Cosmetics

COSMETICS (from the Greek kosmetike—the art of adorning), the care for the beauty of a person's appearance. The concept of beauty is different not only among different peoples and in different times, but also among individuals. Thus, among primitive peoples, a face is considered beautiful if it is disfigured (from the European point of view) by means of artificially induced linear and figured keloid scars, or a lower lip strongly pulled forward by means of a wooden plug inserted into a slit in the lip, or the painting of the face with yellow, blue, red, white paints, etc. Care for the beauty of appearance has existed among all peoples and at all times. It is known, for example, that in ancient Egypt, the tinting of eyebrows and eyelashes black, the coloring of hair, nails, etc., were widely used, which has been established upon examination of mummies preserved to the present day. From the Egyptians, some cosmetic agents were likely adopted by other peoples, in particular the Jews, among whom fragrant oils were used in certain rituals; these agents include “henna” (kopher) for hair dye, white lead, rouge, etc. In ancient Greece, baths and bathing with subsequent rubbing of the body with various oils became customary. At that time, white lead and rouge (cinnabar) were also used. In Rome, cosmetic agents found even greater application: various powders made from beans, flowers, and plant roots were introduced; soap made from goat fat and ash was used, as well as various emulsions of milk and fragrant liquids, with alcohol—unknown at the time—being replaced by wine; pomades were prepared from sheep's wool fat, thoroughly washed and repeatedly boiled with fragrant wine to eliminate the unpleasant odor, etc. Baths made of bran, hops, etc., were widely used; donkey milk was highly valued for washing; thorough care was taken of the nails, the oral cavity (toothbrushes, artificial teeth, various rinses, fragrant substances for chewing), and the hair (various hairstyles, coloring hair light with the help of alkalis, coloring gray hair, curling with hot tongs, etc.). Excess hair on exposed parts of the body, as well as hair in the armpits, was shaved off or epilated; various perfumes were widely used. Excessive spending on perfumes led to the issuance of a law prohibiting their import from abroad (Egypt, Greece). Various cosmetic agents were the secret of certain specialists engaged in their manufacture, although some of these agents were sold in contemporary pharmacies; there were also special perfume and cosmetic factories. Doctors also did not leave cosmetics without attention. Hippocrates notes as a lack of beauty certain skin changes, e.g., depigmentation, the formation of bald spots, redness of the nose, etc., and suggests using agents that produce “soft and beautiful” scars during treatment. A follower of Hippocrates, Diocles (Diokles), prescribes hygienic baths, massage, and the use of various oils and ointments to soften the skin. Archigenes (born in 54 BC) introduced the coloring of hair black. Crito (Kriton) even wrote a substantial work in 4 books on cosmetics. Galen notes that there is cosmetics that pursues the goals of natural beauty, and there is cosmetics—false camouflage, which includes various rouges and white leads, and that he is ashamed to write about these agents, although he does provide various prescriptions for them. Further, he notes hair loss, indicates methods of treating it with various oils and ointments (among which are Iberian and Spanish oils from unripe olives, castor oil), containing wolf's milk, tar, etc.; he notes walnut bark (green, fresh) as a hair dye, and provides agents that make hair thin or destroy it. In Arabic medical literature, space is devoted to cosmetic agents, among which are noted agents for coloring hair black, red, “fox” and other colors, agents against hair loss, agents for improving the skin, for eliminating red spots, scars, etc. In the 11th century, a work on women's cosmetics appeared (Trotula of Salerno). In the 13th century, the physician Gilbert the Englishman devoted space to cosmetics in his works. At the same time, the work of William of Saliceto (Gulielmo di Saliceto; 1210–80) appeared, with the 3rd book devoted to various diseases of the hair. In the 14th century, works by the English physician John of Gaddesden, the Italian physician Nicolo Bertuccio, the Frenchman Henri de Mondeville, and others appeared. In the 12th century in England, a pale skin color was in fashion, as a result of which white lead was widely used there; at the same time, rouge was very popular in France. At the beginning of the 14th century in Western Europe, cosmetics were widely used: various hair dyes, agents for hair growth and removal (for the latter purpose, they even resorted to inserting hot needles into the hair follicles), agents against freckles, various rouges, white leads, tooth powders, etc. The prominent 14th-century surgeon Guy de Chauliac devotes space to cosmetics, recommending for the improvement of skin color flour from beans, wheat, rice, almonds in the form of a paste with milk or an ointment with mercuric chloride; for washing hair, he recommends using egg white, against hair loss—various agents, including tincture of Spanish fly; hair dyes, depilatories, etc. In the 16th century, Giovanni Marinello wrote a work (“Cosmetics for Women”), where space is devoted to perfumery, aromatic baths, various agents against obesity and thinness, against sweat and its foul odor, various rouges, white leads, etc. In the 17th century, various rouges and white leads were in great use not only for the face but also for the neck, hands, chest, and other parts of the body, which sometimes led to fatal poisonings from lead white; light hair color was in fashion (especially among Venetian women); powder was widely used; beauty patches of various shapes were applied to the face, sometimes in inordinately large quantities, belladonna was dropped into the eyes, etc. A huge number of cosmetic agents appeared on the market: tinctures, essences, rouges, white leads, powders, elixirs, balms, dyes for hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, etc. In 1750, wigs came into fashion. Subsequently, a turn toward the natural is noted (mineral, steam baths), and wigs went out of fashion. At the end of the 18th century, the English Parliament prohibited the use of rouge, after which only hygienic measures remained in use. The main place in modern cosmetics should be given to hygienic measures for the care of the skin, hair, oral cavity, etc.; then follow physical and chemical agents for correcting various cosmetic defects, including the use of surgical intervention, and the last place can be occupied by various agents for masking cosmetic shortcomings. Cosmetic agents. Water. Used in the form of washings, baths, showers, etc. Temperature and quality of water play an essential role. Hot water is used as a cleansing agent that causes an influx of blood to the skin; it is used in the form of washings, rarely in the form of general baths, more often in the form of local or steam baths in the treatment of acne and various infiltrative processes of the skin. Warm water is used for washing, baths; cool water serves the same purpose. Cold water is used for rinsing after the use of hot water, to strengthen the influx of blood to the skin and to increase its tone. Forms of water application: baths, showers, etc.—see Hydrotherapy. Frequent washing has a harmful effect on the skin, causing dryness and peeling, and sometimes inflammatory phenomena. Soft water (e.g., rainwater) should be used; hard water, especially well water, is often poorly tolerated by the skin (dryness, peeling), cleans the skin poorly, and upon drying leaves a whitish coating of lime salts on it; soap lathers poorly in it, which is why such water must be softened by the addition of soda, borax. Sunlight or light from artificial sources (ultraviolet and heat rays), when used rationally, contributes to strengthening the skin and its greater resistance to pustular and saprophytic-fungal lesions. Methodical light baths are prescribed for a tendency of the skin to form acne, pustular rashes, seborrheic eczema, etc. Air in the form of air baths, especially along with proper gymnastic exercises, has a strengthening effect on the skin. Excessively humid cold and hot, as well as dry hot air, can cause skin irritation. Soap is used as an agent for cleansing the skin of dirt and grease. Alkaline soaps (with an excess of alkali), neutral, and so-called superfatted (with some excess of unsaponified fat) are distinguished. The former remove grease better and are prescribed for excessively oily skin; they often cause skin irritation, which is why it is generally better to prescribe neutral soap, and for persons with irritable skin—superfatted, or to refuse the use of soap altogether, at least for a time. Toilet soaps contain an admixture of essential oils, which can cause skin irritation in some persons; the most suitable are glycerin, lanolin, or superfatted soaps, as they are the least irritating to the skin. Fats are used to soften the skin, especially in case of its excessive dryness, peeling, and the formation of cracks.

Furthermore, they protect the skin from harmful external influences; they are also prescribed for cleansing the skin in individuals who, due to skin irritability, cannot use water and soap for washing. Fats are used in the form of liquid oils (almond, olive, sesame, castor, vaseline, etc.) and soft fats (lanolin, lard, vaseline, etc.). Solid fats (spermaceti, cocoa butter, etc.) are usually used in mixtures with other ingredients in the form of various ointments and creams. Their formulas are approximately as follows: Rp.: White wax, Spermaceti 4.0 each; melt and mix with sweet almond oil 45.0, scented oil 0.5, label. Rp.: Spermaceti 10.0, castor oil 60.0, almond oil 20.0, scented oil 1.0, label. Rp.: White wax, spermaceti 8.0 each, sweet almond oil 50.0, vaseline, rose water 20.0 each, borax 1.0, scented oil 0.6. Or standard pharmacopoeia formulas are prescribed: emollient ointment, spermaceti ointment, pomade ointment. Glycerin should not be used in its pure form, as it causes a burning sensation