The Best Foundation For Oily Skin

You might be surprised to learn that people have been wearing foundation for thousands of years. Going back to ancient Egypt, there is evidence that both men and women wore makeup on their face to create a smooth skin tone and even changed the color of their skin tone. Their goal of beautification was to please their gods, and by wearing makeup in specific shades, they could honor these gods. That beauty came at a cost, though, as evidence shows that this ancient makeup often contained lead, now known to be a poisonous and harmful metal.

The Greeks also used makeup as a way to improve their appearance. Their word, “kosmetika,” gives us the English word, “cosmetics.” They had many different types of makeup that women, and some men, wore daily. Their face creams consisted of animal fats, which today may sound horrifying, but it’s shown that these lipids helped keep skin smooth and supple.

You can find the historical use of foundations throughout the world. One of the more famous women to wear foundation was England’s Queen Elizabeth I. Her portraits show her as a ghostly pale woman with fire-red hair. This juxtaposition makes her look strikingly powerful. However, like the foundation in ancient Egypt, even the queen’s makeup contained lead, which some have theorized as the cause of her death. 

Today we have foundations that range from BB creams to all-day lasting, full coverage. In many ways, we’re much like our ancestors, just without the lead!