Five thousand years of painting faces, from Egyptian kohl to the contoured selfie.
By Shreya S · Last reviewed 15 November 2026
How old is makeup?
Ancient Egyptians lined their eyes with kohl and coloured them with green malachite, for beauty and to protect against sun and infection. Kohl, or kajal, has been used across South Asia and the Middle East ever since. Ancient Romans and Greeks used chalk and lead to lighten skin and plant dyes for lips and cheeks.
Was makeup ever dangerous?
Very. In Elizabethan England, the fashionable white face, worn by Elizabeth I, was made with ceruse, a paste of white lead that damaged skin and poisoned its wearers. Lead, mercury and arsenic turned up in cosmetics well into the 19th century, when Victorian morals also made visible makeup suspect.
When did the modern beauty industry begin?
In the early 20th century, led by rival entrepreneurs Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden. Maybelline sold mascara from 1917, and Max Factor, a wig and makeup maker for Hollywood films, brought screen makeup to ordinary women and helped popularise the word “make-up”. Revlon began with nail enamel in 1932. Cinema stars, from Clara Bow to Marilyn Monroe, set each decade’s face.
How has it changed since?
The 1960s had Twiggy’s painted lashes, the 1970s glitter and disco, the 1990s brown lips and “no-makeup” makeup. YouTube tutorials and Instagram brought contouring and full glam in the 2010s, while Fenty Beauty’s 40 foundation shades in 2017 forced the industry to cater for every skin tone. Today the mood swings between skincare-first minimalism and bold, playful colour.
Read on Ayerhs: Iconic Makeup Looks by Pat McGrath for Dior · From Instagram Face to AI Slop Face · Beauty Standards Are Inevitable