History & Industrial Base of Makeup Brushes in China

“Beauty isn’t about being flawless; beauty is being comfortable in your skin and shining brightly through your flaws.”

History

In China, there is a legend that is an origin story of makeup in the country. The story begins on a typical day back in the 4th century on the seventh day of the first lunar month. The beautiful Princess Shouyang was spending the evening in her garden. It was a wonderful day with trees blossoming. Beautiful flowers and the wind were breezing through the night.

A plum blossom caught the wind and drifted down to her, leaving a floral mark on her forehead. This caused her beauty to enhance further. The court ladies were so awe-struck. They started adorning their foreheads with a small intricate plum blossom design. This trend caught on, and several women of the country began following it.

The association of cosmetics and China dates back to 5000 years. Tang and Song dynasties are wildly known as the origin of makeup in China. The women of the dynasty experimented with fashion like no other. A standard makeup guideline states the different steps involved in a makeup routine.

• Powder the face

• Apply rouge on the cheeks

• Darken and border the eyebrows

• Highlight the forehead with yellow cream

• Colour the lips

• Dot the cheeks

• Apply floral prints on the forehead

Foundations, powders, and face creams

It began during the Tang dynasty. Poetry began describing beautiful women as having “cream-like” and “snow-like skin.” The shapes of their faces resemble “lotus-like” and “jade-like.” Pale and clear skin was appealing. Women, thus, used artificial or natural ways to meet this perfect skin.

Some of the classic natural ways were-

• Peach blossoms mixed with Ale. Dried Peach blossoms gets crushed and sifted. The mixture is had by a spoonful before eating three times a day. This method improves complexion and slims the waistline.

• The face cream made from boiled apricot pits pulverized with skinned sesame seeds. The sesame seeds get fried in their own oil. The mixture gets blended with Chinese powdered hemp seeds. This gets done till the mixture turns creamy white. Finally, this makes a face glow and also protects it against the harsh cold in winter.

The other way was to use an unmodified form of a foundation. Women of the Tang dynasty used a foundation made of ceruse or rice powder to whiten their faces.

Women would contour well before the Kardashians to get a more 3D look on their faces.

Rouge

The application of red pigment on women’s cheeks is something that everyone has seen. This got done to enhance their cheekbones. It gives a subtle contrast against their foundation. This was quite common and used by royals and courtesans. The trend then spread to the corners of the country like wildfire.

For the rouge, pigments from vermillion, minium, cinnabar, or safflower. They often blend this red pigment with the white rice powder to get a perfect blush color. And, some would fashion it with rose petals and essential oils.

There were different exciting styles of wearing the rouge on the cheeks. Some women wore the pigment from right below their eye to the jawline. This style goes by the name “red clouds at dawn” and was quite popular.

Eyes and eyebrows

All these aside, the eyebrows are what create drama. Each has its unique style of shaping and styling its brows. During the Tang Dynasty, women would pluck their natural eyebrows. They would use a blue-black pigment made from charred willow trees. This helped them fashion the shape of their eyebrow.

Eyeliners fashioned from charred willow trees were used to give more depth to the eyes.

Lips

Lip shades get made with cinnabar like how rouge got made. They often mix this pigment with a scented powder. There were different styles of application of lip color. This evolved and was different during different reigns.

A few styles had lip colors painted on like hearts on the lips. Never cover the entire lip. Covering the whole lip was crass. Essential oils and animal fats made lip balms.

Development of makeup brush for application

With the styles evolving over the centuries, cosmetic brushes became more significant. It also became a necessity for day-to-day use. Over time, a single cosmetic brush evolved to serve many purposes.

There were two ways of applying makeup during those times. The first one was more like cutting shear paper or foil paper into various shapes. It was then pasted on their brow or cheek. Another was painting. Different apparatus got fashioned at home. They got utilized by many social classes, right from tree branches to Chinese composing brush pens.

The Chinese had already developed the skill of using animal hair brushes. They knew of this over 5000 years ago. They were in use for writing and calligraphy. This iconic heritage transferred to the manufacturing of cosmetic brushes.

Moreover, the writing brush was in use by the high society ladies for painting. They began using this as a makeup brush over time. Hence, the Chinese writing brush pen can be the inspiration. It is also the principal foundation of cosmetics brushes.

Evolution of makeup brushes in China

Shenzhen, Guangdong, Luyi, Henan, and Hebei are the capital places for the origin of Chinese civilization.

