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THE MADAM C. J. WALKER SCHOOLS

CHEMISTRY OF COSMETICS

The application of our acquaintance with chemistry comes in the safe use of various compounds placed at our disposal by chemical science. The more knowledge we have of the chemical content of products we use the less risk there is in their use. Not that we need to be so finicky or exacting as to require the formula of products we buy because U.S. Pure Foods Law go a long way to keep the really unsafe preparations from our market and the ethical advance of chemistry forbids even slight misinterpretations, but by understanding what goes into the manufacture of hair preparations and the sundry cosmetics in every day use we possess the fundamental knowledge expected of every well trained beautician. It goes beyond that. It gives clear cut understanding of the chemical difference in quality of the products we are called upon to use or to recommend to our customers. 

Face creams, powders, rouge, perfumes, toilet soaps and hair preparations, all of the better grade may be used without fear of injurious results to ourselves or patrons since their chemical content, while not always the best, seldom are so inferior as to cause immediate injury. Hair dyes, bleaches, nail polish, deodorants, depilatories, eye lash and brow dyes, and eye washes are all mildly dangerous and should never be experimented with nor used except after you know their merit and understand their use. 

FACE CREAMS—There are many types of creams for the face but for convenience we can classify them under the four general heads of Cold, Cleansing, Vanishing and Tissue Creams. Others which automatically fall under one of the other of these general headings are Foundation creams, Astringent creams, Day creams, Night creams, etc., etc. The basic preparation or compound used in making face creams is a good fatty substance like petroleum, lanolin, or a good vegetable oil. To this is added a little wax, spermacetti, borax, distilled water and perfume to give the desired odor. So called special creams, like lemon, almond, strawberry, or cucumber, etc., differ from the ordinary creams only in that a trace of lemon, almond, strawberry, or cuccumber oil has been added which does not appreciably alter its effectiveness. Vanishing creams contain an agent, in addition to the basic materials, like Alum that give them a drying effect. Tissue creams are compounded with the usual base materials and have a higher percentage of the fats and oils to protect and lubricate the skin. 

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TEXT BOOK OF BEAUTY CULTURE

POWDERS—Talc, a mineral compound found in this and some foreign countries is the base for the better face powders. However any one or more of the following may be found in them:

Starch—corn, rice, potato.
Orris Root Powder.
Bismuth.
Magnesium.
Precipitated Chalk.
Zinc Stearate.
Zinc Oxide.
Kaolin.

By a grinding and sifting process the combination of ingredients become smooth and light. The degree to which it is processed determining whether it is a light, medium or heavy powder. Color is obtained by the addition of dye and the odor by adding perfume. Some oil such as is used in making face cream added to the powder in the process of manufacture develops the so called "Cold Cream" powder.  It differs from ordinary powder by its heaviness and clinging tendency.

POWDER COMPACTS.  This is a combination of powder containing a high per cent of coloring matter mixed with a harmless glue into a paste and allowed to dry in molds of a desired shape.

ROUGE.  Beeswax, grease and metallic substances like silver and iron constitute the ingredients of this important member of milady's cosmetic chest. For color carmine or some aniline dye is added to the mixture which is dried in molds.

LIPSTICKS.  This is a compound of beeswax, cocoa butter and coloring matter, such as carmine in the better grades.  In the cheaper grades of lipsticks some aniline dyes are used for color.

Carmine is a deep red pigment which is chemically extracted from cochineal, a bright red dye taken from the dried body of an insect.  It is one of the basic dyes and widely used in cosmetic manufacture because of its purity.

Aniline Dyes are colors derived from coal tar through chemical treatment and while there is a wider range of colors in these dyes, their use in the cosmetic field is more cautious because of its chemical content.  More information about aniline dyes will be found in the chapter on hair dyeing.

PERFUME

Perfumes as we know them are either simple or compound substances. 

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