The Role of Cosmetics in Personal Hygiene
Today we associate water with hygiene, just like many ancient civilisations. But in Europe during the Middle Ages, water was considered dangerous and hygiene was achieved by dry means such as the absorption of sweat by fine linen clothes.
Bathing and hygiene
The word hygiene comes from the Greek goddess of health, Hygie. The Ancient Greeks adopted the idea of bathing from the Hindus—the people of the Indian subcontinent were familiar with the beneficial effects of bathing 3,000 years ago.
The Greeks combined their ablutions with the science of ointments and perfumes learnt from the Ancient Egyptians. Washing was incomplete without ointments, which the Greeks believed had healing properties essential for their well-being.
The Ancient Romans brought more technology to bathing, building elaborate baths, or thermae, each with a frigidarium (cold bath), tepidarium (warm bath) and a caldarium (steam bath).
The early Christians considered mixed Roman baths as decadent dens of iniquity and banned them.
Dry cleansing
In Medieval Europe, white linen was believed to purify the body and symbolise the wearer’s cleanliness and sophistication (nobles and other wealthy people owned many shirts and changed them often).
In the 17th century Europeans began to value perfumes as a way to mask the smell of dirty bodies.
Personal hygiene
A hundred years later, baths once again became acceptable and soap appeared. But a true understanding of hygiene did not become widespread until the mid-20th century.
In the past 50 years, with the help of domestic running water, personal hygiene has once again become central to our health and well-being.
The products supplied today by the cosmetics industry—from soap and bath oil to toothpaste and shaving foam—have an important role in ensuring that we gain the greatest benefit from our daily personal hygiene routine.