History of Lipstick

Lipstick started in the Ancient Indus Valley Civilization where women applied lipstick to their lip for face decoration. Ancient Egyptians extracted purplish-red dye from fucus-algin, 0.01% iodine and some bromine mannite, which resulted in serious illness. Cleopatra had her lipstick made from crushed carmine beetles, which gave a deep red pigment, and ants for a base. Lipstick with shimmering effects were initially make using a substances found in fish scales called pearlescence.

During the Islamic Golden Age the notable Arab Andalusian cosmetologist Abu al-Qasim al-Zahrawi (Abulcasis) invented solid lipstick, where were perfumed stocks rolled and pressed in special molds, and he described them in his Al-Tasrif. In Medieval Europe, lipstick was banned by the church and was thought to use as an "incarnation of satan", cosmetic being "reserved for prostitutes". Lipstick started to gain popularity in England the 16th century, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, who made piercing red lips and bright white face a fashion statement. By that time, lipstick was made from a blend of beeswax and red stains from plants.

During the Second World War, lipstick gained popularity as a result of it use in the movie industry, and it became commonplace for women to apply makeup, or "put their face on".