Editing Cosmetics (section)

{{Short description|Substances applied to the body to change appearance or fragrance}}
{{use dmy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{redirect-multi|2|Make-up|Toilette|other uses|Make-up (disambiguation)|and|Cosmetic (disambiguation)|text="Toilette" is not to be confused with [[Toilet]]}}
{{more citations needed|date=October 2020}}
[[File:Cosmetics.JPG|thumb|An assortment of cosmetics and tools]]
[[File:Self make up by an artist.jpg|thumb|An actor applying bold makeup for a stage performance]]
[[File:Marcus Stewart and Mariana Catalina in Oresteia by Aeschylus, adapted by Ryan Castalia for Stairwell Theater2, 2019.jpg|thumb|Actor Marcus Stewart wearing bold face makeup in the play ''[[Oresteia]]'' by [[Aeschylus]] (2019)]]
[[File:Skin care cosmetics.jpg|thumb|Skin care cosmetics at a [[pharmacy (shop)|pharmacy]]]]

'''Cosmetics''' are substances that are intended for application to the body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering appearance. They are mixtures of [[chemical compound]]s derived from either [[Natural product|natural sources]] or created synthetically.<ref name="Ullmann">{{cite book|last1=Schneider|first1=Günther|title=Skin Cosmetics|date=2001|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/14356007.a24_219|series=Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221132540/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/14356007.a24_219|archive-date=21 February 2022|url-status=live|publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Ltd|language=en|doi=10.1002/14356007.a24_219|isbn=978-3-527-30673-2|oclc=910197915|access-date=2022-02-21|last2=Gohla|first2=Sven|last3=Schreiber|first3=Jörg|last4=Kaden|first4=Waltraud|last5=Schönrock|first5=Uwe|last6=Schmidt-Lewerkühne|first6=Hartmut|last7=Kuschel|first7=Annegret|last8=Petsitis|first8=Xenia|last9=Pape|first9=Wolfgang}}</ref> Cosmetics have various purposes, including [[personal care|personal]] and [[skin care]]. They can also be used to conceal blemishes and enhance natural features (such as the [[eyebrow]]s and [[eyelash]]es). Makeup can also add colour to a person's face, enhance a person's features or change the appearance of the face entirely to resemble a different person, creature, or object.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nutrition |first=Center for Food Safety and Applied |date=2023-03-16 |title=Cosmetics & U.S. Law |url=https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-laws-regulations/cosmetics-us-law |journal=FDA |language=en |access-date=2023-11-05 |archive-date=2023-11-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231105000647/https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-laws-regulations/cosmetics-us-law |url-status=dead }}</ref>

People have used cosmetics for thousands of years for skin care and appearance enhancement. Visible cosmetics for both women and men have gone in and out of fashion over the centuries. 

Some early forms of cosmetics contained harmful ingredients such as lead that caused serious health problems and sometimes resulted in death. Modern commercial cosmetics are generally tested for safety but may contain controversial ingredients, such as [[per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances]] (PFAS), [[formaldehyde releasers]], and ingredients that cause allergic reactions.

The European Union and regulatory agencies around the world have stringent regulations for cosmetics. In the United States, cosmetic products and ingredients do not require FDA approval, although marketed products are monitored for safety. Some countries have banned using animal testing for cosmetics.