26Sarah Breedlove: Trailblazing Millionaire
Sarah Breedlove, an orphan born to freed slaves, achieved the distinction of being the first self-made female millionaire in U.S. history in the early 1900s by creating and selling homemade hair-care products through her own factory. She further established a beauty school to train sales agents. Adjusting for inflation, the $1 million she earned then would be equivalent to $13 million today.
27. The spa and beauty industries coined the term "cellulite" to market their goods. Many in the medical community view it as the "normal condition of many women" rather than a disorder.
28. NASA engineers designed a makeup kit for female astronauts, anticipating their desire for makeup in space.
29. The most effective lip balm or ointment includes petrolatum to lock in moisture and dimethicone to seal off cracks in dry lips. Lip balms with menthol, camphor, and fragrances can exacerbate lip issues.
30. Cleopatra's eyeliner, containing lead salt, served both beauty and medicinal purposes, protecting her against eye diseases by eliciting an immune response that killed bacteria. The use of lead in ancient Egyptian eyeliner also contributed to the origin of the color Kohl.
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31Arsenic: Beauty's Deadly Past
Arsenic was sold as a beauty product in the late 1800s. Women would nibble on wafers or wash with the poison, hoping to achieve an ideal complexion free of "freckles, blackheads, and pimples."
32. In 2017, the world's fastest-growing cosmetic procedure was labiaplasty.
33. In Britain's Victorian Age, when wearing makeup was linked to low morals, women pinched their cheeks and bit their lips to make them appear red.
34. Moisturizers don't moisturize the skin but prevent it from losing hydration. Additionally, there is a technical distinction between creams, ointments, and lotions.
35. In 1915, a farmer witnessed his sister making mascara with coal and petroleum jelly, inspiring him to create a more user-friendly product. His invention, named Maybelline after his sister Maybel and the base material Vaseline, was easier to apply and gentle on the eyes.
