History of Mineral Foundation Makeup

Mineral Makeup is not a recent discovery; it has actually been around for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians took a great deal of pride in their appearance and different techniques were discovered to extract pigments from the world around them. Plants, minerals and metals were used to decorate their eyes, lips and cheeks as well as to care for their skin.

Some of the more ancient pigments come from kohl, ochre, copper, mica, malachite and other rocks and minerals. The Egyptians were not the only cultural group to decorate their skin; prehistoric Native Americans, Inca, Aztec, Babylonians, Greek, Chinese and many other different women used minerals and plants to create their own makeup. Some cultures even took it to a different level by tattooing these pigments directly into their skin much the same way it is done today.

In ancient cultures makeup was though to alleviate a person, and put them closer to the gods. The more you wore, the more beautiful you were, the closer to your gods you could become. Makeup is also associated with social status. In Asia, Geisha used to powder their faces and outline their features with charcoal, giving them a very distinguished look. In Europe, the aristocracy would powder their faces, giving them a different appearance from common women. Pale skin in both cultures was a highly prized commodity, the more snow white you were the more beautiful. Even men were known to paint their faces pale considering it gave them more authority.