Water lilies are a symbol of beauty and spirituality and they used to be a crucial element in the cosmetics of beauty visionary Helena Rubinstein. What the camellia flower is for Chanel, the water lily used to be for Rubinstein, though, from a design point of view it was not so obvious.Her first cosmetics created and sold in Australia were not the claimed "secret central European beauty creams" but products based on local ingredients and maybe based on the some local aboriginal knowledge of plants. The first cream that made her success contained lanolin from sheep, pine bark extract, water lilies and some other aromatic elements. In fact, one of the very first beauty treatments performed in Helena Rubinstein salon was based on Australian native Water lilies, like those in Toowoomba.
It has been only recently discovered that water lilies contain some important healing elements and are a free radical scavenger boosting the immune system. Beauty treatments have been part of Egypt and India's culture for thousands of years and it is possible that Helena Rubinstein discovered them during her travels. With her huge jewels she was often compared to an Indian princess (she also had a great collection of Indian precious stones) and it is no surprise that one early fragrance was called Mahatma. The water lily extract was used in lotions and creams for its soothing properties. In one press picture taken before WWII, Helena Rubinstein is shown in her factory with women preparing a water lily extract.
In 1934 Helena Rubinstein introduced a perfume called Water lily in a black bottle with a lotus stopper. For an element so important in her beauty products it was a natural choice.
In fact what was special in her early cosmetics was the fragrance. It was not a common practice in the beginning of beauty creams to scent them, or to think very much about the importance of the sensual pleasure of the scent in the choice of cosmetics. She used in the beginning essential oils or plant extracts and their first mission was to cover the somehow unpleasant grease base not highly purified. But very soon all beauty products will be scented and later fragrance compositions will be incorporated to creams and lotions. One major standard in terms of cream fragrance was the scent used in the german Nivea cream. It is important to notice that since then, the lily composition became quintessential to all personal care products. For many decades (and even now, before the fruity era) the rose-violet-lily of the valley or "fantasy water lily" are the most used type of scents for creams. Today their odor is described as cosmetic. But all this history of cosmetic fragrances has started at the beginning of the century in Australia using the native water lilies.
The perfume created in 1934 was, like many perfumes of the house, a floral based on many synthetics. Helena Rubinstein was one of the first to advocate the massive use of synthetic ingredients in her perfumes for a very "rubinstein reason" - they were much cheaper. The creation was based on rose, lily of the valley (with some new discovered molecules), violet, cyclamen, ylang and some jasmine and there are not many bottles in the world.
In fact what was special in her early cosmetics was the fragrance. It was not a common practice in the beginning of beauty creams to scent them, or to think very much about the importance of the sensual pleasure of the scent in the choice of cosmetics. She used in the beginning essential oils or plant extracts and their first mission was to cover the somehow unpleasant grease base not highly purified. But very soon all beauty products will be scented and later fragrance compositions will be incorporated to creams and lotions. One major standard in terms of cream fragrance was the scent used in the german Nivea cream. It is important to notice that since then, the lily composition became quintessential to all personal care products. For many decades (and even now, before the fruity era) the rose-violet-lily of the valley or "fantasy water lily" are the most used type of scents for creams. Today their odor is described as cosmetic. But all this history of cosmetic fragrances has started at the beginning of the century in Australia using the native water lilies.
The perfume created in 1934 was, like many perfumes of the house, a floral based on many synthetics. Helena Rubinstein was one of the first to advocate the massive use of synthetic ingredients in her perfumes for a very "rubinstein reason" - they were much cheaper. The creation was based on rose, lily of the valley (with some new discovered molecules), violet, cyclamen, ylang and some jasmine and there are not many bottles in the world.
You noticed that in the title I wrote an australian symbol. It's rather unusual for what was for centuries an egyptian/indian symbol but in XXth century, far from any cultural influence and with local products, the great history of modern cosmetics started around a pond with water lilies in Australia in a very hot climate.
Marlene Dietrich plays in 1932 in Shanghai Express the role of Shanghai Lily.
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3 commentaires:
And you know what Dietrich says to her former lover Clive Brook, who discovers she is now a courtesan: "It took more than one man to change my name to... Shanghai Lilly."
I love her so much! There is also the scene when she smokes in the shadow/light with that amazing black dress with feathers.
Among all the genius shots of that movie, my favorite is the one where she prays for her lover. A frame of her long fingers joining and curling out slowly like underwater stems in a current...
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