The very first red lip stick was invented in 3500 B.C by Sumerians in Southern Mesopotamia (modern-day parts of Iraq, Turkey and Syria). Ancient Sumerians used to crush red gems, minerals and/or rocks into very fine powder mixed with white lead to get the red pigment that was used by both men and women. Soon after its discovery, the red lip tint became one of the most important parts of people’s daily lives - to the point that some people were even buried with the red lipstick on.
References
Hong, Hana. “The Surprising-and Significant-History of Red Lipstick.” Real Simple, Real Simple, 20 Oct. 2022, https://www.realsimple.com/beauty-fashion/makeup/history-of-red-lipstick.
By Alina Myakota
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