Exploring the history of mascara with a professional makeup artist
Mascara can be traced back to ancient Egypt, as early as 3,000 BC, when people wore kohl-type potions on their eyes and eyelashes.
“Men, women, children — everyone wore makeup. It was originally supposed to be because of spiritual reasons, because of ritualistic reasons, and also because of the health of the eye,” Lisa Eldridge, a professional makeup artist and the global creative director of Lancôme, explains. “And lot of the oxides that were used actually did help to protect from some of the diseases of the eye.”
In addition to the purported medicinal effects, Eldridge says there was a draw to accentuate the eyes that went beyond mere potion practicality.
“If you look really deeply into it, you'll notice that there are trends just like there are today in ancient Egypt,” she explains. “Not just trends of eye looks and colour use, but also provenance.”
While the purposes of ancient mascara may align with today, Eldridge says modern formulations — and application techniques — have come a long way.
“I did an exhibition with the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge a few years ago, and the conservator made me the coal applicator for lashes and liner. The only thing we changed was the ivory, we didn't put that in. But we used the original ebony to create it. And then I made the actual formulation,” Eldridge explains.
For her own iteration, Eldridge used traditional ingredients such as lampblack, mixed with a bit of acacia gum, water and castor oil. She then applied the kohl using an exact replica of an ancient applicator, similar to a short stick with a rounded shape, applying the inky formulation in small strokes and layers along the lash line.
In a video of the experience shared on her YouTube channel and website, the application process proved to take the makeup artist more than a few minutes to complete.
“I did my lashes — and it was just difficult,” Eldridge recalls.
Speaking via virtual call
during a press event in Paris, Eldridge pointed to formulations like the new Lancôme Le 8 Hypnôse as proof that the mascara category has grown by leaps and bounds since those early times.
The company's latest mascara formula is infused with serum to hydrate and fortify eyelashes, featuring 91 per cent black balm and eight amino acids to boost volume and strengthen. The idea behind the formula, which is billed as the “first serum-infused volumizing mascara,” is to immediately boost lashes while also improving eyelash health over time.
Basically, it aims to answer the question that Eldridge says she routinely fields from makeup fans.
“One of the biggest questions that I get asked is, `How can I make my natural lashes thicker and longer?',” Eldridge says. “There is a huge, huge trend toward eyelash health.”
Lancôme released its first mascara formula in 1967. Since then, the company's offerings have steadily
evolved and improved, Eldridge says.
“We've always been trying to improve the gesture and improve the products,” she explains.
Le 8 Hypnôse took three years to develop, according to Eldridge, with the team identifying several “pain points” of mascara including ingredients, application and more, and attempting to improve on each of them.
The mascara, she says, speaks to the ongoing emphasis on products to provide broader benefits beyond just performance in a category that had gone largely overlooked.
“I think we were kind of forgetting the eyelashes,” Eldridge says. “When we were looking at different technologies, we saw that there are so many similarities between hair fibres and lash fibres. So, when putting all of this together it was kind of the perfect mix for new innovation.”
The resulting formulation is a mascara that is “very close
to a hair care product” for eyelashes through long-term hair fibre benefits, while also providing volume and definition — without the crispiness of some mascaras.
As for what the early mascara adopters in ancient Egypt would say about how far formulations have come, Eldridge is confident the overall sentiment would be one of approval.
“I think they would be wowed,” she says.