Cosmetics and Adornment

Book excerpt: This history of self-adornment follows the use of cosmetics and the similar aids to nature form their primitive origins to the vast international cosmetics industry of the present day. The first section spans the evolution of self-adornment throughout the world. The second section surveys contemporary trends in the manufacture and use of cosmetics and the role they play in society. Also related are some of the great international cosmetics houses and their founders, who include such personalities as Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden.