The Truth Behind Lipstick

The Aging of Makeup
3 min readNov 6, 2020

Lipstick has been around for centuries and even though it has the same name and purpose lipstick’s ingredients and purpose has gone through extreme changes.

Photo Credits: Rohan; Sept.4, 2018
Photo Credits: ROHAN; Sept.4, 2018

The makeup product known as Lipstick, is one of the oldest of all makeup products. This high pigmented lip product has been around for 5,000 years! Yes, that long! Times have changed in the makeup world for this gorgeous legacy.

The first people to own lipstick were the Ancient Sumerian people, those from the Mesopotamian region. Women and men were fond of this invention of there’s and used it to give themselves a healthier glow. Although being known as classy people for their time, the ingredients in this product was anything but. They would use a mix of paste and crushed rocks, but that is not all. When the Ancient Egyptians adopted this trend they, lets say, added a bit of flavor with the addition of boiled insects to create a more vibrant tone. This recipe was used for vibrant lip looks over the next few centuries.

In more modest times, this trend was no longer for everyone. The middle ages claimed that the use of this product was only for those known as prostitutes and women who wore it would be looked down upon. When the 16th century came along and Queen Elizabeth took the thrown, she was known for her vibrant red lip look that went along with her overly powdered skin. However, this did not change the churches perspective when it came to wearing it.

When the 18th century came along, women who wore lipstick were accused of witchcraft. Following with the 19th century, women wouldn’t dare to wear lipstick but to get a darker lip look, they would bite their lips.

Photo Credits: L’art De Savior; 1919

Following with the 20th century Lipstick went through a whole rebirth. Starting with a whole knew recipe making it safer and more natural looking. Instead of using insects they used castro oil and synthetic dyes. Actresses on the big screen were soon able to make this product very popular. Women all over wanted their lips pigmented and more defined.

Throughout the next few decades, lipstick companies introduced more fun colors. When the 60’s-80's came along it wasn’t unlikely to see someone casually rocking their bright blue look on their lips!

Today, lipstick is used popularly all around the world. New inventions with matte looks and more are growing in product development everyday. Overall, lipstick has been around for centuries and has gone through many changes throughout its lifetime. It seems to be a luxury that will never get old.

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The Aging of Makeup

Hello Gorgeous! Makeup throughout the last 100 years (from the 1920s until now) has changed drastically! Follow if you want to learn more get new ideas!