Around the 1970s, Shenzhen, Guangdong, was a unique economic development zone. It introduced a large number of Korean cosmetic brush manufacturers. It also introduced Japanese cosmetic brush manufacturers.

And, this laid a solid foundation for the manufacturing of cosmetic brushes.

Hebei Province is the capital of leather goods. The suppliers there provided high-quality and premium animal hair as raw materials. These were for early cosmetic brush manufacturing purposes.

In the early days, natural hair was the primary material that people used for making makeup brushes. While synthetic fiber technology only flourished in 2000 in China. Luyi County, Henan Province, have facilities, knowledge, and skills in processing animal hair. It is also the production base.

In 2017, the city held the title of “Hometown of Makeup Brushes in China.” This title got given by China Light Industry Association!

The modern era of makeup brushes in China

Over the years, other countries and cultures have redefined the concept of makeup. A wide range of brushes found in the market these days have personal benefits. Brands are opting for customization of handles, ferrules, and bushes. To create brand memory in their customer’s minds.

Synthetic hair caused a revolution that took the industry by surprise. Customers are aware of the processes involved in the production of makeup brushes. Vegan brushes have seen high demand in the market. This is because the customers are more conscious about their buy.

Germany and Japan produce premium cosmetics. But, the production of most of the brushes in the market is from Asia, Korea, Taiwan, and China. Hong Kong has risen to be a hub of high-quality makeup brush manufacturers. The majority of the brushes are handmade. Customers who are looking for unique customization can find a high value for their money.

In the year 2000, synthetic fibers began to take hold of the market. The market for cosmetic brushes in China has continued to expand. Related industrial chains have improved.

At present, there are five primary cosmetic brush production and sales bases in China. They are the surrounding areas of Shenzhen, Cangzhou, Hebei Province, and Yiwu City. Zhejiang Province, Jinxian County Jiangxi Province, Luyi County, and Henan Province.

Brush production in different areas of China

Shenzhen

Shenzhen is a pioneer in the cosmetic brush production base. The city uses its geographical advantages to attract a large number of builders. They come from all walks of life.

Shenzhen’s urban transformation has made producers from industries flee Shenzhen. High rents and other expenses are the reasons for their relocation.

So, most of them have moved to cities around Shenzhen, such as Dongguan and Huizhou. Most of the cosmetic brush manufacturers around Shenzhen engage in export. There are also many trading companies and middlemen.

Cangzhou

The makeup brush production base in Cangzhou, Hebei, enjoys a high reputation in China. This is because of their craftsmanship. It is more sophisticated and superior to those in Shenzhen and Yiwu. But, their annual output volume is not as high as other regions.

Yiwu

The wholesale city of Yiwu, Zhejiang, enjoys a good reputation in China. It also has an excellent reputation abroad. Most Yiwu cosmetic brush producers rely on Yiwu’s Commodity Wholesale City to get orders.

Their sales price is lower than the market. They are in demand by makeup brush sales entrepreneurs. But, the quality varies is not consistent. It helps if you have a detailed knowledge of the market and makeup brushes. This is so that the producers don’t take you for a ride. Jinxian County, Jiangxi Province, is the hometown of Mao bi in China. It comes with rich experience in making cosmetic brushes and Mao bi.

Luyi

The makeup brush production base in Luyi County, Henan Province, was created with the support of the local government. As a new production center for makeup brushes. With the advantages of natural hair production, it entered into the production of makeup brushes.

The county now houses 117 tail hair enterprises in industrial clusters. Producing 400 million ferrules, 60 million wooden handles, and plastic handles, along with 100 tons of makeup cotton. It also makes 120 tons of brushed nylon wool, high and medium. There are more than 9,000 tons of low-grade natural hair. There are also more than 5,000 tons of cashmere and more than 600 tons of synthetic fibers.

The annual sales of natural hair products account for more than 80% of the country. It enjoys a good reputation all over the world. Among them, the annual output of goat hair reaches 5,000 tons. Goat hair exports account for more than 75% of the country’s total.

In conclusion

Makeup is an enabler of beauty. It increases the confidence they have in themselves and raises their self-esteem. In the olden days, makeup was premium and used by women who were in high-class families. It got used to attracting the opposite gender. Today it is no longer so.

Now with the advent of technology and due to globalization, makeup is for everyone who likes it. Customization lets brands increase the value they offer to their customers. Makeup brushes are tools that let women and men define beauty by their own hands.