The history of nail polish: nails always the protagonists

Today we will retrace the very interesting history of nail polish which goes hand in hand with the evolution and history of manicure .
Well yes, behind the colored bottles that we love so much today in numerous variations and colors, lies the evolution of women, of customs, of scientific technology. Let's discover together the salient stages in the history of manicure to understand how we arrived at the gel formulations and semi-permanent nail polish that we know and love today.

The history of enamel: what are the origins

Although it may seem absurd to us today, nail polish has been used since ancient times to distinguish a woman's social status.
In countries like India, the history of manicure actually began over 4000 years ago through dyes that used henna as nail polish.
In China, it is proven that as early as 300 AC , a nail polish made from egg white, beeswax and the famous gum arabic was used to show the social difference of rich and high-class women.
Even in Egypt, it was customary to color nails to express wealth, always with shades of ruby red. Queen Cleopatra, but also Nefertiti, we know used henna to decorate their nails and seduce.

The history of nail polish and manicure

If in the dark ages of the Middle Ages the custom disappears, probably also connected to the lesser power and freedom of women, from the Renaissance to the Victorian era women will never do without it again. Nail polish is mentioned by Gustave Flaubert in Madame Bovary as a weapon of seduction for wealthy and rebellious women.

In 1911, the first commercial brand named Cutex was born in America, which presented many products for nails and for the well-being of the cuticles. It was a revolution because it gave birth to the liquid product that we know today: the nail polish of the 20s .

It was a small bottle and a brush but the smell was still very unpleasant. The nail polish of the 20s is connected to the figure of Michelle Menard who used shades that reproduced the flaming colors of cars. In this decade also born the moon manicure what we know today as the reverse french manicure .

When Technicolor was developed in the 1940s, in addition to the possibility of obtaining color images, it also allowed it to enhance the beauty of painted nails, which until then had been difficult to see in black and white in cinema and photography.

Thus the history of manicure and nail polish evolved and in the 50s there was no woman who did not have her hands enhanced by Scarlett red nail polish with matching lipsticks.

We remember the iconic reds in any shade of the character Gilda, Marylin Monroe and Audrey Hepburn.

History of Nail Polish: manicure in the 80s and 90s

In 1980, with women now free and far from the impositions of the post-war period, also thanks to the feminist struggles of the previous decade, everyone feels they can dare and go outside the box. Nail polish in the 80s is mostly fuchsia.

These are the years in which the first types of gel polish were also experimented with the use of Uv lamps. The favorite shapes were almond or stiletto very long and rock we remember Madonna, Cher, Donna Summer.

In the 90s the dark trend developed, favoring dark red and black, cult colors that still return season after season. From that moment on, nail reconstruction as we know it today also developed, nails with acrylic polish, the first nail art from the East and a vast range of shocking colors that were unthinkable a few decades earlier.

And you, which historical period do you prefer to enhance your nails? Tell us about it on our social channels!