Lip gloss
Encyclopedia
Lip balm
Lip balm or lip salve is a wax-like substance applied topically to the lips of the mouth to relieve chapped or dry lips, angular cheilitis, stomatitis, or cold sores. Lip balm often contains beeswax or carnauba wax, camphor, cetyl alcohol, lanolin, paraffin, and petrolatum, among other ingredients...
, which generally has medicinal or soothing purposes). It can be completely clear, translucent, or various shades of opacity
Opacity (optics)
Opacity is the measure of impenetrability to electromagnetic or other kinds of radiation, especially visible light. In radiative transfer, it describes the absorption and scattering of radiation in a medium, such as a plasma, dielectric, shielding material, glass, etc...
, including frosted, glittered, glassy, and metallic finishes.
History
Lip gloss was invented by Max FactorMax Factor
Max Factor & Company is a cosmetics company, founded during 1909 by Maksymilian Faktorowicz , Max Factor, a Polish-Jewish cosmetician. Max Factor & Company was a related, two-family, multi-generational international cosmetics company before its sale in 1973 for $500 million dollars...
in 1930. He wanted to create a lip product that would make lips shiny and glossy for films. Factor created makeup for the movie industry. He developed makeup specifically for actresses starring in black and white films. Women were inspired by movie actresses and they also wanted makeup. The first commercially available lip gloss was Max Factor
Max Factor
Max Factor & Company is a cosmetics company, founded during 1909 by Maksymilian Faktorowicz , Max Factor, a Polish-Jewish cosmetician. Max Factor & Company was a related, two-family, multi-generational international cosmetics company before its sale in 1973 for $500 million dollars...
's X-Rated, launched in 1932. The original formula was sold up until 2003, when Procter and Gamble retired the product.
Sunscreen
Sunblock is a lotion, spray, gel or other topical product that absorbs or reflects some of the sun's ultraviolet radiation on the skin exposed to sunlight and thus helps protect against sunburn...
was first advertised by actress Lillian Gish
Lillian Gish
Lillian Diana Gish was an American stage, screen and television actress whose film acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912 to 1987....
.
In 1973, Bonne Bell
Bonne Bell
Bonne Bell is a cosmetics company which focuses on products targeted for young women. It was founded in 1927 in Lakewood, Ohio, by cosmetics salesman Jesse Bell, who named it after his daughter. Bell made his products on a hot plate in his basement and then sold his skin care products door to...
introduced the first flavored lip gloss, Lip Smackers. Lip Smackers were, and still are, popular among young teenagers. Initially Lip Smackers came in two sizes: small and big. The small ones could be kept in the pocket and the big ones had a rope to hang around the neck. It was advertised that before a date, a teen girl should choose an appropriate flavor because that would be her date's first taste when his lips kissed hers.
Natural makeup companies have made progress in creating lip gloss with mainly natural ingredients except for preservatives.
Types
Like lipstickLipstick
Lipstick is a cosmetic product containing pigments, oils, waxes, and emollients that applies color, texture, and protection to the lips. Many varieties of lipstick are known. As with most other types of makeup, lipstick is typically, but not exclusively, worn by women...
, lip gloss comes in a variety of forms and may be applied in different ways. It can be contained in a small cylindrical bottle and applied with a rounded or sloped applicator wand (known as a doefoot applicator) or with a built in lip brush. Or it can come in a small, soft, squeezable plastic tube designed to be passed over the lips or applied with a fingertip or lip brush. Solid or semisolid glosses come in boxes and tubes and sometimes blur the distinction between lip gloss and lip balm.
New types of "plumping" lip gloss contain ingredients that make the lips appear softer and plumper. These are a cheap, easy, and usually harmless alternatives to collagen
Collagen
Collagen is a group of naturally occurring proteins found in animals, especially in the flesh and connective tissues of mammals. It is the main component of connective tissue, and is the most abundant protein in mammals, making up about 25% to 35% of the whole-body protein content...
, Restylane
Restylane
Restylane is the trade name for a range of injectable fillers with a specific formulation of non-animal sourced hyaluronic acid . Restylane was the first stabilized hyaluronic acid filler on the market and reportedly has been used in over 11 million treatments worldwide .In the United States,...
, Juvederm
Juvéderm
Juvéderm , one of the newest of the so-called “injectable fillers,” is used by cosmetic, dermatological and plastic surgeons to soften deep folds and reduce wrinkles in the faces of patients. The substance is largely hyaluronic acid, a substance normally found in the skin, muscles, and tendons of...
, and/or fat injections. They are not as effective, however, and the effects are temporary and short-lasting.
Lip gloss is often used when a person wants to have some color on their lips, but does not want an intense, solid lip color effect (i.e., a more "made-up" look), as lipstick would create. Lip gloss is also often used as a sort of introduction to makeup. It is often used by preteen and young girls who want to wear some makeup, but are too young to wear more intense lipstick colors.