The Rise of Commercialized Makeup

In the early 1900s, the film industry began to flourish and it soon found a home in the small town of Hollywood. Writers, actors, directors, and makeup artists flocked to the area hoping to make it big. At the same time, in Russia, Maksymillan Faktorowicz leaned back in his chair, watched a movie for the first time, and witnessed what he would spend the rest of his life creating. As the actors silently moved across the screen in black and white, the audience gazed in amazement; but Faktorowicz instead focused on the thick layers of grease paint that caked and distorted the actors’ faces.[1] He envisioned creating a new type of makeup that would conceal blemishes and smooth the actors’ skin, but also not look heavy on the skin when applied.

By 1909, Faktorowicz had seized the opportunity to move to America and soon settled in Los Angeles with a new Americanized name, Max Factor.[2] He also opened Max Factor, a small wig and beauty studio, where he developed a new type of foundation released, in 1937, called “Pan-Cake Make-Up.”[3] The pigment masked blemishes, smoothed the skin, and looked light on the skin, instantly becoming a hit in Hollywood.[4]

After this initial success, Max Factor made a wide range of products available to the general public and commenced tutorials for eager young women on how to properly apply the makeup to achieve the new Hollywood look. With this simple act, Factor forever shaped the makeup industry. He transformed cosmetic application from a tedious process trained professionals performed in their studios, to a fifteen minute activity any woman could do in the comfort of her bedroom.

[1] “The Max Factor Story”, Max Factor Heritage, http://maxfactor-international.com/heritage/the-max-factor-story

[2] Ibid.

[3] Kristy Sinclair Dootson,  “Hollywood Powder Puff War: Technicolor Cosmetics in the 1930s,” Film History 28 no. 1 (2016): 110.

[4] Ibid.