Who Invented Mascara?

Applying mascara gives the appearance and fuller-looking lashes which, in turn, defines the eyes. The simple act of darkening and lengthening the eyelashes can instantly elevate your appearance. That said, it’s no wonder mascara has become one of the most beloved tools in makeup kits around the world! In fact, it’s such an integral part of our beauty routines that we tend to overlook its origins.

The mascara you’re familiar with today has a colorful history that spans over 6,000 years, with its earliest use dating back to ancient Egypt. It wasn’t until the turn of the 19th century that the first modern predecessor to mascara was made by Eugène Rimmel and later introduced as a commercial product by Thomas Lyle and Maybel Williams, who you may know as popular beauty brands Rimmel London and Maybelline.

Needless to say, mascara has gone through massive transformations over the centuries. Are you ready to take a deep dive into the history of your favorite eye makeup product? Keep reading to learn about the history of mascara.

History of Mascara

Ancient Egypt

We have the ancient Egyptians to thank for a variety of discoveries and innovations, including the common ancestor of our favorite eye makeup products: kohl.

The precursor to what we know as mascara began around 4000 BC in ancient Egypt. Kohl was made from crushed minerals such as antimony, galena, malachite, and charcoal. The powder was then combined with other ingredients like honey, water, crocodile stool, and ointments to turn it into a spreadable paste. It was applied with bone and ivory, an ancient version of a mascara wand.

Both men and women used kohl to darken and accentuate the lashes, which was believed to protect the eyes against bright sunlight, as well as ward off evil spirits.

Ancient Rome

In Ancient Rome, a philosopher by the name of Pliny the Elder claimed that eyelashes were a symbol of youth and chastity, and that excessive sex caused them to fall out. Consequentially, long and thick eyelashes were considered beautiful and became highly sought after.

To prove their chastity, women used a mixture of kohl, ash, soot, burnt cork, rose petals, and date pits to darken their eyelashes.

Following the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 CE, the use of makeup declined in the European continent where it was used mainly used for cosmetic purposes. However, eye cosmetics continued to be used in Middle Eastern countries, as they held religious significance.

Middle Ages

A major shift in beauty trends occurred during the Middle Ages, wherein a high forehead was considered to be a woman’s most attractive feature. Thus, women resorted to removing most (if not all) of their eyelashes and eyebrows to emphasize their foreheads, even going as far as to push the hairline back to create a larger-looking forehead.

Although it was available at the time, mascara (and eye makeup in general) took a backseat during this period.

The Renaissance

The Renaissance marked a rebirth in art, literature, and eye cosmetics such as mascara. Despite the disapproval from the church, affluent women used antimony, soot, or crushed walnut shells to darken their lashes.

Elizabethan Era

The use of makeup continued to rise when Queen Elizabeth I took the throne in 1558. Her iconic red hair and lashes instantly became a trend. Women started experimenting with dyeing their lashes using a mixture of crushed berries and soot from fireplaces. This proved to be dangerous, as certain toxic substances caused hair loss and other health issues.

Victorian Era

Social opinion on makeup radically shifted during the Victorian era, when the use of cosmetics became prominent. Women put a considerable amount of time and energy into their beauty regimens and overall appearance, developing homemade recipes for different types of makeup. They created mascara at home by heating a mixture of ashes, elderberries, and lampblack (soot from oil lamps) and applying it to their lashes.

In 1872, petroleum jelly (commonly referred to by its brand named, Vaseline) was patented in the US. This vital ingredient would soon be used to develop the modern mascara that we know today.

Before the turn of the century, Eugène Rimmel, a French chemist and perfumer to Queen Victoria, combined the newly invented petroleum jelly with coal dust to create the world’s first commercial mascara. This new cosmetic was sold in cake form and applied with a brush.  The non-toxic formula was messy and inconsistent — imperfect by all means. Yet, it was such a sensation across Europe that the name ‘Rimmel’ is sometimes used synonymously with mascara in Portuguese, Spanish, Greek, Turkish, Romanian, and Persian languages to this day.

20th Century

Across the Atlantic Ocean in the early 1900s, pharmacist Thomas Lyle Williams created a mascara for his sister, Maybel Williams, whom he had witnessed applying a homemade mixture of coal dust, burnt cork, and Vaseline to her eyelashes after a kitchen accident that burned her lashes and brows off.

The mascara, which was formulated very similarly to Rimmel’s, was sold through mail order in 1917 and was the first marketable mascara in the American cosmetic industry. It was initially called Lash-Brow-Ine, until Thomas changed the finished product’s name to Maybelline, a play on the names Maybel and Vaseline, in honor of his sister.

In 1938, the first waterproof mascara was produced. Although popular, the formula included turpentine, a foul-odored toxic ingredient that lead to health issues such as eye irritation, itchiness, and redness.

No significant improvements were made to mascara until 1957, when businesswoman Helena Rubinstein created a formula that transformed mascara from a hard cake to a lotion-based cream. The new mascara was packaged in a tube and sold with a brush applicator.

Soon after Rubinstein’s innovation, Maybelline launched the Ultra Lash Mascara in 1960, the first “automatic” mascara, wherein the brush came inside the tube, so it coated itself with product.

Who Invented Mascara?

The first commercial mascara was invented by Eugène Rimmel in the late 1800s. Several innovations were made to its formula and packaging over the years, eventually resulting in the modern mascara we’re familiar with today.

source https://degreesofvanity.com/who-invented-mascara/