Max factor company. The Max Factor brand is a legend in the cosmetics industry

Cosmetics and perfumes - we use them every day, and don’t think about those who created all these opportunities to make our skin, eyes, lips, hair, hands more beautiful and attractive? How few names remain not only in our memory, but in history in general. It's a pity…

When did cosmetics and ? What a question? Both can be found in excavations of the deepest antiquity. Here are just the names of those who created them, made them greatest discoveries For the whole world, beauty remained in oblivion. Maybe you can reconsider everything in your mind, and at least those that remain in the memory of a few, do not forget, do not erase from the history of mankind...

For many, history remains history, and cosmetics remain cosmetics. But still…
Let's look into last century, or rather in the 20s. What was the appearance of a woman these years? Short haircut The “boy look” was complemented by blush that looked like a round blot on the cheeks, eyebrows plucked to the point where all that remained was to simply draw them on, a brightly painted mouth and eyes outlined with a black line with green or blue shadows for the eyelids of blondes and black or brown for brunettes. Not many items can be found in the makeup bags of beauties of that era.

But the 20s passed, and the mask of makeup on the faces of beauties became a thing of the past. In the 30s, women tried to emphasize their beauty as natural, so they no longer applied blush in spots, but applied it lightly and shaded it so that the skin was transparent and flawless. It was quite difficult. How did this work out? Hollywood stars? Everything turned out to be simple - compact powder from Max Factor made the skin look natural. In 1938, powder became available to many women in Europe and of course in America. But our grandmothers and great-grandmothers did not use this perfection for a long time. Although..., of course, such powder was available to women - as they were called then - the wives of party workers.

Max Factor - it was his cosmetics that became a symbol of beauty and perfection. The images of Hollywood stars Vivien Leigh, Greta Garbo, Clara Bow, Jean Harlow and many others were created by the cosmetics maestro.

Max Factor (Maximilian Abramovich Faktorovich) was born on August 5, 1877 in Poland, in the city of Lodz, which at that time was located in the territory Russian Empire. Poor family Polish Jew was numerous - 10 children.

And when he was still very little, Maximilian had to work part-time, because his parents needed help. There was no question of any education. He was seven years old. Where could you work at this age? He sold sweets in the theater lobby, and here for the first time he met the world that became familiar to him throughout his life. A year later, Max became a pharmacist’s assistant, where he often stopped his curious gaze on jars and bowls in which something was mixed and ground. The naturally inquisitive and conscientious boy soon began to try to combine different substances himself, seeing what would come of it. He did not waste time and diligently studied what was assigned to him, using his observations. This is how he gained basic knowledge in the field of chemistry, which allowed him, at the age of nine, to get a position as an assistant to a leading cosmetologist and wig specialist. And then Max began making his own creams and blushes, and he liked this activity more and more. His cosmetics and ability to apply them were appreciated; at the age of 14 he moved to Russia and became a make-up artist. When he turned 22, Max Factor opened his own cosmetics store in Ryazan, where he sold creams, lipsticks, perfumes, and homemade wigs, which he learned to make in Lodz. Soon many people knew the products of the little Polish Jew. Max Factor was appointed chief makeup specialist at the Russian Imperial Opera House, and not only. I became interested in his skill royal family. Max becomes the court beautician. He produced cosmetics to order, advised all the court nobility and. But the political events happening one after another haunt him not only for himself, but more for his family. And in 1904 he decides to emigrate with his family to America. Max Factor was talented, and they valued him very much, and therefore, simply leaving Russia was out of the question. Then he developed an escape plan - by pretending to be sick (it was not difficult for him, who puts on makeup every day, to make up the complexion of a sick person), he achieves a trip to Carlsbad for treatment. Here Max Factor secretly meets with his family and with great difficulty he manages to move to America, where some of his relatives were already there.

And here his fame quickly began to spread, regular customers appeared, among whom were Hollywood actors. And this, as you know, is the best advertising for any creator, be it clothes, shoes or beauty. The fact that Max Factor ended up in America, and in Los Angeles at that, is more likely not an accident, but rather long-conceived plans. After all, it’s not difficult to guess where and who will need his skills and knowledge. Of course not in Russia, where revolution was brewing and Civil War, which killed many like Max Factor. Yes, his work was needed primarily by actors, and specifically by Hollywood actors. Therefore, already in 1908, Max Factor opened a new store with funds received in a short time. He produces cosmetics and wigs that could not be distinguished from real hair. Each wig contained about 100 - 150 thousand hairs, sewn by hand. Could a person with perseverance and patience in work fail to achieve the popularity and heights that Max Factor achieved? He became so popular among the stars of Hollywood, this citadel of cinema, that before filming, beautiful actresses, emerging stars, resorted to him with a request to apply makeup.

His name became known not only in Hollywood, everyone already knew about him - from the credits of films where he did makeup for actors. In the 20s, makeup, as mentioned above, looked very unnatural. On film screens, the actors were also far from perfect. Max Factor worked on all the makeup techniques (he was the first to use this word from the phrase - to make up, which literally means to draw a face), and became in the first rank of the best cosmetologists of the 20s and 30s. His makeup was impeccable. He created the image for such stars as Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, Gloria Swanson. Max Factor created makeup with which the actors, even when filmed in close-up, looked natural. He used false eyelashes, an eyebrow pencil, a mascara brush and a tube-shaped case, and came up with many creams and lipsticks. But the most amazing thing in all the cosmetics was the compact powder, which was applied in a thin layer with a brush, and it was absolutely impossible to tell that there was makeup on the face. Factor also invented a cream, which is now called foundation, which gives the skin a look of freshness, well-groomed and natural. “Makeup cannot be considered successful if it is noticeable; it’s only good if a stranger can’t guess that you’re wearing makeup.” Makeup was Max Factor's passion. To prevent the actors from sweating under the makeup, he came up with breathable makeup. Max Factor created its new cosmetics, always taking into account the lighting on the set, the quality of the film, the needs of the actors and the requirements of the director.

Back in 1918, Max Factor was studied and used in practice color palette makeup. And when, in the 30s, he allowed himself to open his own studio or, as we now say, a beauty salon, he decided to use everything he had planned earlier to improve makeup. Taking into account the peculiarities of the color of hair, skin, eyes of women, that is, the color type, Max Factor created 4 cabinets: blue - for redheads, green - for redheads, pink - for brunettes, peach - for dark blond ones. Then this was all the more important, since color cinema was appearing.

In 1938, Max Factor passed away at the age of 61. He was at the height of his fame, and it seemed there was no limit to his imagination in the field of cosmetology...

But he still has children. The eldest son Frank took the name Max Factor Jr., headed the Cosmetology Empire and honorably continued his father’s work.

For his overall contribution to the development of cinema, Max Factor received an Oscar.
Max Factor has become the best of the best, its cosmetics are still being improved and continue to live among us. “For the stars – and for you” - these words are the basis of the entire operating principle of the Max Factor company.