Terms of Use

History of Makeup is published by History of Makeup ("we"). The operator's full details are in the legal notice. By reading the site you accept the first part of these terms; by opening an account you also accept the parts about accounts.

Using this site

History of Makeup is published for reading, reference and study. You are welcome to read it, link to it, quote short passages with attribution, and cite it in your own work.

You may not republish articles in full, scrape the site to build a derivative reference work, or present this material as your own. Automated access that degrades the service for other readers is not permitted.

Copyright

The written articles, the ingredient dictionary, the commissioned illustration and the design of this site are the property of History of Makeup unless credited otherwise. Archival images remain the property of the institutions that hold them and are reproduced under their terms; any product photography remains the property of the brand or retailer that supplied it.

Quotations from third-party sources appear under fair dealing and fair use for the purposes of criticism, review and study, and are attributed.

Accuracy

This site is researched and cited to the standard described in Editorial Standards, but it is a work of history, not a live authority. Scholarship is revised, attributions are contested, and errors happen. Material is published in good faith and without warranty that it is complete or current. If you find an error, write to corrections@historyofmakeup.com.

Not medical, safety or regulatory advice

This is important. Articles and ingredient entries describe what substances are, how they were used historically, and what is publicly documented about them. That is historical and reference information.

It is not guidance on whether something is safe to put on your skin, not a substitute for advice from a doctor or dermatologist, and not a statement of any product's current regulatory status in your jurisdiction. Several substances described here — lead carbonate, mercury compounds, antimony preparations — are genuinely dangerous, and describing how they were once used is not a suggestion that anyone use them. Regulatory positions differ by country and change over time; check the current instrument that applies to you.

The same is true of Vivien's picks and every other suggestion made for you in your account. They are editorial suggestions, chosen by rules from how makers describe their products. They are not medical or dermatological advice, and they are not a promise that a product suits your skin, your eyes or your allergies. We hold no ingredient lists, so a product we did not hold back may still contain something you react to. Before you use anything new, read its label and ingredients, patch-test it if you are prone to reactions, and ask a doctor, dermatologist or pharmacist if you have a skin or eye condition or an allergy.

External and commercial links

Links to other sites are provided for reference. We do not control them and are not responsible for their content or their practices. Some product links earn a commission, as set out in the affiliate disclosure. Any purchase is a contract between you and the retailer; we are not a party to it and cannot help with orders, delivery or returns.

Accounts

Reader accounts are free and optional: everything on the site can be read without one. An account lets you keep what you save, make lists, fill in a beauty profile and receive Vivien's picks.

• You must be 16 or over to open an account.
• An account is for one person. The details you give must be your own and true, and you are responsible for keeping your password and your email account safe.
• If you think someone else has used your account, change your password and sign out your other sessions in Settings, and tell us at privacy@historyofmakeup.com.
• You may not use an account to break the law, to harm other people or the site, or to get around these terms or the site's limits.

We may change, add or withdraw account features, and will not charge for anything that is free today without asking you first.

Your profile

Every profile question is optional, and your answers remain yours. You allow us to keep and use them only as the privacy notice describes: to show them back to you and, where a question says so, to shape your suggestions. Health answers, and height and weight, are used only with the explicit consent you give for each, which you can withdraw at any time in Settings.

If you add a photo, it must be of you, or one you have the right to use, and it must not be unlawful or offensive. We may remove a photo that is.

Personalised recommendations

Vivien's picks are chosen for you by fixed rules the editors wrote, from your answers and from how products are described. The privacy notice explains exactly what goes in and what does not. A pick is a suggestion to consider, not advice to buy or use — see not medical, safety or regulatory advice above. Products are sold by others, whose own terms apply. You can set aside any pick, and switch suggestions off entirely in Settings.

Ending your account

You can delete your account at any time, in Settings, under Privacy & data. It is deleted at once, with everything in it; the data deletion page explains what that covers and what is kept for a short time afterwards.

An account nobody has signed in to for 36 months is closed: we write to its address first, and close it 30 days later if it is still unused.

We may suspend or close an account used in breach of these terms. Unless the law or the safety of others prevents it, we will tell you why, and you may write to us if you think we are wrong.

Availability and responsibility

The site is provided as it is. We do not guarantee uninterrupted access, and material may be added, revised or withdrawn at any time.

Nothing in these terms limits any liability that the law does not allow to be limited, or takes away your rights as a consumer.

Changes and the law that applies

We may update these terms; the date on this page changes when they do. If a change matters to account holders, we will tell you before it takes effect, and you can close your account if you do not accept it.

These terms are governed by Romanian law. If you live elsewhere in the EU, you keep the protection of the mandatory consumer rules of your own country and may bring a claim in its courts.

Contact

Questions about these terms, permissions requests and rights queries go to hello@historyofmakeup.com; anything about your data to privacy@historyofmakeup.com.