Moisturiser, a history.

Ever wondered how moisturiser got all up in your face? Turns out, it's been here since 200 B.C. Allow me to take you back to the bathroom of your babe-cestors.

200 B.C. — Ancient Egypt

Cleopatra was known to apply olive and palm oils to her skin to maintain her air of soft youthfulness. Things were simple, if a little greasy.

Less fortunately, Egyptian Queen Hatshepsut experienced death by moisturiser when she adopted a skin regime that included toxic tar residue, a carcinogenic compound found in the darkening lotion she used regularly. Beauty was already complicated.

Meanwhile in Australia

Australian Aboriginal peoples used emu oil, rendered from a fat pad on the bird's back, as a skin moisturiser and wound treatment. Rich in fatty acids, it turns out they were onto something. Emu oil is still used in skincare today.

150 A.D. — Ancient Greece

Galen, the Greek physician, created what is considered the first cold cream: a mix of water, olive oil, beeswax, and floral oils. The emulsion kept skin hydrated and protected. The basic logic hasn't changed much in nearly two thousand years.

1700s — Hello, lard

Americans discovered that lard was effective at relieving dry skin and sealing in moisture. It became a common ingredient in early moisturisers. Not quite where we are today, but the principle of occlusion was solid.

1870 — Vaseline enters the chat

Vaseline was invented and became the base for a wide range of moisturisers. Don't get too excited, babe. It was originally made from oil-rig residue left over from machine pumps. Petroleum jelly, born in an oil field. It works, though.

1970 — Babe took things into her own hands

Anita Roddick developed body butter, a thick cream made from nut oils, in her kitchen. It became a bestseller and helped shift the industry toward plant-derived ingredients. The idea that better ingredients make better products was beginning to catch on.

A few decades later…

I made a Caffeinated Face Moisturiser.

And babe lived happily ever after.

x frank