Guest editorial: Introduction to special issue on “selling beauty”

Abstract

We are delighted to present this special issue, entitled “Selling Beauty: Historical Perspectives on the Marketing of Cosmetics and Makeup”, to the readers of the Journal of Historical Research in Marketing.This special issue examines how cosmetic and makeup marketing have historically shaped – and been shaped by – cultural ideals of women’s health and beauty. Specifically, it seeks to uncover how manufacturers have responded to and capitalised on scientific, technological and media developments to create new beauty products or rebrand existing ones. It is particularly concerned with how cosmetic and makeup marketing promotes the concept of the “feminine ideal” (Thesander, 1997), which can be defined as a set of beauty standards to which women are expected to conform to increase their perceived physical attractiveness and, in many instances, their social standing. Ultimately, it hopes to provide crucial new insights into the significance of the 19th and early 20th centuries as periods of innovation in cosmetic and makeup marketing and how such marketing both generated new demands for cosmetic products and influenced consumers’ understanding of science.Despite the value of studying cosmetic and makeup marketing, it is only in recent decades that Cosmetic and Makeup History (CaMH) – understood broadly as the study of beauty culture across different societies and time periods—has gradually gained recognition as an emerging and significant academic field, which intersects with various debates, ranging from beauty and health to gender and environmental issues. However, it was not until the founding of the Cosmetic History and Makeup Studies Network in 2021 by Lucy Jane Santos and Hillary Belzer that scholars in this area had a dedicated platform for collaboration. Notwithstanding this progress, there remain no journals exclusively focused on CaMH, and, to our knowledge, no special issues or edited volumes exist to further raise awareness or encourage vital research, particularly in the area of marketing. Thus, this special issue’s secondary aim is to challenge the persisting stigmas surrounding the study of cosmetics and makeup by highlighting the breadth and depth of work being undertaken in this dynamic field. In doing so, it seeks to position cosmetics and makeup as serious topics of academic inquiry that demand critical, interdisciplinary approaches, thereby encouraging further research in this important yet often overlooked area.Given the hitherto lack of scholarly attention to cosmetic and makeup marketing, we begin this special issue by providing a much-needed overview of its historical development, tracing its transformation from a largely domestic and artisanal practice to a global, multi-billion-dollar enterprise. With this in mind, the following sections of this introduction chart key moments, shifts and tensions in the evolution of the industry, highlighting the social, cultural and economic forces that have shaped its trajectories.The definition of what constitutes “cosmetics” and “makeup” has evolved over time, but generally refers to products designed to improve skin condition, slow the ageing process or enhance/alter appearance. Before the 20th century, these products were often known as “paints” or “enamels”. This category also encompasses toiletries, including soap, toothpaste and shaving products.The use of such preparations dates back to the earliest civilisations, as evidenced by artwork, objects and human remains (Eldridge, 2015; Stewart, 2017). Natural elements such as iron oxides, charcoal and clay were applied as far back as 125,000 years, particularly in southern Africa (Eldridge, 2015; Stewart, 2017). These products served various purposes, including the expression of allegiance, the indication of social status, ritualistic practices and an aesthetic desire to self-decorate. Early humans exhibited a proto-scientific comprehension of the properties of these materials, combining them with natural binders like oils and animal fats to create simple cosmetics that also functioned as protective treatments for the skin. The advent of technological advancements, such as the development of tools for grinding minerals – along with stones, shells and other implements – enabled the refinement of cosmetic applications (Stewart, 2017). This innovation marked the early intersection of artistic and technological practices within prehistoric societies.The emergence of the written word around 3500–3000 BCE has left us with important historical evidence about the use of cosmetics and the attitudes towards them. Almost every culture developed its own beauty traditions, often linked by shared customs and trade. These traditions included practices, such as skin care, hair removal and the application of colouring agents like eye makeup, rouge (for both cheeks and lips) and face powders (Belzer, 2025). While these preparations were used by people of all social levels and by both men and women, their production was largely a domestic affair rooted in traditional practices (Downing, 2012). Consequently, cosmetic knowledge was largely shared through word of mouth or transmitted via letters and handwritten recipe collections in household manuals (Peiss, 1998). These multi-generational books were highly prized and passed down through families. For historians, they provide a valuable resource, offering insights into individuals’ lives and the technological expertise that women possessed at the time. This includes an understanding of natural ingredients, medical care and essential scientific processes like distillation and emulsification (Burke, 2023).A trade in pre-prepared cosmetics (i.e. those made by a third party, either to order or on spec and sold for money) has existed since at least the Old Kingdom of Pharaonic Egypt (2686 BCE). After the Roman conquest of Egypt, a wide range of exotic beauty products began to flow into Roman markets. One significant piece of evidence for this is the 2023 archaeological discovery of a Roman cosmetics store in Aizanoi, a city in western Turkey. Among the findings, by a team from Dumlupinar University, were perfume bottles, vividly coloured pigments and oyster shells used as containers for makeup (Sundaravelu, 2023).Following the fall of the Roman Empire in the West, much of the medical knowledge from antiquity was preserved by those in the eastern half of the empire, which later became the Byzantine Empire. In this region, medical texts were not only protected but also further developed, particularly through translations and original writings in Arabic. As the relationship between cosmetics and medicine remained strong, beauty products became an established branch of medicine within the Arabic tradition. Medical manuals from this period often included recipes for skincare treatments, hair restorers, dyes and methods of hair removal, combining the ancient Greek medical legacy with innovations from the Islamic world (Stewart, 2017).With the rise of Christianity in the West in the 4th century CE, evidence of beauty practices becomes more tenuous. The practice of burying cosmetics as grave goods ceased, and artwork from this period became more ambiguous in its portrayal of beauty rituals. Christianity largely stigmatised cosmetics, considering them sinful luxuries and condemning their use as an attempt to alter or improve upon God’s creation (Riehl, 2010). Despite this religious condemnation, the practice of applying makeup likely remained widespread, particularly among women of higher social status (Stewart, 2017).Cosmetics and their ingredients flowed through such as and southern with exotic products also being from and gained for cosmetics, a trade in goods that were across into the Early period These cosmetics were medical products by often with about their and dyes were to those in the of and the of in (Riehl, Stewart, 2017).Cosmetics remained into the century, particularly among the the use of makeup was both and It became a at and gradually to the (Peiss, 1998). 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The how cultural – from to – to the for value to scholars in is the creation of a of which the different through which the concept has been over time and the of to our Lucy Jane Santos examines the of the cosmetic which beauty products the within early cultural and scientific with the study how scientific medical and marketing to position as a in beauty. on and the how the and health – particularly following the of as a in in – its scientific time, the its to a of scientific from the and of cosmetics marketing in to cultural and scientific by the and how it capitalised upon the shifts in early to as a for how responded to the in domestic by women with to the of the time, the women work for the time by as a of also the between and that women the of their by by the cultural and significance of women’s the study how became a for social and the aesthetic of the