Posted on 31st Oct 2011 @ 7:45 PM

Read an interesting article today, sharing with everyone =)

History of Mascara

First, a quick bit of background: We know that mascaras have been around since at least 4000 BC because historical records show that Egyptians used charcoal and other minerals to darken their lashes and eyelids. In modern times, mascara first appeared in the form of a pressed cake that was applied by wetting a brush, rubbing it on the cake and then appling it to eyelashes. The cake consisted of a mixture of black pigments and soap chips. 

Modern Times Mascara

The next innovation in mascara involved a lotionlike version of the soap cake that was packaged in a tube and squeezed onto a small brush to apply. Mascara as we know it today was created in the 1960s with the invention of a grooved brush that could apply a consistent amount of the pigment. This is the basic form that's still used today. 

Common Ingredients

The primary ingredients in mascara are pigments - the chemicals that provide color. Carbon black and iron oxides provide black, brown and red colors: ultramarine blue provides blue and green shades. These pigments are mixed together in a cosmetic base that is an emulsion of oils, waxes and water. 

How mascara works

When you stick the brush into the mascara tube and pull it out, a metering ring built into the orifice scrapes off the excess mascara so the brush has a controlled amount on it. When you brush your eyelashes, just the right amount gets delivered to each tiny hair fiber. The waxy nature of the mascara helps form a relatively thick coating that, due to the high wax concentration, is essentially waterproof. That's how a good mascara can resist smudging and bleeding. The result are your eyelashes get a nice splash of color and they look much plumper.