Hey everyone and welcome back to my blog! Doing this for so long you’d think I’d run out of random things to write about but here I am, a well of knowledge and strange bar trivia. So, this week, let’s talk about my favorite thing in the world: vintage makeup packaging!
Going way back in history, examples of cosmetics packaging are not what we picture today. Ancient Egypt used siltstone containers to hold cosmetics with mixing palettes in which minerals would be mixed with oil. Ancient Greece and Rome saw the advent of glass lidded containers to hold oils, perfumes, and powders. During the Renaissance the need for containers durable enough for travel began, starting a trend in metal containers.
So, now that the basics of ancient cosmetic packaging have been established, let’s jump into makeup of the 20th century! In the 1910’s we saw conservative home use of cosmetics, meaning no compacts or outside makeup application was seen. During this time, lipstick was sold wrapped in silk paper which made it difficult to carry the product in a purse. 1915 saw the invention of the metal lipstick tube created by Maurice Levy, which made transporting your favorite shade for reapplication much easier. The first tube featured a slide mechanism to push the lipstick up (the twist tubes that are still popular today), were patented by James Bruce Mason Jr. in 1923. By the late 1920’s, prohibition swept through the United States and flappers began wearing heavy makeup and applying it with compacts in public, but by the 1930’s the makeup trend went back to natural and conservative due to the Great Depression.
During the 1940’s, women began earning their own income through war efforts, so jewelry companies sold ornate and bedazzled compacts while makeup companies sold the inserts for them. The 1950’s saw the rise of television; instructional videos were being released and women were now following along to achieve the “perfect” slim face look. By the 1960’s plastic became popular, and the decorative compacts of the past began going out of style for the ready-made products that we are more familiar with today.
In the 21st century, some women are opting to purchase and collect vintage compacts and lipstick tubes in an effort to be more sustainable, choosing to buy replacement makeup pans to insert into the packaging like our grandmothers and great grandmothers did before us. Not only is it environmentally friendly, but it adds just a touch of elegance to the application. How exciting is it that trends circle back around? It’s only a matter of time before we see the active use of reusable makeup packaging again!