and irritates the skin; in diluted form or in mixtures with other substances, it is an excellent emollient, especially for dry and peeling skin. It is a component of various toilet waters, creams, etc. Exemplary formulas: Rp.: Glycerin 500.0, orange blossom water 250.0, scented oil 2.0, wine spirit 25.0. Rp.: Starch, distilled water 10.0 each, glycerin 90.0, scented oil 0.5, label. Rp.: Powdered tragacanth 10.0, distilled water 20.0, glycerin 50.0, tincture of benzoin 10.0, scented oil 0.3, label. Rp.: Glycerin 100.0, orange blossom water 1,000.0, borax 8.0, label. Rp.: Gelatin 2.0, alcohol 10.0, glycerin 60.0, distilled water 30.0, label. For roughness of the hands arising from cold or frequent washing, especially with disinfectant substances, great benefit is derived from rubbing in at night into damp skin the so-called "glycerin-velour"—Glycerin 50.0, wine spirit 10.0, caustic ammonia 5.0, label. Alcohol is used as a skin-cleansing agent, especially for oily skin. Pure alcohol strongly dries the skin and is more often used in diluted form or in various mixtures in the form of so-called toilet waters, cologne (triple cologne—90-85% wine spirit with 2-3% essential oils and synthetic aromatic substances; floral cologne—the same composition, but more strongly scented and with weaker alcohol). Alkalis loosen the surface parts of the horny layer of the epidermis and saponify skin fat. Borax is most often used in various solutions: Rp.: Borax 2.0, distilled water 25.0, scented oil 0.2, label. Rp.: Bitter almond 10.0, make an emulsion with 100.0 distilled water, add borax 5.0, tincture of benzoin 10.0, label; it is often mixed into various creams and ointments. Other alkalis (soda, potash) are used less frequently. Acids are used as cosmetic agents in weak solutions. Acetic acid is most often used in the form of so-called toilet vinegar; boric acid (in solutions, ointments, powders), lactic, salicylic, and others. Powders are used partly for hygienic purposes (against sweat, excess fat), and partly to mask an unattractive skin color and its oily sheen. Formulas are various, for example: Rp.: Zinc oxide, Venetian talc 10.0 each, rose oil 1 drop, make a powder. Rp.: Rice starch 20.0, lavender oil 1 drop, make a powder. Rp.: Rice starch 100.0, bismuth subnitrate 20.0, make a powder. For scent, various essences or essential oils are mixed into the powder; furthermore, powders are prepared in different shades by adding coloring substances. Hygienic powder contains pure starch or equal parts of starch and talc. Dry toilet powder is a mixture of rice and wheat starch with zinc oxide (not higher than 20%), magnesium acetate, kaolin, precipitated chalk, barium sulfate, zinc stearate, talc, etc., in the most varied proportions and combinations. Oily powder contains more (up to 40-50%) skin-whitening substances, such as zinc, kaolin, etc., or contains lanolin and vaseline (0.5-1%), which contributes to better adhesion to the skin. Powder is colored pink with carmine or eosin, and in Rachel shade with ochre or a mixture of ochre and eosin. Suspensions (shake mixtures) are used instead of powder. Rp.: Zinc oxide, Venetian talc, glycerin, distilled water 25.0 each, label. Rp.: Bismuth subnitrate 10.0, zinc oxide, Venetian talc, glycerin 20.0 each, distilled water 100.0. White lead and rouge are used to mask a poor skin color and its various defects. Liquid, dry, and so-called fatty white lead and rouge are distinguished. Zinc oxide, talc, bismuth nitrate, and precipitated chalk, colored with carmine and eosin, are used for their preparation. Liquid white lead represents a suspension of the indicated powders in water, and fatty ones are pastes consisting of the above-indicated powders mixed with creams. Remedies against acne: predominantly sulfur preparations in the form of ointments, shake mixtures, soaps, etc., usually mixed with camphor, salicylic acid, resorcinol; they are used alongside general treatment and vaccines; in addition—mechanical squeezing, massage, steam baths, quartz light, X-ray therapy. Remedies against warts: electrolysis, ionization, X-rays; for flat juvenile warts—arsenic preparations (internally or subcutaneously), calcined magnesia (0.4-0.5 three to four times a day), or pills of yellow mercurous iodide. Remedies against vascular spots: electrolysis, high-voltage currents, alcohol injections with simultaneous compression, carbon dioxide snow, radium. Remedies against freckles and pigment spots: borax solutions with tincture of benzoin, ointments with perhydrol, white precipitate of mercury, corrosive sublimate or corrosive sublimate solutions (exfoliating treatment methods), epicarin, beta-naphthol, etc. In addition, for pigment spots, causal treatment. Remedies against excessive sweat (hands, feet, armpits): alcoholic solutions with beta-naphthol, salicylic acid, formalin; powders with the same additives, painting with iodine tincture, chromic acid solution, etc., X-ray therapy. To eliminate the foul odor of sweat—powders with an admixture of alum. Hair removal agents: as a palliative, various depilatories (Rp.: Barium sulfide freshly prepared, zinc