5. Beetle Carapace Lipstick
Red is a dominant color and has been valued throughout history. While the popularity of sporting red lips has varied throughout history, the red lip had a strong resurgence in the early 20th century with flappers. At the time, the most cost-effective method to mass-produce a vibrant red pigment was with the Cochineal beetle. The females of the species gain a red color through their diet of red berries and produce carminic acid when dissolved, which can be refined into the rich ruby pigment carmine.
While the Cochineal beetle was used in the 20h century, it is believed that the practice of using crushed insects for cosmetic pigments dates back to at least ancient Egypt, where Cleopatra is believed to have created her lipsticks using crushed insects. The ancient Egyptians were heavy users of cosmetics for both skin protection and beauty, so it wouldn’t be at all surprising to find they created many of the beauty tricks of later eras.
If the idea of bugs in your makeup grosses you out, you had best start searching for makeup labeled vegan, as Cochineal sourced carmine is still used in non-cruelty-free makeup today. While it is still available, especially overseas, the demand for vegan and cruelty-free makeup products in the United States is proliferating, so bug-based makeup may soon be harder to find.