In our latest blog post, we talked about the past, current, and especially the future trend of skincare in general. One big trend, however, was not mentioned, since it is such a prevalent trend deserves its own post: face masks.
FACE MASK: A skin care culture since ancient times
Facial masks are not at all a new phenomenon. Like skincare in the broadest meaning of the term, face masks can be traced back to ancient China, India, Egypt, and Rome. One famous trendsetter in Chinese history was Yang Guifei of the Tang Dynasty, heralded as one of the Four Ancient Beauties of China. For a skin brightening and anti-wrinkle effect, she mixed ground-up natural materials such as pearl, jadeite, tea leaves, ginger root and lotus flower with water into a mask. Other women at the court of the Emperor quickly adopted her invention.
In the West, it took a bit longer for face masks to catch on. Here, they can be traced back to the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. During this time, some pretty gruesome ingredients and methods were popular, such as lead and leeches, but they also liked to use ingredients we still like, such as olive oil, honey, and lemon. Historical European beauty icons like Marie Antoinette and Elisabeth of Austria famously used masks made from egg whites, rosewater, and almond oil for their complexions.
SHEET MASKS: Your nourishing and easy-operating home spa
As mentioned in our previous blog post, we are shying away from complex skincare routines with 10+ steps and looking to simplify our daily regimes. On the other hand, of course, we still want that dewy, deeply nourished look one gets from layering multiple skincare products. Using sheet masks is a simple and quick way to deeply nourish the skin and can reduce the number of steps needed to get the full effects of a lengthier skincare routine. It’s like an inexpensive mini spa-treatment at home!
Sheet masks are also much older than you might think they are. Since ancient times, scraps of silk were often soaked in for example rice- or rosewater and then rested on the face. In the west, one of the first masks resembling the sheet masks we love so much nowadays was a mask made from Indian Gum by Madam Rowley in the 20th century. Back then, it was called a ‘toilet mask’ or ‘face glove’. It took until the 2010s for this concept to become popular worldwide again. Now we call them sheet masks, and they are currently the biggest beauty trend in the US. At first, it was mostly celebrities posting selfies while wearing face masks. The masks gained traction and it didn’t take long for companies all over the world to jump in and start producing sheet masks of their own. By now, you can find a suitable sheet mask for every skin concern you might have.
SCNDSKIN: Bring the biobased beauty to your face
Even though these days a plethora of ready-made face masks are readily available in stores, many beauty lovers still like to make their own skin care recipes at home with ingredients such as pearl, egg white, lemon, etc. This partially has to do with the ever-growing trend of once again leaning more towards natural, holistic beauty and clean, gentle products. Thanks to modern technology, many recipes to recreate these all-natural ancient face masks can easily be found online.
But that does not mean that one who prefers natural materials has to solely rely on home-made masks! EGGXPERT’s first mask SCNDSKIN, which is coming up soon, was created with a bio-based concept in mind. It uses hydrolysed eggshell membrane proteins and seamlessly combines ancient wisdom and natural ingredients with modern technology to protect and nourish the skin. When using our mask, you can be sure only wholesome, natural ingredients and materials touch your skin.
All in all, is there a better way to end the day on a relaxing note than with a face mask? Let’s all look forward to pampering ourselves with EGGXPERT’s luxurious, cooling sheet masks when they hit the market!
