History of Cosmetics and Packaging-1

The use of cosmetics can be traced back thousands of years. In ancient China, there were rouge and gouache, and there are records in poems about women applying red makeup. Different cosmetics appeared in ancient Greece, ancient Egypt, ancient Rome, the European Middle Ages, and the Renaissance. Women's pursuit of beauty is probably a natural instinct.

Modern makeup and skin care forms mostly originated from France, the United States and Japan. The period from the early 20th century to the 1950s was a period of rapid development. Some brands have become today's industry giants, while others may seem inconspicuous, but they have made a significant contribution in the history of cosmetics. The contributions made are crucial and laid the foundation for modern beauty products.

I was originally worried that this article would look as boring as a history textbook, but when I checked the information, I collected a lot of early beauty posters and early cosmetic packaging. Now it seems that it has a strong retro style and is quite flavorful. I believe that just looking at the pictures is pleasing to the eye and gives you the feeling of traveling through time and space.

1884 The world’s first lipstick product – Guerlain

Lipstick has a long and complicated history. The earliest lipstick discovered was in Ur, a Sumerian city more than 5,000 years ago. There are also records of wearing lipstick in ancient Egypt and ancient China. It was Queen Elizabeth I who really made lipstick popular. She used a mixture of beeswax and red mercury sulfide to dye her lips, creating the red lip trend at that time. Around 1884, Guerlain produced the first successful commercial lipstick product, which was formulated with grapefruit extract, oils and beeswax. It is said that this lipstick has a texture and the lipstick packaging is like hair wax. The paste cannot be transferred out and needs to be applied by hand or a brush.

(Early metal tube lipstick)

The later metal tube lipstick was invented by Maurice Levy in 1915. Women used their fingernails to gently slide a small lever on the tube to pop out the paste. There is also a theory that lipstick in metal tubes was available in Europe around 1911. In 1923, James Bruce Mason Jr. of Tennessee, USA created the first rotating lipstick. Elizabeth Arden and Estée Lauder also began selling lipstick in their salons during this period.

Today's lipsticks are diverse and include products such as lip gloss, lip glaze, and colored lip balm. As the first brand to develop lipstick, Guerlain has launched this lipstick in the past two years. I wonder if it pays homage to the earliest metal tube lipstick? The brand's promotion point focuses more on convenience and speed, allowing you to complete lip makeup with one hand.

1897 The world’s first bottle of lotion—Shiseido

Shiseido was originally a Western-style dispensing pharmacy. It entered the cosmetics industry in 1897. Red Honeydew is their pioneering product and has been the treasure of the store for more than 100 years. Before this, there were also lotion products in the West, mostly hydrosols, flower waters, etc. The formulas and technologies were not too complicated. Red honeydew was developed by Dr. Nagai Nagai, who was a professor at Tokyo Imperial University at the time and studied at the University of Berlin. Based on his research results, he is committed to developing products with the same high quality as medicines.

The name of red honeydew is taken from the Greek words Eu (beautiful) and Derma (skin). In 1997, 100 years after its release, French image creative Serge Lutens created the "Red Honeydew Global Edition" for simultaneous sale in Japan and overseas. The formula of the lotion has also been further evolved, becoming a high-function lotion that "can keep the skin away from dryness, keep it moisturized, and achieve skin regeneration."

On the occasion of the 140th anniversary of the founding of Shiseido, a replica version of red honey dew was launched. The replica is the glass bottle packaging of the first generation red honey dew.

1907 The world's first cold cream - Pond's

Pond's Company chemist Willian K. Sallbridge developed the formulas for Snow Cream and Cold Cream. These two formulas are considered the foundation of all skin care products today, but at the time this represented a huge leap forward.

In recent years, you can still see people introducing the method of using Pond's cold cream to remove makeup. Cold cream is still Pond's best-selling product. The mainstream makeup remover products in Europe and the United States are makeup remover milk and makeup remover cream, which should be related to the emergence of Pond's Cold Cream.

This is now the classic packaging for Pond's Cold Cream and Moisturizer. What impressed me most was that I saw bottles of Pond's Snow Cream in different colors when I was a child. It was the simplest moisturizing product. The aroma of Snow Cream was thought to be a high-end taste at the time.

1907 The world’s first non-toxic hair dye – L’Oréal Paris

In 1907, the 30-year-old French chemist Eugene Schueler invented the world's first non-toxic hair dye. Today's industry giant, L'Oréal Group, was then known as "French harmless hair dye company". L'oreal's beauty products also start with hair dye. In 1908, L'oreal launched its first advertising paper. Founder Oren Schuler launched a light chestnut brown hair dye named L'Aureale.

In 1925, L'Oréal launched a blonde hair dye that could dye hair lighter than before. This hair dye can give your hair a golden shine, allowing people who are keen on prom to change their styles to a greater extent.

1911 The world’s first moisturizer – Nivea

The famous little blue can. Nivea Long Wear Moisturizer is the world's first moisturizer to use a water-in-oil emulsifier. The emulsifier Eucerit can coagulate oil and water into a stable cream. It was originally used for medical purposes, and Nivea added it to skin care products.

Nivea moisturizer’s earliest cream packaging and current packaging)

Compared with previous facial cream products, Nivea's moisturizer can achieve a better balance of water and oil.

(Packaging evolution of Nivea moisturizer)

Nivea's classic moisturizer has become popular again in the past two years because some people analyzed that its formula is very similar to LA MER Essence Cream.

1912 The world’s first powder blush—Mia Paris

Most of the earliest blushes were creamy and moist. Miriam's blush is the world's first pastel blush that uses baking techniques. The production process is like baking cookies. The powder is mixed with water, essential oils and other raw materials, placed in a hemispherical mold, baked, and then baked. High temperature drying and shaping.

(early Miracle Baked Blush)

(currently Miracle Baked Blush)

Baked makeup is still popular today and is available in many brands, such as M.A.C, milani, nyx, etc., but the most classic one is the Baked Blush from Paris.