Dated ages back, in the famous fairy
tale of the snow white and Seven Dwarfs, the wish of the wicked step-mother
to be the most beautiful woman on earth, even today strikes the chord that
being beautiful irrespective of age, sex and color is not a thing desired
just today.
As ayurveda the concept of beauty has an age-old origin. Whether in fairy
tales it was the wicked mother or the fairy that beautified Cinderella on
the ball night, creating beauty by magic potions or herbs proves that
beauty, its concepts and cosmetics go hand in hand. Especially for females,
the desire to look beautiful, charming and young by different beauty ways,
using various herbs are things known by the world since centuries.
Ancient scriptures like Abhijnana Shakuntalam and Meghadootam of Kalidasa
and many mythological epics encompass the reference of cosmetics like:
Tilak, Kajal, Alita and Agaru (Aquilaria agalbeha) that were used as body
decorative and to create beauty spots on the chin and cheeks in the era
ruled by gods and their deities.
In fact, the concept of beauty and cosmetics is as old as mankind and
civilization. The famous depictions in the Ajanta and Ellora caves, Khajurao
prove that not only women but men also adorned themselves with jewelry,
scents and cosmetics. Enscripted in history is the Aryan period that
witnessed the use of turmeric- haridra, (curcuma long, linn), saffron,
alkanet, agaru, chlorophyll green from nettle plants and indigo for
bodily-decorations apart from using Raktachandan (Pterocarpus Santalinus
Linn), Chandan (Santalum Album) for beautification. Using Mehendi (henna)
for dying hair in different colors and conditioning was aslo practiced in
the olden times.