oxide 10.0 each, label. Rp.: Strontium sulfide 8.0, zinc oxide, starch 12.0 each, label, Rhusma turcorum, etc.); ointments with perhydrol (5-15%) for bleaching or alongside rubbing with pumice for gradual thinning of hair. For radical hair removal—electrolysis (better—the so-called subcutaneous method) or thermocoagulation. The local application of thallium (ointments, cataphoresis) is in the experimental stage. X-rays and radium cannot be recommended for radical hair removal due to the danger of skin atrophy. Hair coloring agents: for graying hair and for coloring it a darker shade—preparations of silver, copper, iron, and pyrogallic acid. For coloring to a light shade—hydrogen peroxide in solution or in the form of ointments (abuse ruins the hair). Silver hair dyes consist of two compositions: an ammoniacal solution of silver nitrate and an alcoholic solution of pyrogallic acid. Bismuth, cobalt, copper, and nickel salts with pyrogallic acid or iron salts also color hair in various shades. Of the organic hair dyes, salts of para-aminodiphenyl-aminosulfonic and ortho-aminophenylsulfonic acids, which do not cause side effects on the skin, are permitted in the USSR. Plant dyes have gained wide distribution, especially in the East, for hair coloring: henna and basma (indigo). The use of silver nitrate and other dyes for coloring eyelashes often causes eye irritation. For coloring eyebrows and eyelashes, a mass is used consisting of spermaceti, wax, almond or vaseline oil, fused with soot for black color, umber for brown [pencils, pastes]. This same mass, colored with alkanin, carmine, or fat-soluble aniline dyes, is used for making greasepaint (see also Makeup)]. Agents for washing the head: powder shampoo—sodium bicarbonate or sodium carbonate with borax, more often in a mixture with soap powder; liquid shampoo—potassium soft (green) soap, dissolved in water, with the addition of a small amount of alcohol and glycerin; pixaphon—liquid tar soap; vegetal—80% wine spirit, scented, sometimes with 5% glycerin; earlier, vegetals contained egg yolks in their composition; cinchona water—60-70% alcoholic tincture of cinchona bark; often cinchona water represents scented alcohol, colored to the appropriate shade with catechu tincture or some extract; purified petroleum (Oleum Petrae rectific.) is also a component of hair products. Agents for nail care: hot baths, use of soft ointments; for polishing nails—powders and pastes (Rp.: Tin oxide 30.0, carmine 0.5, make a powder. Rp.: Calcined magnesia 10.0, glycerin 4.0, carmine 2.0, make a paste) and lacquers, representing a solution of celluloid in a mixture of acetone and amyl acetate. Agents for oral cavity care: various powders, pastes for cleaning teeth (chlorodont, kalodont—see.

Tooth powder and tooth elixir—an alcoholic solution of peppermint oil or menthol, sometimes mixed with anise, clove, or cinnamon oils, as well as with boric, benzoic (1%), salicylic (1%) acids, salol, etc.; elixirs are colored with carmine, rhatany extract, or catechu. The increased consumption of cosmetic products has brought into existence a factory-based cosmetic industry: accordingly, all technological processes of cosmetic production are currently mechanized. Cosmetic products must be harmless to health; therefore, their production is regulated by special legal provisions. In the RSFSR, this is provided for by the circular of the People's Commissariat of Health B-254/64 of July 30, 1929. According to this circular, cosmetic products include lip pomades and lipsticks, rouge, face powder, face powder, eyebrow pencils, nail products, hair dyes and pomades, as well as hygienic products: tooth powders, pastes, mouthwashes, toilet waters (including eau de Cologne), ointments and creams for the skin, products for scalp care, depilatories, hygienic baths, products for air deodorization, and mosquito repellents. These products must be prepared from preparations that meet the requirements of the pharmacopoeia and other official guidelines, and must not contain salts of copper, cadmium, arsenic, tin, mercury (except for white mercury precipitate up to 5%), lead and its compounds, antimony, uranium, chromium, zinc (except for the oxide), methyl alcohol, chlorinated hydrocarbons, gasoline, nitrobenzene, paraphenylenediamine; barium sulfide and strontium are permissible only in depilatories, and barium sulfate in powders; of bismuth salts, the basic nitrate and basic chloride are permitted. It is permitted to color cosmetic products with dyes that are 1) vegetable and animal (carmine), 2) mineral, not containing the above-mentioned metals and other ingredients, and 3) aniline (eosin, methyleosin, phloxine, rose bengal, rhodamine, methylene blue, methyl violet, patent blue, and auramine). Cosmetic products consist of a base and a perfume, which imparts fragrance to the cosmetic products. Cosmetic surgery in the form of various plastic operations to correct the shape of the nose, ears, to eliminate sagging cheeks, a double chin, scars, and skin defects, as well as to change the size and shape of the mammary glands, etc.—see Plastic operations.