Marla Avery, age 14„ of Camden, N.J., for her question:
WHEN DID WE START USING COSMETICS?
Cosmetics are substances that are applied to the body to cleanse, promote attractiveness or to alter a person's appearance. Historians tell us that we have been using cosmetics for thousands of years.
First to use perfumes and anointing oils on the body were the ancient Egyptians. They started using cosmetics as early as 4000 B.C. They used their cosmetics for decoration, for protection against the hot and dry climate and for religious reasons.
The Egyptians as well as the Greeks and Romans made their cosmetics from plants. They also used powdered minerals to make hair dyes and face and eye makeup.
By the A.D. 1100s, the use of cosmetics had spread to western Europe. People of early African cultures of about the same period painted their bodies for war and magical ceremonies.
In North America, the first cosmetics were the animal fats used by the Indians long before the European explorers arrived. The Indians applied these substances as a base for their body paint and for protection from insects and the cold.
The Europeans who settled America brought cosmetics with them.
By the early 1900s, most people used only a few basic cosmetics, including face powder, rouge and shampoos. The demand for a wider choice of cosmetics grew tremendously after the 1930s, chiefly because of increasingly widespread advertising and promotion of these products.
Today the Food and Drug Administration, an agency of the federal government, regulates cosmetics in the United States. The FDA requires that cosmetics be safe and properly labeled. It also tests cosmetics for unsafe ingredients and inspects cosmetics factories.
In 1973, the FDA ruled that by 1976, all cosmetics manufacturers must list on each package the ingredients used in the product. This is now being done by all companies.
Today most cosmetics can be classified into four main groups, depending on the part of the body for which they are used: skin, hair, nails or mouth.
Skin cosmetics include such items as face powder, foundation, lipstick and rouge. Also classified as skin cosmetics are eyeliners, eye shadow and mascara as well as bath oils and powders, cold cream, deodorants, foot powder, hair removal substances, perfume, shaving cream and suntan lotion.
Soap is not considered a cosmetic.
Hair cosmetics include conditioners, permanent waves, shampoos, sprays and straighteners. Hair coloring products, such as bleaches and dyes, also are in this group.
Nail cosmetics include polish and cuticle softeners as well as creams and lotions that promote the growth of nails.
Mouth cosmetics include mouthwashes and sprays, toothpaste and other substances used to clean the teeth.
Some people use special medicinal cosmetics to conceal birthmarks, scars or other skin blemishes.