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Swiping on your favourite lipstick instantly boosts your confidence and has long been considered a power move. Unlike any other arbitrary beauty choice, the lipstick made an impact ever since its inception, adding colour not just to our lips, but to the fabric of society for centuries. From being deemed uncouth to being lauded, the lipstick has travelled through thick and thin, and today, enjoys a well-deserved spot in our vanity. Take a stroll down memory lane to discover how this legendary cosmetic stood its ground throughout the ages.
In the history books...
Ancient Sumerian civilisations are recorded to be the earliest users of lipstick, with pigments procured from natural substances like fruits, henna, clay, rust, and even insects. Women in Mesopotamia were more flamboyant than the Sumerians as they used ground precious stones like rubies and others to add lustrous colour and shimmer to their lips. The cosmetic use of lipstick in Egypt was reserved mainly for the upper class and was an indicator of wealth.
Lipsticks were androgynous at the start, as both men and women in Sumerian and Egyptian civilisations wore it in several bold hues. The Renaissance period also witnessed aristocratic, well-travelled men indulge in red lipstick and rouge as recorded in the paintings of the period.
In 16th century England, Queen Elizabeth I loved wearing red lipstick and actually believed that it had magical powers that could prevent death. Ironically, the cause of her death was ruled to be lead poisoning due to high amounts of the element in her lipstick; moments before she died she was said to have kept applying lipstick and was found deceased with a half inch-thick layer of red lipstick on. Queen Victoria hated red lipstick, who during her reign, the cosmetic was perceived to be ill-mannered and was only reserved to be used by prostitutes and actors, both of which were marginalised professions at the time. In India, Mughal rulers were a fans of the cosmetic too, but instead of lead-laden formulas, the women used bay leaves or kifayti paan to acquire a reddish tinge on their lips.
1884 AD
Guerlain, a French perfume company, was the first to produce lipstick commercially. Their lipstick was made with deer tallow, beeswax, and castor oil which was wrapped in a silk paper.
1915
Lipsticks in cylindrical containers were invented by Maurice Levy. By 1920, lipstick had made a permanent place in the daily lives of women. In 1923, James Bruce Mason Jr made the swivel up tube and gave us modern lipstick as we know it today. The fashion icons of the day were the silent era movie stars, and people re-created their dark lips. Plums, aubergines, cherries, dark reds, and browns were the most sought-after colours in this era. Lipstick was inexpensive and mass produced. Magazines encouraged women to wear stylish colours, and women diligently abided.
The 20th century recognised red lipstick as a symbol of female protest. In 1912 New York, cosmetics entrepreneur and women’s rights advocate, Elizabeth Arden, handed out red lipstick to the marching suffragettes who were fighting for women’s right to vote. The suffragettes in the UK, US and other places wore red lipstick literally every day from then on, as part of their means to protest, without saying a word. They helped make red lipstick become a sign of a ‘modern woman’.
Rebel Pink Lips
The 1930s saw lipstick as a symbol of adult sexuality. Teenage girls believed that lipstick was a sign of womanhood, but the adults perceived wearing red lipstick as an act of rebellion. Several teen books and magazines in the mid-’40s stressed that men prefer a natural look over a made-up look, and that wearing cosmetics could ruin their chances of popularity and a career. The articles implied that teen girls who wore lipstick and rouge had loose characters and behaved provocatively with men. By the ‘50s, when stars like Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor in the West and our very own Madhubala unapologetically made red lipstick desirable, many cosmetic companies also started making lipsticks in more shades, like pinks, lavender, white, and so on. Since parents didn’t allow their teenage daughters to wear red, they rebelled by sporting shades of pink, which soon became a trend.
In the 1940s, World War II made red lipstick a political tool. Adolf Hitler infamously hated red lipstick, and so it became compulsory for every woman who joined the US army to wear the crimson cosmetic. Beauty brands caught on to this wartime trend, with Helena Rubenstein introducing ‘Regimental Red’, and Elizabeth Arden launching ‘Victory Red’ among others. The US government approached Arden to create a regulation lip and nail colour for the women serving in the forces and she came up with the ‘Montezuma Red’, the mandatory US army red lipstick shade which matched and accentuated their all-over piping red uniforms. Women who took on professional jobs while their husbands went to war were also encouraged to wear red lipstick as a means to boost morale. Churchill wouldn’t even allow lipsticks to be rationed during the war due to this reason.
