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The 2020s Era

2020s Makeup: Masks, Screens and the Law

A mouth hidden behind a mask and an eye made up above it, a face held up to a phone, and the largest expansion of American cosmetics law in eighty-four years: the decade so far.

The essayMasks, Screens and the Law

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A 2020s collage: a drawn portrait of a young woman with dewy skin, brushed-up brows, a fine line floating above the lid and a bright pink mouth looks out from the screen of an upright smartphone, surrounded by an unfolded pleated face mask, a tin of brow soap with a spoolie, a felt-tip eyeliner, a liquid blush, a satin lipstick and a torn fashion sketch.
Commissioned illustration
2020 – TodayMasks & Mandates
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The 2020s Era: The Chronology

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In short

The 2020s opened with lipstick sales falling behind masks while eye makeup held up, gave the FDA its widest new powers over cosmetics since 1938 in the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of December 2022, and saw the European Union restrict added microplastics — loose glitter at once, makeup by 2035.

The 2020s Era at a Glance

  • Above the MaskLipstick fell and the eyes carried the face in 2020.
  • The Law ArrivesMoCRA, 2022: registration, listing and adverse-event reports.
  • The Shorter ScreenTutorials on TikTok, and buyers not yet in their teens.
  • Rules for What Is In ItAnimal tests waived in China, microplastics restricted in Europe.

In the 2020s Era

Masks & Mandates

11 articles across 2 collections

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Explore Further

Ingredients

What the face was made of