Much of the philosophy of traditional medicine making use of natural products, especially plants, brought a health benefit to people both in the East and in the West. People today use natural products in their daily life,inspired by the experience, knowledge, and wisdom of their ancestors. All over the world, when did people
begin to use them in cosmetics, based on these facts? It is difficult to answer this question properly, but archaeological excavations have revealed that they were used in the Paleolithic era. Thus we can assume that cosmetics have so long a history as the development and prosperity of humankind. Egyptians and Arabians have used ointment cosmetics since 4000 years ago. According to some sources, around 2920 BC cosmetics were
developed from materials like tar or mercury, and around 1930 BC perfumes were already being traded in Egypt. It is presumed that Egyptian civilization brought about the development of cosmetics in those days.
Japan’s traditional cosmetics in the Edo period are believed to have been composed of three basic colors—red,white, and black. Especially, red cosmetics were important in glamorizing facial appearance. Cosmetics use spread among the general public and became an essential behavior in daily life, not being limited to the upper classes such as the aristocracy. Thus, as the demand for cosmetics increased, the cultivation of safflower,
biennial herb of Compositae, which is an ingredient of red cosmetics, increased. But as the extracts from homegrown safflower were insufficient and expensive, safflower grown in Egypt was used as an alternative, which was introduced to Japan through India, Central Asia, and China. Both in the East and in the West, women have always longed for a white complexion. In Japan, right from ancient times, clay, corn flour, light powder
(calomel), white lead, and chalk were used by women to make their face appear white. Originally, calomel was developed in ancient China, and lead white (basic lead carbonate) was first made around the fourth century BC in Greece. As light powder was effective in the treatment of syphilis and was promulgated as something to get rid of lice, it was known as a medicine rather than as a cosmetic in China. Bactericidal properties of mercury have been empirically exploited. Regarding black color cosmetics, there was a custom tooth dye in black, which is called ohaguro in Japan. The origin of the use of ohaguro is uncertain. Some people say that the custom traveled from a race in the South that dyes their teeth black, while others say that it is a practice that has Japan as its home country.6 Powdered gall and water were used for dying the teeth black. Powdered gall originates from gall made in the bark of anacardiaceous tree, containing tannin. People of those times understood that the powdered gall was effective not only for dying the teeth, but also for curing bleeding from the gums. Actually vasoconstrictive effect and hemostatic action were attributed to the presence of tannin.