on May 05, 2020
Ever wondered how moisturiser got all up in your face? Turns out, it's been here since 200 B.C. Allow me to take you back to the bathroom of your babe-cestors.
200 B.C. — Ancient Egypt
Cleopatra was known to apply olive and palm oils to her skin to maintain her air of soft youthfulness. Things were simple, if a little greasy.
Less fortunately, Egyptian Queen Hatshepsut experienced death by moisturiser when she adopted a skin regime that included toxic tar residue, a carcinogenic compound found in the darkening lotion she used regularly. Beauty was already complicated.
Meanwhile in Australia
Australian Aboriginal peoples used emu oil, rendered from a fat pad on the bird's back, as a skin moisturiser and wound treatment. Rich in fatty acids, it turns out they were onto something. Emu oil is still used in skincare today.
150 A.D. — Ancient Greece
Galen, the Greek physician, created what is considered the first cold cream: a mix of water, olive oil, beeswax, and floral oils. The emulsion kept skin hydrated and protected. The basic logic hasn't changed much in nearly two thousand years.
1700s — Hello, lard
Americans discovered that lard was effective at relieving dry skin and sealing in moisture. It became a common ingredient in early moisturisers. Not quite where we are today, but the principle of occlusion was solid.
1870 — Vaseline enters the chat
Vaseline was invented and became the base for a wide range of moisturisers. Don't get too excited, babe. It was originally made from oil-rig residue left over from machine pumps. Petroleum jelly, born in an oil field. It works, though.
1970 — Babe took things into her own hands
Anita Roddick developed body butter, a thick cream made from nut oils, in her kitchen. It became a bestseller and helped shift the industry toward plant-derived ingredients. The idea that better ingredients make better products was beginning to catch on.
A few decades later…
I made a Caffeinated Face Moisturiser.
And babe lived happily ever after.
x frank
