From Beauty to Beast: History of Cosmetic Industries, Health and Environmental Impact

In 1878, Margaret Wolff Hungerford wrote “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” in her book Molly Bawn, contributing to the idea that beauty is deeply subjective and cultural; it is a social construction of how the world sees us and vice versa. Attractiveness of faces seem to influence our perceptions of health or intelligence and guide our biased choices ( Talamas et al., 2016 ). It is important to question not only how the concept of beauty shapes our actions, but also how our beauty-related actions affect the environment in which we live. Racialized practices, unequal chemical exposures, and adverse health outcomes are related to equitable access to uncontaminated beauty products ( McDonald et al., 2022 ). On the other hand, the film industry and social media constantly present biased beauty standards that are promptly adopted. Although views on the subject are changing with greater environmental awareness, the obsessive and careless pursuit of beauty is still dangerous for humans and the environment as a whole. This chapter presents a narrative overview of the beauty industry’ negative impact on health and the environment.