Cosmetics are composed of mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either natural sources or synthetically created ones.[1] Cosmetics have various purposes, including personal and skin care. They can also be used to conceal blemishes and enhance natural features (such as the eyebrows and eyelashes). Makeup can also add colour to a person’s face, or change the appearance of the face entirely to resemble a different person, creature, or object.[2]
People have used cosmetics for thousands of years for skin care and appearance enhancement. Visible cosmetics for women and men have gone in and out of fashion over the centuries.
Some early forms of cosmetics used harmful ingredients such as lead that caused serious health problems and sometimes resulted in death. Modern commercial cosmetics are generally tested for safety but may contain controversial ingredients, such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), formaldehyde releasers, and ingredients that cause allergic reactions.
The European Union and regulatory agencies around the world have stringent regulations for cosmetics. In the United States, cosmetic products and ingredients do not requre FDA approval. Some countries have banned using animals for cosmetic testing
Though the legal definition of cosmetics in most countries is broader, in some Western countries, cosmetics are commonly taken to mean only makeup products, such as lipstick, mascara, eye shadow, foundation, blush, highlighter, bronzer, and several other product types.[clarification needed]
In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates cosmetics,[5] defines cosmetics as products “intended to be applied to the human body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance without affecting the body’s structure or functions.” This broad definition includes any material intended for use as an ingredient in a cosmetic product, with the FDA specifically excluding pure soap from this category.[6]
osmetics designed for skin care may be used to cleanse, exfoliate and protect the skin, as well as replenish it, through the use of body lotions, cleansers, toners, serums, moisturizers, eye creams, retinol, and balms. Cosmetics designed for more general personal care, such as shampoo, soap, and body wash, can be used to clean the body.
Cosmetics have been in use for thousands of years, with ancient Egyptians and Sumerians using them. In Europe, the use of cosmetics continued into the Middle Ages—where the face was whitened and the cheeks rouged—[8] though attitudes towards cosmetics varied throughout time, with the use of cosmetics being openly frowned upon at many points in Western history.[9] Regardless of the changes in social attitudes towards cosmetics, ideals of appearance were occasionally achieved through the use of cosmetics by many.
According to one source, early major developments in cosmetics include:[1]