A History of Lipstick: Origins and Ancient Uses

The exact origin of lipstick is difficult to pinpoint, as various forms of lip color have been used for millennia. However, some of the earliest documented use of something resembling modern lipstick comes from:

* Ancient Mesopotamia: Around 5,000 years ago, Mesopotamian women crushed gemstones and used them to decorate their lips.

* Ancient Egypt: Egyptians, including Cleopatra, used red dye derived from fucus-algin, 0.01% mannite, and bromine to color their lips.

So, while it's hard to say definitively which civilization created the "first" lipstick, both Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt have strong claims to its early use.