Historical Use of Cosmetics For Men

Egyptian Man

As generally recognized, topics related to men’s skin care used to be forbidden subjects. In the past generations, it is quite uncommon for men to be very fussy about their hygiene. Therefore, those men who actually spent some time taking care of their skin just kept silent about it. At that time, there was yet no skin care products made specific for men so they had to utilize the products women were using.

There is a pool of evidence that cosmetics have been utilized ever since the earliest days of human civilizations and presumably even in prehistoric periods. Cosmetics had been linked to the use in religious ceremony, medical practices, and of course amatory ornamentation.

The act of anointing of kings with oils and unguents was a practice popular to all earliest peoples. In addition, there was the use of paints for body parts like eyes, faces, and body as well as oils and unguents for the face, hands, and body.

The records and relics of the most ancient great civilizations such as Egyptian, Sumerian, Hebrew and Babylonian all confirmed common cosmetic customs. Kohl (a type of eye shadow) vases and balm pots, made of ivory, alabaster, wood, glass, and metal, have been discovered.

Majority of details on the use of cosmetics in olden days have been centered on Egypt. Different superior specimens of unguent pots and kohl vases were taken from the tombs of Menes and of Tutankhamen. In 1922, when the Tutankhamen tomb was opened, vases and pots were still scented from the essential oils they had originally contained.

It is known that Egyptians used cosmetics for many purposes like religious, dead embalming and for personal adornment. One of the known duties of Egyptian priests was applying cosmetics to the eyes of their gods. In personal use, detailed attention was given to the part of the eyes such as the lashes, eyebrows, and lids. They were painted black using kohl and the area below the eyes was colored green using malachite and this was a practice common in the First Dynasty.

At that time, henna was already used to paint the palms of the hands as well as the fingernails. The Egyptians likewise utilized wrinkle concealer using oil, wax, incense, and cypress berries; hair cosmetics; and even hair-restorers.

There are various Biblical references to the use of cosmetics by the Israelites who in most probability obtained most of the influence from the Egyptians.

Surveying the ancient history, it can be proved that the use of cosmetics was not restricted to women only as some kings and princes were also utilizing them.

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