Women have been beautifying their lashes with mascara for thousands of years.
The first use dates back to 3000 BC in ancient Egypt; the mixture was made of antimony – animal fat and soot – and was even worn by men.
The concoction then passed through the Victorian era and was finally invented in 1917 when Eugene Rimmel created the first packaged mascara.
Today, mascara is an everyday staple and different formulas have been tried and tested. But while many women wouldn’t think of going a day without it, very few know how it’s made.
A short ‘How It’s Made’ YouTube video revealed the ingredients, leaving many shocked to learn what’s in the chemical cocktail.
Mascara has been around for thousands of years and many consider it an everyday staple, but do you know how it’s made?
While many wouldn’t dare leave the house without it, few know exactly what’s in the mixture. Fortunately, the concoction has been revealed and has left many shocked
The narrator of the video explains that mascara contains four basic ingredients: wax, water, pigment and binding agents.
But while formulations vary depending on the manufacturer, almost every mascara consists of an oil-soluble phase and a water-soluble phase.
He explained that to prepare the oil phase, a technician combines four different types of wax, including: carnauba wax, candelilla wax, beeswax and glycerol stearate – an emulsifier that “allows ingredients to mix well.”
Then the technician adds liquid vitamin E, which conditions the lashes and gives the mascara its smooth texture.
Then a chemical compound called Pelemol D-2000 is added to make the mascara water resistant.
The narrator of the popular video explains that mascara contains four basic ingredients: wax, water, pigment and binding agents
The technician heats and mixes four different waxes and chemicals together in the first step of the process called the “oil-soluble phase.”
Various ingredients are added during the process, including vitamin E to give the product a silky smooth feel and a chemical compound to make it water resistant
The mixture is then heated and once the wax begins to melt they are mixed together. This combination produces a “semi-liquid gel that coats lashes with a glossy film.”
While this step is in progress, the technician prepares the water-soluble phase separately. You do this by heating up cold water before adding an emulsifier.
The narrator explains, “This will bind the water and oil phases when they are combined later,” the narrator notes.
“Without an emulsifier, oil and water-solubles would separate naturally.”
To make the mascara black in color, a black iron oxide cosmetic pigment is added to the hot water and the mixture is mixed well.
To give the mascara its classic black color, a cosmetic pigment of iron oxide black during the water-soluble phase of the process
The technician then adds an organic compound to balance the beauty product’s pH level and adds cosmetic powder to give it a silky smooth feel.
To complete the magic formula, the technician heats and mixes the two mixtures.
Before it is ready to be packaged, the mascara must pass a series of quality control tests. First, a machine called a viscometer is used to measure the thickness to make sure the product isn’t too runny or sticky.
Once the green light is given, technicians begin packaging the product by pouring the batch into a filling machine that continuously mixes the mascara and keeps it warm.
This is to ensure that the mixture remains fluid and does not gel or clog the nozzles.
Before it is ready to be packaged, the mascara must pass a series of quality control tests, using a viscosity meter to verify the measurement
When it’s ready to be packed, the technicians keep the batch heated and mix it continuously as they pack it to make sure the mix doesn’t get clogged
As it cools in the bottle, the mascara should turn into a semi-liquid gel and be ready to be packaged and shipped to beauty stores around the world
“A mascara bottle usually contains about two ounces of mascara,” the narrator explains.
As it cools in the bottle, the mascara turns into a semi-liquid gel and the employees finish the process by capping it with a rubber stopper and screwing in an opening.
Finally, the bottles are labeled, sealed and packaged, ready to hit the shelves of beauty stores around the world.
The video of the process of making mascara has been viewed a whopping 317,000 times and beauty fans are baffled by the process.
One person commented, “This is a great chemical soup!”
Another joked, “Wow, I’m pretty sure most of the fluids in my car are less processed and synthetic.”
One person said, “Nothing beats that healthy iron oxide look on your skin.”