Cosmetics, Make up, and Skin care products
The
last one hundred years has seen our society become increasingly obsessed
with beauty. Ever since the invention of cinema, people have sought
that “movie star look,” which may include shiny hair, perfect
skin or pearl-white teeth. The general interest in appearance has also
triggered the growing popularity of cosmetics ¬– products
advertised to make the “movie star look” easily-attainable.
Cosmetics are the products that protect the odor and appearance of
the human body. More specifically, the FDA defines it them as anything
intended to be applied to the human body for cleansing, beautifying,
promoting attractiveness or altering the appearance of the body without
affecting the structure or function.
Although cosmetics have experienced a jolt of popularity in the last
hundred years, they actually have a very decorated past that stretches
back all the way to back to 2,000 BC. Paintings and artifacts from the
first Egyptian Dynasty indicate that women decorated their eyes by applying
a dark green color around the under the lid and darkened their eyelashes
with a material made from soot. Makeup remained popular through the
Renaissance, where woman sought a pale skin, often bled themselves and
wore lead paint, which contained arsenic and was very damaging to the
skin. During the Victorian Era, however, many abhorred the use of cosmetic
makeup because it was associated with the prostitutes of the time. It
wasn’t until the early 1900s that fashion and cosmetic companies
emerged and specialized in making makeup that was safe for consumers.
Since then, the demand for cosmetics only continues to grow.
Cosmetics encompass numerous products, but some of the major ones are:
creams, perfumes, foundations, powders, lipsticks, mascara, eyeliner
and shampoos.
Cosmetics have experienced their share of controversy. Some makeup
has been proven to be derived form harmful materials like talc and petroleum
– which are known to cause rash, inflammation and eczema. Increasing
health awareness has given way to the rising popularity of mineral cosmetics.
Mineral cosmetics are a mixture of minerals and pigments that are pulverized
into tiny crystals that are then overlaid over each other to create
a filter that allows the skin to breathe. Since they do not clog pores
or irritate the skin, there is a substantially less risk of getting
eczema from mineral-based products. Once considered a niche market,
more people have turned to mineral products once petroleum-based items
began to cause skin irritation after continual use.
Animal testing is also a very controversial subject. Even if there
are obvious benefits of animal-assisted, medical research, it’s
more difficult to advocate the mistreatment of animals for the sake
of beauty. In 2002, the UK effectively upheld a ban on animal testing
for the sake of beauty, with the rest of the EU following suit in 2009.
Anyone who is concerned about this issue should know which companies
test cosmetic make up on animals.
Skin
Care Products - a great resource for finding the right
skin care product for your unique skin.
