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Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 20 general entries.
Special Topics
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Cosmetics
| A beautiful model in an evening gown appeared on the cover of a Harper's Bazaar magazine in 1915. She wasn't wearing a corset, her skirts were above her ankle and the back of the dress was scandalously low. But the model lacked one thing in particular that would set off a new trend in fashion in North America. What was it? | History of Cosmetics and Fashion
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Underarm hair. The Wilkenson Sword razor blade company jumped right on the bandwagon and fiercely pushed the idea of women's underarm hair as unfeminine and unhealthy. They sold a lot of blades.
| In 1960, Yardley was a small British firm that had been producing soaps and perfumes from lavender essence for almost 200 years. By 1966, however, it was a giant in the cosmetic industry, as it produced a complete line of cosmetics and fragrances that proved tremendously popular in Europe and in North America. What was this line called? | History of Cosmetics and Fashion
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The London Look. Yardley was innovative in two ways. First, the London Look line was the first extensive line of cosmetics created expressly for the teenage market. Second, it was the first line inspired by an existing youth trend.
| In the early 1920s she got a tan while on a cruise aboard the Duke of Westminster's yacht. When she got home, the colour of her skin caused a fashion revolution. Who was she? | History of Cosmetics and Fashion
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Coco Chanel. The Paris success of Josephine Baker also helped to promote the idea of brown skin as attractive and fashionable. Women's more active lifestyles in the 20's and ever-more-revealing fashions made tanning practical as well as fashionable.
| Using scents to mask the smell of sweat has always been very common. In what century, however, was the first real deodorant produced? | History of Cosmetics and Fashion
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19th century. Mum deodorant in creme form was developed in Philadelphia in 1889. The active ingredient was aluminum chlorhydrate. In 1952, inspired by the workings of the ballpoint pen, Ban Roll-On was introduced.
| Max Factor, like Rubinstein, was originally from Poland. During the last years of the 19th century he became purveyor of cremes and cosmetics to the Russian court. In 1904 he decided to try his luck in America, where he too started out by creating and selling theatrical makeup. What was one of his first major innovations? | History of Cosmetics and Fashion
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Pancake makeup. Factor developed pancake makeup for actors, as an improvement over the older greasepaint. Pancake makeup didn't sweat off as easily.
| Helena Rubinstein began her career creating stage and film makeup. When Theda Bara appeared on the screen wearing a lot of one of Rubinstein's innovations, it became instantly popular with the general public. What was it? | History of Cosmetics and Fashion
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Mascara. Rubinstein also introduced tinted face powder in the early 1920s.
China. Although the ancient Egyptians stained their nails with henna, it was the Chinese who developed actual nail lacquers made from gum arabic, beeswax, eggwhite and coloured powders. The earliest traces of nail lacquer are dated to 3000 BC.
They bled themselves. Bleeding required the use of leeches, or sometimes the more extreme 'cupping' was employed. A vein was slashed and the blood drained into a cup, or bowl.
| During the 1400s, looking pale and otherworldly was in. To achieve this, women shaved their foreheads, plucked out their eyelashes and eyebrows, and whitened their faces and bosoms with ceruse. What did ceruse consist of? | History of Cosmetics and Fashion
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Vinegar and powdered lead. Ceruse rapidly ate away the skin, which meant that thicker and thicker layers had to be applied as time wore on. It eventually killed you. Despite its obvious drawbacks, ceruse remained popular for at least 300 years, although later zinc oxide replaced the lead.
| In ancient times scented unguents were produced from floral essences mixed with animal fat. In the 10th century however, an Arab, Ibn Sina, developed a new process of extracting floral attar with steam. Mixed with water, this scent became both a cosmetic and flavouring staple for many centuries. What was this scent called? | History of Cosmetics and Fashion
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Rosewater. Lavender water was a variant of rosewater. Hungary water, developed for Elizabeth of Hungary in 1390, used an alcohol base. Eau de Cologne didn't appear until the 1730s, when the Farina brothers introduced it in Cologne.
| The ancient Roman recipe for black hair dye involved mixing vinegar with this substance and letting it ferment for two months before application. What is this unnamed substance? | The Unusual History of Cosmetics
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Leeches. Whole leeches were fed and then put into vinegar and allowed to ferment for two months. At this time it had thickened into a paste. It was then applied to the hair and allowed to dry for a day. It must have worked well as the recipe was used for hundreds of years.
| Ancient Roman toothpaste was in great demand because it contained ammonia, which whitened the teeth. Where did most of this ammonia come from? | The Unusual History of Cosmetics
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Human urine. While it may be hard to believe, human urine was used for a large variety of things including toothpaste. Ammonia is the main chemical found in urine. In ancient Rome, human urine was in such demand that it had to be imported from Portugal!
| The substance thiomersal can be found in vaccinations, antiseptics and anti-fungals. It is also found in some mascaras. What is thiomersal made from? | The Unusual History of Cosmetics
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Mercury. Thiomersal has been used throughout the 20th century in spite of its inherent danger. It is very toxic if ingested orally, applied to the skin or inhaled. The use of this substance is being phased out and replaced by more benign substances. It has been known to cause mercury poisoning when used in mascara.
Eye liner. Coal tar was used for many years as eye liner, mascara and eyebrow pencil. Aside from smelling very badly, coal tar causes blindness and is flammable.
| In the 21st century a new substance was recognised for its effects on facial skin. What is the product that is used in a "geisha facial"? | The Unusual History of Cosmetics
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Nightingale feces. For about $150 (US dollars) some upscale spas provide a "geisha facial". Moistened nightingale feces is applied and allowed to dry. It is said to diminish wrinkles and ex-foliate skin! I think I'll pass.
Beetles. Cochineal dye is made from dried cochineal beetles. Unlike a lot of the modern dyes this coloring agent is not toxic nor does it contain any carcinogens. Production is costly and labor intensive. Today, breeding of this insect is done just for tradition, as opposed to meeting any economic demand.
| In the 1930s a cosmetic came out that claimed to be a permanent mascara. Sold in the USA, it blinded more than a dozen women and killed one. What was the name of this dangerous beauty product? | The Unusual History of Cosmetics
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Lash Lure. Before there were any regulations concerning product safety, Lash Lure was sold as a permanent answer to mascara. It contained a compound phenylenediamine that had never been tested for use on humans. The outcome was tragic.
| During the 17th and 18th centuries women used drops made from a poisonous plant to dilate their pupils, as this was thought attractive. Which toxic plant was used? | The Unusual History of Cosmetics
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Belladonna. Belladonna was used for this purpose for many years, even though its toxicity was well known. Occasional use damaged vision, while prolonged use lead to permanent blindness!
| Many modern cosmetics make use of an unusual organic substance to add shimmer to lipsticks and eyeshadow. Do you know what this shiny material is? | The Unusual History of Cosmetics
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Fish scales. Ground fish scales have been used for many years in western societies to add shimmer and shine. This substance is often called pearl essence and is used not only in cosmetics, but in paint and glazes! It is harmless, but the idea of ground-up dead fish scales on your lips is somewhat gross.
| For hundreds of years European women used a white powder called ceruse to lighten their complexions. What was the main component of ceruse? | The Unusual History of Cosmetics
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White lead. Powdered white lead was used for many years to make facial skin appear artificially white. Paintings of the aristocracy throughout the Renaissance show the women using this product. Occasional use caused lead poisoning, hair loss, and mental deterioration. Long-term use was known to cause death.
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