Podcast 306: How 5,000 years of history turned eye makeup into a daily habit

What if the way you felt about eye makeup wasn’t actually a personal preference at all, but the result of thousands of years of cultural shifts, technological change, and social pressure?

In this thought-provoking episode of Green Beauty Conversations, Formula Botanica CEO Lorraine Dallmeier takes you on a journey through 5,000 years of beauty history to uncover how eye makeup evolved from ritual and symbolism into something many people now feel they have to wear every day.

Following on from last week’s powerful interview with Dr Pam Theriot about eye health and the products we use around our eyes, this episode zooms out to explore the cultural side of the conversation.

Lorraine unpacks where the idea of “I can’t leave the house without my face on” really came from – and why that feeling is surprisingly modern. Once you hear this, you’ll never look at your mascara the same way again.

From ancient kohl to old Hollywood close-ups and social media beauty standards, this episode connects the dots between history and the expectations many of us carry today.

If you’ve ever felt more “put together” with eyeliner on, or strangely exposed without mascara, this episode will make you question why. It’s part beauty history, part cultural commentary, and completely fascinating.

Miss this episode, and you miss the chance to see modern eye makeup through a completely different lens.

“Eye makeup isn’t a test of professionalism, womanhood or worth. It’s a trend, a tool, a toy, a piece of culture we can pick up or put down whenever we like.” — Lorraine Dallmeier

Key takeaways:

• Eye makeup started as a ritual, not a routine: Eye makeup began as a ritual, protection and symbolism rather than beauty in the modern sense. In ancient Egypt and other early civilisations, kohl was used by both men and women for spiritual, cultural and practical reasons, including protection from the sun and illness (and even the evil eye). This shows that eye makeup has deep historical roots, but those weren’t tied to everyday social expectations in the way they are today.
• Beauty standards evolved throughout time and cultures: Attitudes towards eye makeup have shifted dramatically depending on time, place, and culture. In ancient Rome, subtle eye definition was acceptable, but anything too bold could attract moral judgment, while in medieval Europe, visible cosmetics were often associated with vanity or sin. At the same time, many cultures in the Middle East, North Africa and Asia maintained long, continuous traditions of eye adornment.
• Technology helped turn eye makeup into an everyday norm: The rise of photography, cinema close-ups, electric lighting and better mirrors meant people could see their own faces more clearly and were seen more closely by others. Film studios helped popularise mascara and eyeliner so that actors’ eyes stood out on screen, and those looks filtered into everyday life. Over time, what started as performance makeup gradually became normalised as an everyday baseline.
• Social media sped up the shift from expression to expectation: From the bold colours of the 1980s to the smoky eye of the 2000s and the sharply defined “Instagram eye”, trends began moving faster and becoming more visible than ever before. As these looks circulated widely, they subtly reshaped ideas of what a “finished” or “professional” face should look like. Many people internalised these standards so deeply that wearing eye makeup began to feel like a personal necessity rather than a cultural trend.
• Eye makeup influences how women are judged: Research discussed in the episode also shows that eye makeup can affect how women are perceived in professional settings. Studies reveal that women wearing moderate makeup are often judged as more competent, likeable and trustworthy than the same women with bare faces, while heavier makeup can lead to negative judgments.

Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Formula Botanica Green Beauty Conversations podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share, subscribe and review this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Youtube so that more people can enjoy the show. Don’t forget to follow and connect with us on Facebook and Instagram.

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Lorraine Dallmeier

Lorraine Dallmeier is a Biologist, Chartered Environmentalist and the CEO of Formula Botanica, the award-winning online organic cosmetic science school. Read more about Lorraine and the Formula Botanica Team.