Beauty trends might seem like a fairly recent phenomenon, yet ancient China was already engaged in a rich and varied cosmetic culture over 2,000 years ago. During the reign of the popular Qin Dynasty in China, which ruled from 221 to 206 BCE, beauty was not merely the possession of an attractive face but the one perfectly made up with products and with an artfully styled touch. Let’s take a look at some.
The fashion for light skin did not only mean being beautiful, but according to research published in the China Culture Organisation on ancient Chinese cosmetics, whitening the skin could provide people with an even and bright complexion and would make their face look symmetrical and youthful-looking. A pale and even complexion was one of the most well-known ideals of beauty in ancient China. To achieve a lighter look, people applied powders to their face, including rice powders and mineral powders that were used in cosmetics in ancient China.
Some historians confirm that the definition of the eyes was a major thing during the Qin beauty reign, due to the fact that it had an elongated almond shape commonly associated with the later danfengyan, or phoenix eye, aesthetic. Contemporary beauty products such as pencils and brow gels found their place in civilised society, but ancient Chinese women also had their own specific methods for eye makeup application. Furthermore, descriptions of ancient Chinese beauty often mentioned dyes which were used to both darken and lighten brows. However, it is necessary to distinguish between historical data and the contemporary reconstruction of beauty.
Eyebrow shaping and colouring originated much earlier than in modern times, as sources indicate that willow charcoal was already used to darken eyebrows during the Warring States period.