1920 – A new formula for a more effective eyebrow pencil was developed and used to create the thin, elegant brow of Hollywood’s heyday.

1930 – Fashion Icon Coco Chanel accidentally got burnt while on holiday in the French Riviera. The look caught on and tanning oils were developed.

1939 – Hitler tried to ban makeup to save resources but German women simply refused to work. Instead, cosmetics companies used cheaper alternatives to packaging such as cardboard boxing. When the wars ended, the beauty industry enjoyed a 53% increase in value.

1950s – with the advent of colour film, the beauty industry got a colourful make-over with bright rouges all the rage. With men returning from war and the resulting baby boom, all emphasis was on family life. Women came back from work and resigned to life as housewives. With so much time on their hands, they spent a lot of time pampering themselves to look glamorous.

1970s – Second-wave feminism hit and women began breaking free from the constraints of femininity. Believing that make-up sexualised and objectified women, many gave up their beauty regimes in favour of the natural look.

1990s – Cosmetics companies began to get adventurous. With all the competition out there, they had to keep coming up with new and innovative ideas. The 90s saw the introduction of a range of imaginative products that promised to fight ageing and target wrinkles.

2002 – The celebrity saviour Botox hit it off, along with other quick-fix treatments such as collagen lip implants, facial skin peels and electric wave therapy.

2011 – The skin care industry is reported as one of the fasted growing beauty industry sectors since 2001.

2012 – the UK beauty industry alone is valued at £15 billion and is predicted to increase by 8.5% by 2014