1920’s Beauty Trends: Past vs. Present

The Fountain of Youth

Past

Radiation-based beauty products were all the rage during the turn of the century, where beauty lovers thought they were using the next scientific breakthrough in anti-aging and skincare. Of course, women who used these radium products saw a slew of terrible health complications years later.

Present

Now one of our favorite "Fountain of Youth" products is our SkinMedica Advanced TNS Serum.

Tanning

Past

Women tried to avoid tanning as much as possible prior to the 1920s because only working-class people who worked outside had tans. But when Coco Chanel fell asleep on her yacht when she was sailing on the French Riviera, her sunburn immediately came into vogue.

Present

Now we know that sun exposure causes aging, so we use SkinBetter SunBetter SPF every day.

Eyebrows

Past

In the 1920s, thin elongated brows were in all thanks to Hollywood. Silent movie stars had to rely on their faces to convey emotion since they couldn’t use words, and so they shaved off their brows and penciled them in to create more expressive shapes.

Present

Now bushy eyebrows are trendy and everyone is getting brow lamination and microblading to achieve full brows.

Hair Removal

Past

Shaving one’s armpits prior to the 1920s seemed totally unnecessary and even a little bit weird. The trend all started thanks to Gillette they wondered how they could keep their sales up. The answer was to sell to women. So teaming up with fashion magazines like Harper’s Bazaar.

Present

Now we just use laser hair removal or sugaring to get rid of unwanted hair because no one likes shaving.