Old adverts prove Georgian women were as keen on facial hair as men

♦ Whiskers were so popular in the 19th century that even women wanted to grow sideburns, a historian has revealed, after finding old adverts for grooming products.

Men began wearing fake sideburns in the early 19th century to join the “whisker mania” that engulfed England – and spurred a thriving market for lotions and potions to care for facial hair.

The craze, reminiscent of the millennial beard trend, was a symbol of masculinity and social status, and in London it was considered part of the metropolitan elite’s “uniform”.

The fashion was so popular that even women wanted to join in. They began drawing on false whiskers and training their hair to grow down their cheeks.

Products included Russia Oil, which promised to make whiskers grow thick and long, and Tricosian Fluid for women who wanted to change the colour of their whiskers or eyebrows.

Dr Alun Withey, a historian from Exeter University, came across the adverts while working on a three-year project on the history of facial hair.

He said: “Just as today’s hipsters are mocked for their extravagant beards, the ‘whiskerandos’ of early 19thcentury England also faced ridicule.

“But they carried on regardless, slathering their precious facial hair with ointments and lotions until the fashion slowly diminished.”