Which famous makeup artist escaped anti-semitism in Russia by faking illness with cosmetics? Why is The Body Shop logo green (hint: it has nothing to do with the environment)? Read on for some surprising tidbits about beauty brands you probably have on your dressing table right now. What do you know? Learning can be fun.
The Body Shop
I always thought that the iconic green shade of The Body Shop was selected to pay tribute to the environment but that’s far from the truth. In reality, when Dame Anita Roddick founded the first The Body Shop store in the 1970s, it developed a bad mold. And dark green was the only colour that covered it up. A happy coincidence for the Brit brand whose premise is that all its products are derived from natural materials and inspired by things Roddick had discovered on her various trips around the world.
Benefit
San Francisco-based BeneFit Cosmetics developed one of their most popular products, BeneTint, at the behest of a stripper who requested a potion to make her nipples look more pink!
Revlon
The founder of Revlon was Charles Revson – not Charles Revlon, as is commonly believed. So why Revlon and not Revson? He partnered with a chemist, Charles Lachman, to develop the line’s first product – a nail polish.
Lakme
Lakmé, India’s very first beauty brand, was born in 1952 as a joint venture between the Tata Group and the French cosmetic house Renoir. During the discussions, one of the young members on the Renoir team mooted the name ‘Lakmé’ for the first time. There was an opera running in Paris at that time, which was titled ‘Lakmé’ and whose story was set in India. It was about three Frenchmen fighting the British soldiers in the Sunderbans, West Bengal, who sought refuge in a temple. The temple was of Goddess Laxmi (Goddess of Wealth) and it was a derivation of this name that led to ‘Lakmé’.
Max Factor
Maximilian Faktorowitz – who would later be known as Max Factor – played his greatest makeup trick on himself. Although he was the official makeup artist to the royal court in Russia, he was Jewish and wanted to escape the country with his wife and kids. But since he was under constant surveillance, this was a huge challenge. So, thanks to a brilliant makeup job, Max convinced the royal doctor that he has jaundice. This got him permission to recuperate in a resort town, from where he fled the country.
Which of these quirky beauty facts surprised you the most?
