History of skin care
- The claims made about skin lotions, powders, creams, bleaches, ointments, and cleansers straddle the line between medicinal cosmetics
- Claims that products will improve and protect skin health have come with stated or implied promise that skin will look smoother, cleaner, brighter, and glowing
- Beautiful skins is correlated with health so it is impossible to differentiate beauty claims from health claims and beauty products from health products
- Before the mass-marketing of cosmetic products, women often made their own skin care products from recipes passed down to them from mothers, friends, or women’s magazines
- These recipes promised to remove freckles, to calm rashes, or to reverse damages done by wind and sunburn while also promising to cure pimples and eczema, and make skin look youthful, soft, and smooth
- In the early 20th Century, a new generation of branded skin care products emerged. They were typically sold in upscale, brand-dedicated shops, in druggists and department stores, or by licensed agents
- Skin care in the 1900s continued to focus on ideals of youthful , clear, and supple skin. They claim skin renewal and anti-aging properties, as well as healthful soothing, moisturizing, detoxifying, and anti- acne effects
- One skin care ideal that has changed over time is skin color. White Americans have idealized a pale complexion for most of American history. A pale, creamy complexion and smooth white hands not only signified that one was racially white, they also demonstrated one’s wealth
- Because 19th Century Americans subscribed to an idealized version of “natural” beauty, the use of cosmetics to give the appearance of a white, smooth, clear complexion was looked upon as false and indecent. Women were supposed to earn their good complexion through good health practices and moral living
- Despite the social “banning” on cosmetic use, women often secretly sought and used cosmetic skin preparations. Many women were willing to use products that were harmful. They contained toxic mercury, arsenic, and lead. Although doctors and women’s magazines railed against the dangers of using these products, many women believed the packaging it came in, saying their products were “perfectly safe”.
- Both white women and women of color used products to bleach their skin, to lighten or conceal, discolored areas, and to soothe and smooth irritated skin and acne
- Few mainstream cosmetic companies marketed to or acknowledge African American consumers, and most common skin care products were not manufactured in colors to suit darker skin
- Talcum powder, used to protect and soothe skin while also absorbing the shine of perspiration, in its natural state, provided a white tint to the skin
- It was also available in pinkish or “flesh” tints
- In response, women such as Madame C.J. Walker and Annie Turnbo Malone started successful companies to supply darker skinned women with skin care and beauty products
- In the late 1920s, acquiring a light summer tan became fashionable. By the late 1930s, cosmetic companies began to offer face powders in darker shades that emulated a tan-or even a hint of exotic ethnicity-on white skin
- Although these early tanning oils promised to protect skin health while promoting a beautiful tan, they actually provided almost no protection from sun damage
- Sunscreens with SPF (sun protection factor) ratings were introduced in the 1960s.
- Although sunscreens with a higher SPF ratings are more protective in some ways, they were generally only effective against UVB rays, which cause the burned and peeling skin we associate with sunburn. UVA rays were not understood to be a concern, and were not addressed by the SPF rating. By the 1990s, it was understood that both UVA and UVB rays can cause both cancer and “aging” of the skin, and sunscreens began to be marketed for UVA protection.
- Sunscreens are now rated as “multi-spectrum” or “broad spectrum,” if they protect against both UVA and UVB rays. People with naturally darker skin color are slightly more protected from UV radiation than those with pale skin, However, because skin cancers are more difficult to spot on darker complexions, physicians strongly advise people of all skin colors to wear sunscreens. Self-tanning sunless preparations and strong sunscreen lotions continue to be popular for both beauty and health reasons.