A History of Anti-Aging Skincare Products

As a society, it’s safe to say that we’ve become fairly obsessed with the idea of anti-aging skincare treatments. Whether it’s fillers, creams, or chemical peels, we’ll do just about anything to avoid those dreaded wrinkles. What if we told you, though, that this desire to unlock the key to youthful skin isn’t so recent? For centuries, societies have been agonizing over discovering the latest and greatest in anti-aging treatments. From the Ancient Egyptians to the times of Shakespeare, and all the way to today, humans have always been trying to slow the aging process.

Not convinced?

Well, today we’re going to walk you through a brief overview of the history of anti-aging, sharing all the wild ways in which we’ve tried tricking the clock. By the end, you’ll likely see that this trend is anything but new.

Anti-Aging Skincare in Ancient Egypt

To start, let’s travel all the way back Ancient Egypt and visit everyone’s favorite queen: Cleopatra. This famous historical figure was said to be so entranced by the idea of slowing the aging process, she would take donkey-milk baths… Yes, really. Allegedly these milk baths would give Cleopatra ultra-soft, smooth skin. We’re not convinced, but the anti-aging intent was certainly there.

Anti-Aging Skincare in Ancient Greece

It doesn’t take the modern mind to know that in order to help reverse the signs of aging, your skin needs to be squeaky clean. Greek physician, Galen, was more than aware of this, which was why he invented the first ever cold cream, all the way back in 150 A.D. A mixture of olive oil, beeswax, and water, this powerful combination would rid the face of dead skin, dirt, and oil. Bye-bye wrinkles.

Anti-Aging Skincare in the Elizabethan Era

Donkey milk and beeswax are one thing, but the ladies of the Elizabethan era took things to a whole new level. During this time period, meat facials were all the rage. Women placed thin slices of raw meat on their face to help slow the aging process. A slice of steak, anyone?

Anti-Aging in Modern Times

In 1927, we started to see anti-aging products marketed to the general public with the introduction of the first cosmetic hormone cream. Prior to this, anti-aging treatments were largely experimentive, and only for the elite. Since the turn of the century, though, anti-aging treatments have become much more accessible. For example, we had an obsession with antioxidants in the 90’s, Botox became a thing in 2002, and most recently, retinol creams have become hugely popular.

Whether it’s a natural or intensive treatment, a drugstore product or a luxury product, there’s an anti-aging skincare product out there for almost everyone. From using wine baths, crocodile dung, mercury, and even blood, there’s just no denying that this obsession has been around for centuries. And guess what? As we learn more about skincare and anti-aging processes, our anti-aging treatments and products will continue to evolve..

What wild and crazy anti-aging skincare treatment do you think is most likely to pop up next?