9781422272879

Around 1915, to remove wrinkles on their faces instantly, people were using skin creams made from the radioactive element radium. In the 1920s and 1930s, the “tan” look emerged and caused people to look for products to make themselves darker instead of lighter, even at the expense of their health. Even today, women use chemical peels that can cause serious burns, tattoo their eyebrows, and add false eyelashes that can cause permanent hair loss by pulling out natural lashes when they are removed. This raises an important question: Why have women (and men) been using products to enhance their looks since the beginning of time, especially when this usage can be expensive and dangerous? It turns out that the answer to this question has its roots in science as well. PSYCHOLOGY AND COSMETICS Psychology is a branch of science that deals with why we do the things that we do. This is not to be confused with the treatment rendered by psychologists that help people deal with personal problems. Academic psychology involves training in the scientific method, including data gathering and measurement. Even though psychology lacks a commonly agreed upon body of knowledge, it can still be considered a branch of science for a few reasons. First, academic psychologists use many of the same methods as traditional scientists do. For example, they hypothesize and conduct experiments. The only difference is rather than using test tubes and microscopes, they observe human behavior in response to certain stimuli. You may (or may not) be surprised to learn that most people who use cosmetics do so to influence how others see them. The desire to change the way others view us is one that we aren’t even

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COSMETICS