The ancient Egyptians formulated a purple-red color from a mixture of chemicals, which unfortunately lead to serious diseases - this formula later became known as the-kiss-of death.
Cleopatra’s lip color was made from crushed beetles and ants.
The Egyptians also created a shimmering effect from the scales of fish.
In 1770 Parliament in England passed a law against lipstick with the warning that women who seduced men into marriage by means of make up could be tried as witches!
At the end of the 1800’s French cosmetics company Guerlain were the first to create commercially successful lip rouge. Until then lip color was made in the home.
Max Factor invented lip-gloss in 1928 during a film shoot in Hollywood.
In the aftermath of Second World War the diameter of the lipstick itself, became identical in size to 12.7mm cartridges.
A survey in 1996 revealed that 87% of American women surveyed admitted to leaving lipstick traces on places where they should not be!
2004 saw the market launch of the first modern day lipstick for men (man-stick) created by Jean-Paul Gaultier.