Fun Facts
#1: In India, actor Madhubala was known to break beauty norms. The ’40s were a time when most female actors would shy away from bold makeup and wearing pants, but Madhubala sported them all. She flaunted glossy red lipstick in all its glory.
#2: Ghee mixed with dry petals of ratan-jyot was used as therapy for chapped and sore lips as an Ayurvedic practise in India. It later took up cosmetic value and is still used as a natural lip colour in some parts of the country.
“If you’re sad, add more lipstick and attack.” – Coco Chanel
Milestones
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Crushed gemstones in lipstick formulas
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First commercial lipstick by Guerlain
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Red lipstick accepted by Queens in the British Royal Family
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Mandatory red lipstick for female troops in the US army
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Teenage girls’ rebel with wearing pink because they were not allowed red
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Invention of stain-proof lipsticks
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Lipstick as a means of female protest
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A shift of perception, from lipstick being associated with prostitution to feminism
1930s: Max Factor started selling lip glosses and became a huge hit among the masses as earlier it was only reserved for Hollywood actresses. Hit by the depression, lipstick was an affordable luxury for the women in this era. Deep plum and burgundy were some of the preferred shades of this era.
1950s: In 1952, Queen Elizabeth II created her own shade during her coronation. The shade was customised by the Queen’s favourite brand, Clarins, and called the ‘The Balmoral’. The colour matched her coronation robe.
Kiss-Proof Lipsticks
Hazel Bishop, a chemist, successfully came up with a kiss-proof lipstick in the ’50s. Shortly after, Revlon introduced its own range of smudge-proof lipsticks and many other brands followed suit.
Lip Trends
Marilyn Monroe Red lips
The star was widely acclaimed for iconic beauty. From her hair to her makeup she exuded sex appeal and star quality like no other. Her signature red lipstick look is what popularised the trend world over. Monroe would use a combination of different shades of red on her lips to create her iconic voluminous red pout. She would apply a darker shade on the corners and outlines of her lips and a lighter shade at the centre, and then topped it off with gloss. The exact shade of red she wore was Ruby Red from Max Factor and that particular shade is still available today. It is, in fact, a part of the brand’s Marilyn Monroe collection.
Cupid’s bow lips
In the 1920s, the Cupid’s bow lipstick trend was popular, especially in the popular shades of the silent movie era—deep reds, plums, and browns. Hollywood actors Clara Bow helped popularise the trend too. The trend required one to make a puckered shape on the lips which did not follow the natural lip lines. Ideally, this trend could be created by applying the pigment with your thumbs like a thumbprint.
Lipstick Breakthrough
The ’60s and ’70s saw lipsticks take on a whole new evergreen avatar. Lip glosses and flavoured lip balms became popular. Mood lipsticks that changed colour according to your skin’s pH levels was also an interesting trend. Whacky colours like iridescent blue shimmer, purple, green, were all being introduced and worn. This was the era of many political movements and a surge of pop culture through music.
Lipsticks and face masks: The current stance
The metamorphosis of lipsticks is truly phenomenal. There was a slight hesitation at sporting lipsticks during a pandemic because of the necessary protective face gear, but this powerful cosmetic could not stay at the back of our beauty shelves any longer. Since its inception to present day, lipsticks have evolved and it continues to be a woman’s favourite makeup item. Today, transfer-proof lipsticks are the need of the hour and tinted lip balms are something that have temporarily replaced a bold bullet lipstick at least until we are able to ditch the masks. Lipstick formulas are getting better and brands are more conscious about using ingredients that are not harmful to humans, animals, or the environment. Cruelty-free, eco-conscious, vegan, are some of the key words in lipstick products these days and we aren’t complaining.
So, the next time you reach for your lipstick, think about it’s exciting journey through history and how the baton of female empowerment has passed on to you.
November is a very special month for us, as we celebrate 61 years of being India’s most-read women’s magazine. In this anniversary special, we celebrate New Beginnings in the post-pandemic world and have featured women who have been path-breakers in their fields by crossing the toughest barriers to reach where they are. Download our Anniversary 2020 issue and find out inspirational journeys of the latest copy and read about them UNSTOPPABLE women.
Also read: 2 Lipstick Contour Hacks For A Fuller Looking Pout