Ah, makeup. What woman doesn’t love it? Even if you don’t wear makeup on a daily basis, you can’t deny that passing the fancy displays at your local makeup store or browsing through the magazine advertisements don’t set your heart fluttering. Today there are more lines of makeup products than we can count. Perhaps what is more impressive than the number of products actually on the market for sale is the fact that it all started with one person - and a man, at that! His name is Max Factor and the cosmetics industry owes him a lot.

Many people typically associate women with makeup but the first real line of cosmetics was created by Max Factor, who was born in the late 1800s in Poland. After becoming an apprentice to a pharmacist, Factor became fascinated with the formulas, potions and chemicals, which eventually led to his interest in cosmetics. Shortly afterwards, he became skilled in his craft, leading to a position as the lead cosmetic artist for the Russian Royal Ballet.

By the time he married and had a family, Max Factor’s reputation for his cosmetics was well known. A trip to the United State’s World Fair in 1902 was all it took for Factor to settle his family in the USA for good. In St. Louis, Factor established his own makeup shop, which specialized in cosmetics as well as stage greasepaints for local actors. Wanting to expand his company and clientele, Factor moved the family and business again, this time to Los Angeles in 1908. After establishing himself in the heart of movie-mania, Factor managed to create a new product: makeup that did not appear caked on and did not crack after application. This was a huge discovery that cemented Max Factor’s role in the cosmetics industry as well as the entertainment industry. Soon the country’s A-list actors and actresses were lining up around the block to have their own makeup products to enjoy both on and off set. In terms of movie makeup, Factor was the main person responsible for the creation of pancake makeup, lip gloss, fake eyelashes and eyebrow pencils.

Eventually, Max Factor realized that women should not have to be movie stars in order to use cosmetics and look fabulous. In 1927, Max Factor released his first line of makeup that was available to regular, everyday women. As a result, women from all walks of life and all income levels were able to own and wear makeup that was normally reserved for celebrities and formal occasions. Perhaps one of the biggest contributions Max Factor made that still exists today is the belief that all women can use makeup to feel beautiful by enhancing the beauty that is already there.

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