History of nail polish

Nails have been an important part of the beauty world for centuries. But have you ever wondered how nail polish came about and how long ago? Today we can find out, because our topic is the history of nail polish.

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It all started in 3200 BC, in Babylon, when warriors spent hours curling and varnishing their hair and trimming and coloring their nails before heading into battle. To do this, they used antimony (kohl) - a product that was obtained from crushed black stone with the addition of petroleum jelly and oils. The color of their nails denoted their class. Black nails were considered a sign of a higher position, while green nails were considered a sign of a lower one. The lips of warriors were often tinted with the same material to match the nails. Just goths of that time. :)

In 3000 B.C. Chinese dynasties also began to use nail color as a distinction between classes. The upper class used beeswax, gum arabic and egg whites to change the color of their nails, while the representatives of the ruling dynasty preferred to use red pigment. However, painting nails was not allowed for everyone. During certain dynasties, the lower classes could wear pale colors of the coating, and sometimes this was not allowed. And wearing the color of the nails of the royal family by a commoner was punishable by death.

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Increasingly popular in China, nail polish began to make its way through the rough patches and into high society in the Middle East, North Africa and India. However, it gained its greatest popularity in Egypt, where women and men painted their nails to demonstrate their power and dominance over those who were less privileged. The famous and influential Cleopatra preferred to use henna for painting her nails, rather than applying it all over her hand in intricate designs, which is still common today. She dipped each finger in henna, covering only the nail plate, and blood red was the favorite of the ruler.

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After the fall of the Roman Empire, nail polish and many other cosmetics disappeared from popular consumer and commercial transactions, and only found their way into our lives after the Renaissance. Soon, new trade agreements with Europe, India and the Middle East spread the fashion for nail color around the world. However, this was still the lot of a limited number of people who could afford it, and those who still wanted to demonstrate their superiority over others.

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In the 17th century, high society began to immortalize nail polish in their paintings and self-portraits. Today, we can still see examples of works that show their patrons with shiny, painted nails. As artwork became more common, so did nail polish. Soon, the working-class population was also able to start painting their nails.

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Over time, nail painting has become more and more common among the populations of the United States, Italy, France and England. As the centuries passed, manicures and nail coatings became more and more commonplace, finally establishing their position in France at the end of the 18th century.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the appearance of nails began to play a huge role in everyday life, and the first nail salons began to appear. However, nail polish has not yet turned into a liquid form. Powders and oils were used to induce the "marafet", which were rubbed into the nails and buffed, leaving a soft pink tint or red, for those who were bolder.

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The invention of modern nail polish was just around the corner. During World War I, the US seized German chemical patents, which led to the introduction of nitrocellulose into the American market. This ingredient was then incorporated into car paint in the 1920s, which inspired French makeup artist Michel Menard, then working for Charles Revson, to release the first liquid nail polish, which was essentially car paint, just poured into a small container. Charles Revson was soon renamed Revlon, and became a leader in the cosmetics industry despite problems with strong chemicals damaging their customers' nails.

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Interestingly, the first companies to manufacture and sell nail polish are the brands that we still meet today: Revlon, MaxFactor, Cutex and Coty. Other companies such as Glazo are less well known, but have all been major players in color, opaque and metallic finishes.

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The addition of new pigments led to changes in the formula, and by 1930 cream nail polishes were available. Made from titanium dioxide and colored pigments, these polishes were actually much easier to apply because they covered the entire nail and were thus more user-friendly.

With the development of American cinema in the 1940s, red nail polish soared into popularity. This success prompted brands like Revlon to start selling new nail polish colors to match the lipstick shades they were producing.

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After the cinema, nail polish has taken a significant place on the fashion catwalks. But many designers had a question about how to choose a color of varnish that would be combined with multiple changes in outfits during the show. So, in 1976, Jeff Pink, an American makeup artist and founder of Orly, created a universal French manicure. He probably had no idea that after several decades it would be one of the most popular manicure options.

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Nail polishes, as well as manicure in all its manifestations, continued their course on the Olympus of fame, thanks to the fashion and cinema industries. In the 1994 film Pulp Fiction, Uma Thurman's nails were painted "Chanel's Rouge Noir" (a.k.a. "Vamp"), a color created to mimic the look of dried blood. The shade, like the movie, became an instant cult classic and remains one of the most sought-after Chanel products of all time to this day.

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Today, in 2019, nail polish is a multi-billion dollar industry that is only growing with more and more products, and social media continues to drive this growth. You and I also do not stand aside, and continue to follow all sorts of new products and trends in the blog while driving "Pilochka". :) Be healthy and beautiful!