If anyone ever says to you that beauty is trivial stuff, you can now argue that it is actually a very educating matter. Throughout modern history, make-up and skincare products have been a great reflection of the economic health, the social climate, and the advancement of technology of mankind.
An Estee Lauder chairman Leonard Lauder coined the term lipstick index, explaining that lipstick sales could be an economic indicator — the more the economy dips, the higher the purchases of cosmetics given it was a way to relieve stress. While many economists argued, and some even claimed that nail polish would make a more suitable indicator, Lauder did have a point. Society and beauty products are indeed relevant.
Boots archivist Sophie Clapp said that beauty products make great reminders of what our society was like in the past, highlighting what was considered important, beautiful, and desirable. Every piece has its history and social or economic connotation.
“Cosmetics are definitely an economic and social status,” said Clapp, showing a collection of several beauty titbits dating back to 1930s, when Boots iconic No7 brand was launched in the UK.
No7 counter in the 1930s.
No7 launched in the UK in 1935 with a range of “deluxe beauty preparations” that promised to offer women “the modern way to loveliness”. According to Clapp, make-up products were then created for the wealthier ladies’ dressing table, not for average Janes.
Beautifying themselves with skincare was rather an unfamiliar territory for women back in those days. The only purpose of a cream, for example, was to help them get through colder months without their skin getting chapped. There were no anti-ageing effects or scientific names in skincare in the 1930s. Even so, the products were rather foreign, and to help the women understand the product, tools were needed, in the form of leaflets or afternoon tea parties, for example. No7, for instance, resorted to asking a famous beauty writer Mrs Dalrymple to host a tea party and talk about beauty products, so that its customers would know how to use them.
Back then, the basics included complexion milk (now called foundation), skin tonic, powder and nourishing skincare products, contained in chunky boxes and bottles. The packages were big because people did not go shopping as often as they do today, and in the 1930s, with the ladies being homebound, there was yet no need for portability.
It was, at the time, a very new idea to do proper beauty products with labels and packages. Clapp said that No7 even brought in specialists to design the packaging, and enlisted a perfumer from Paris to create a very distinctive smell for the brand, which was very difficult at that time. The brand started off with 11 products.
Another revolutionary thing the brand did was to (gasp!) listen to what women needed. No7 decided to venture into the world of cosmetics, and asked its female staff: “What would be the top five products you want to see if we would start to produce cosmetics?”
“Instead of letting the men at the company decide what the women wanted, we asked the women, which, back in the 1930s, was quite revolutionary. Women didn’t really get that much say in product development,” said the seasoned archivist.
When No7 colour cosmetics were introduced in 1937, their first eyeshadow colours were quite limited — blue, green, grey blue and silver green. Again, that was quite revolutionary, because make-up products back then did not come in many colours.
Make-up box from the 1930s, containing complexion milk, skin tonic and powder.
“Women in the 1920s didn’t wear make-up so much. It was just coming in, and it wasn’t until after World War I that women started wearing lipstick. By the 1930s, women would have a red lipstick, and that’s it. It was seen as something that actresses would wear — it wasn’t something for the everyday women,” she said.
But soon, things started to get gloomy again with World War II beginning in late 1939. In the 1940s, with the war, limitations meant less disposable income, fewer resources, and logistic problems. Yet, the women were not going to give up their beauty boost. Even when money was scarce, they managed.
According to Clapp, that was the period when refills started to become popular. With limitations in terms of materials, women would go to the shop bringing empty bottles for refills. Clapp said it was sort of a “morale booster” for such a difficult time.
The same could be said during World War II, and by the time it ended in May 1945, women had to earn money in order to survive the harsh economic climate. Many of them became factory workers or did physical jobs like the men did.
“Women started working in factories, but still wanted to feel feminine and to be able to apply lipstick. It was a way of helping women during that difficult time,” said Clapp.
Working outside the home meant women wanted something portable. It was what Clapp called glamour on the go.
“Women were going out and about. They weren’t standing by their dressing table anymore. Cosmetics then had to be made portable,” she said.
Glamour was taken to the next level in the 1950s, which Clapp defined as the Hollywood era. Everything was glitzy and glamorous. The hero product of the time was nail varnish, which came in an endless array of colours. Other make-up products also saw an explosion of colours.
The flamboyance soon wore off, and in the 1970s, Clapp said people started to yearn for more natural ingredients and the apothecary feel of cosmetics. Unperfumed, non-chemical products were in demand, and natural brands started to emerge in those years.
By the 1980s, the ethos of expressive individualism grew, and so did the beauty products. Make-up and skincare were no longer a one-size-fits-all product.
“In the 1980s, we looked at women’s skin and created products for different skin types. We started to see unperfumed products for sensitive skin, or even an entire range created for sensitive skin.”
The demand for natural ingredients was joined by environment-friendly approach in the 1990s, and people cared more about environmental impact, recyclability and sustainability. Meanwhile, scientific efficacy also became more important, thanks to the rise of education and scientific knowledge among the public.
Today, what women want is to find their perfect match, be it the right colour of foundation, the most complimenting lip colour for their skin tone, or the most effective skincare product for their skin concern.
“Today, finding the right colour and scientific efficacy are important. It’s underpinned our brand for the last five or six years,” Clapp summed up the needs of modern day consumers. She also added that many consumers are now looking not just at the products they are buying but at the company as a whole, looking at CSR activities and business philosophy.
