Cosmetics were widely used in the medieval world by many cultures. The Middle Ages, also known as the medieval times, was a time of royalty where many women liked using certain products to better their appearance. In most cultures, makeup was expensive, and therefore was only available to royalty. This made every average citizen want to wear makeup because they would strive to look like the most respected people of their culture. .
Ancient Greece and Rome both used makeup quite heavily in their everyday, but this concept was actually adopted from one of the ancient Egyptian cultures. However, for a long time in Europe, church leaders believed makeup was sinful and immoral. Enhancing a woman's physical appearance did not abide with the church's rules and cosmetics were only used in brothels. Eventually, illness struck and women were supposedly losing their beauty, so the churches made an exception into letting these women use cosmetics. Because of this, changes were made and by the 12th century, cosmetics were in regular use in Ancient Europe. .
Medieval Europeans devoted a good amount of time, effort and money into their appearance. Smooth, white skin was sought after because it represented wealth. Therefore, someone's status could easily be identified by the shade of their skin. But this look did not come easy, for the royal families hired personal slaves to create the makeup and hairstyles for them. The slaves created pigments which were used on the lips, cheeks and eyes on both women and men. The ingredients found in European cosmetics were often quite simple and made naturally. .
As for the products, they ranged from simple face cleansers to heavy duty foundations. The Romans paid great attention to their hygiene and a lot of time was spent in the bathroom bathing and moisturizing their skin to get that 'ancient glow'. After cleaning their face, they would apply a heavy coat of pasty white cream, which is now called foundation.