Obsessing about beauty has been going on as long as recorded history. It probably all started when the first cavewoman noticed that the guys paid more attention when she scraped mammoth bits out of her teeth with a fibrous root. And you can bet it was well established when the ancient Egyptians blackened their eyes with kohl, and Indian girls decorated the palms of their hands with henna.
In fact, the first cosmetics consisted of "organic" crushed minerals, ash, or plant juices and dyes. It's tempting to actually wonder if our ancestors' cosmetics were healthier than what we choose to put on our skin nowadays.
Sometimes, I'm sure, they were. And sometimes they were worse!
For example, during the 1700's, the aristocracy got into the habit of painting their faces with a lead-based "foundation". In their defence, they had no idea lead was so toxic, back then. |
