do you want to know more about lipsticks? You are interested about its influence on modern society and fashion? Then enter here and find out all the relevant information collected in one place.

Lipstick Manufacturing Process

Manufacture of lipsticks is an ancient art that received numerous upgrades in the last few centuries, but the basic formula remains the same. Here you can find out more about this fascinating theme.

After Egypt managed to spread their inventions and advancements across entire Europe, lipstick managed to find its home primarily with the actors of the Greek and Roman empires. As Christianity took hold in Europe, lipstick became thing of the past and almost totally forgotten (Catholic Church condemned the use of cosmetics, often connecting red lipstick use with the worshiping of the Satan). The Resurgence of the lipstick returned in 16th century, during the dramatic fashion changes that were implemented by English Queen Elizabeth I. Her fashion style of stark white faces and brightly painted lips was popular for some time, but quickly after that lipstick fell to the margins of the society where it was used only by low class women and prostitutes. This trend did not changed for several centuries, until industrial revolution of late 19th century managed to bring back commercial lipsticks into the popular fashion. With ease of manufacturing, low prices, rise of photography, and popularization by many famous film actresses, lipsticks finally became commonly used in second decade of 20th century. By then, innovators managed to create its modern swivel-up tube, chemist created glossy recipes, and fashion started dictating popular lipstick trends and colors.

In today’s modern society, lipsticks are viewed as one of the most important fashion items. They are cheap, easy to use, and can create dramatic changes in the look and life of the individual who wears it. Countless lipstick brands fight for worldwide supremacy and invention of new recipes and styles have led us to the point where over 80% of women in North America use lipstick regularly and over 30% of them have 20 lipsticks in their possessions in any time of their adult life.

Lipstick managed not only to change the way we see fashion, but it also influence many cultures over the last centuries and millennia. Many civilizations implemented complex rituals and traditions surrounding lipstick. In some areas, lipstick as necessity because of their medicinal purposes (protection of lips in dry and windy conditions, sun protection, etc.), and somewhere it just became part of life (high class traditional Japanese wives were forbidden to walk in the public without full face makeup).

Lipsticks were with us for thousands of years, and they will remain with as long fashion exists.

To celebrate the release of our first true red lipstick, we at Axiology would like to touch on the history and meaning of red lipstick. Red lipstick is thought of as one of the most powerful symbols of female sexuality and beauty in the Western world. Its history spans centuries, and its formulations and connotations have varied considerably over the years.

From royalty to prostitutes, and witches to movie stars, read on for the history of red lipstick!

A Brief History Of Red Lipstick

Based on cosmetic cases found at archaeological sites dating back to 5,000 years ago, it’s thought that Ancient Sumerians were the first to wear lipstick. These ancient cosmetics were made by mixing crushed gemstones with oils and waxes.

Ancient Egyptians also wore red lipstick as an indicator of social status. Egyptian red lipstick was made from crushed bugs — an ingredient that still appears in many lipsticks today.  

In Ancient Greece, prostitutes were required by law to sport red lip pigment, lest they be confused for a respectable woman of the upper class. Ancient Greek lipstick was made from a combination of red dye, sheep sweat, and crocodile droppings.

In 16th century England, Queen Elizabeth revived red lipstick’s popularity with her signature look of alabaster skin with crimson lips. At this time, red lipstick was made from beeswax and red plant-based dyes, and was worn only by upper class women.

However, by the 1700s, red lipstick was outlawed in England on the basis that women were using cosmetics as a tool to seduce men into marriage. The charge? Witchcraft! Similar laws prevailed in the United States, where a marriage could be annulled if it was found that the woman had been wearing red lipstick during courtship.

Until the late 1800s, most lipstick was DIY, made with carmine dye extracted from insects called cochineal. The first commercially produced lipstick was invented in 1884 by French perfumers. This lipstick was formulated from a combination of deer tallow, castor oil, and beeswax. At this time, lipstick was not sold in the metal or plastic tubes we know today. Instead, it was sold in paper tubes, small pots, or wrapped in paper.

In the late 1800s, Guerlain began to manufacture red lipstick made from grapefruit, butter, and wax. The Sears Roebuck catalog was selling rouge for the lips and cheeks by the late 1890s.

By 1912, undisguised use of cosmetics was popular with fashionable women in Western culture. Metal lipstick tubes became available in 1911, making it easier for women to reapply their lipstick on the go.

In 1923, the first swivel-up lipstick tube, the design still commonly used today, was patented by James Brace Mason Jr. During WWII, metal tubes were replaced by plastic tubes.

The Symbolism of Red Lipstick

As a symbol, red lipstick has undergone many permutations. For ancient Egyptians and Elizabethan England, red lipstick was a symbol of status, reserved for the upper classes only. Then, between the Renaissance and the end of the 19th century, obvious use of cosmetics in the Western world was associated more with actors and prostitutes rather than respectable women.

In the early 20th century, after centuries of male authority limiting the use of cosmetics, wearing red lipstick was seen as an act of female rebellion. In fact, red lipstick was very popular amongst the suffragettes.

With the flapper movement and the rise of silent films in the 1920’s, red lipstick, particularly dark red lipstick, became enormously popular. At this time, red lipstick began to represent a woman’s sexuality.

For this reason, many frowned upon teenage girls wearing lipstick. A 1937 survey revealed that over 50% of teenage girls fought with their parents about wearing lipstick. It was implied that girls who wore red lipstick acted provocatively.

During the 1950s, red lipstick entered the mainstream, with two-thirds of teenage girls reporting that they wore lipstick in a 1951 survey. In another survey, 98% of American women claimed to wear lipstick daily.

By the 1960s, lipstick had solidified as a symbol of femininity, and has maintained this status into the 21st century.

 

By: Colleen Welsch