People all around the world use makeup for many reasons: to look and feel beautiful, for theatre and performance, to express their personality - the list goes on. Whether you use it as part of your daily routine or only on special occasions, you might feel you know everything about makeup. Think again. Here are five facts about makeup that may surprise you.

Unusual Ingredients

While many brands provide natural and cruelty-free alternatives today, traditional makeup was made using some bizarre ingredients. Lipsticks were made with animal fats and iridescent fish scales were used to provide shimmer in shampoos and eyeshadows. A typical red dye used to create blushes and lipsticks was cochineal, made from crushed beetles. Collagen, used for plumping lip glosses and lengthening mascaras, was often taken from the boiled hooves and skins of animals. Gross.

The Rise of Vegan and Cruelty-Free Makeup

The demand for vegan, natural and cruelty-free makeup has shot up in the last ten years. No longer limited to a select few brands that are hard to find, many high-end companies have embraced a natural approach to produce development. 10 million animals suffer and die as a result of cosmetic testing each year, but more brands are becoming opposed to and even actively campaigning against this. Globally, the vegan beauty market has grown by 175% in the last five years, with a 38% increase in UK sales in 2018 alone. Understanding what's in their makeup and how it's tested is increasingly important to customers and brands are quickly catching on to this.

The Most Popular Makeup Items

With an ever-expanding range of products in various types, colours and applications, it's almost impossible to imagine that there would be a few standout products that would be the most popular on the market. However, the most popular products, as sold by the biggest brands, include concealer, mascara, lipstick and highlighter. Most women use an average of five products for their daily routine, but many have more than forty different items in their beauty collections, including myself!

Makeup By Nature

With customers looking for natural and environmentally-friendly beauty alternatives, why not explore  the best products that Mother Nature has to offer? Coconut oil is a multi-tasking gem for all kinds of makeup and beauty needs. It's amazing at sealing split ends of hair, securing eyeshadow or foundation bases and removing makeup. Cocoa powder is a great budget option for a natural bronzer and activated charcoal can be combined with beeswax to create a DIY eyeliner.

Historical Makeup

People have been using makeup to enhance their features and create illusions for thousands of years. The Egyptians used black eyeliner to outline their eyes with striking lines and Elizabethans powdered their faces with white, lead-based makeup to show their status. Venetian noblewomen use bright pink blush to create a highly-flushed look and opted for red lips to top off the exaggerated appearance. Even warriors used makeup to make themselves appear more fierce to their enemies, such as the Native Americans and the Maoris.

Do you know any other surprising facts about makeup?

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