Cold cream
Encyclopedia
Cold cream is an emulsion
of water and certain fats, usually including beeswax
and various scent agents, designed to smooth skin and remove makeup. The name derives from the cooling feeling that the cream leaves on the skin. Variations of the product have been used for nearly two-thousand years.
, a physician
in second century Greece
.
In France
, this substance is still known as ('Galen's Wax'). A copy of the London Dispensatory, edited by Nicholas Culpeper and published in the year 1650 included the following formula for this substance:
An 1814 poem credited to "Dr. Russell" gives the following account of the benefits attributed to cold cream in that day:
Galen's cold cream was based on beeswax and water, also containing olive oil
and rose
petal
s for softness and scent, respectively. Significant differences in formula were established centuries ago. Spermaceti
from whales was utilized as far back as 1780, contributing to the severe hunting of these animals. This 1857 account relates:
or other oils, which are slower to spoil, as well as alcohol
, glycerin, and lanolin
. Beginning in the 1970s, jojoba oil
became a common ingredient. Another common ingredient in modern cold cream is borax
, which is also responsible for the whiteness of cold cream. Widely sold brands of cold cream in the United States include Pond's
and Noxzema
.
Over the centuries, new uses have been found for the product: "As a toilet requisite cold cream is used for softening and cooling the skin after sunburn
, as a cleansing cream, to relieve harshness of the skin, etc".
Emulsion
An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally immiscible . Emulsions are part of a more general class of two-phase systems of matter called colloids. Although the terms colloid and emulsion are sometimes used interchangeably, emulsion is used when both the dispersed and the...
of water and certain fats, usually including beeswax
Beeswax
Beeswax is a natural wax produced in the bee hive of honey bees of the genus Apis. It is mainly esters of fatty acids and various long chain alcohols...
and various scent agents, designed to smooth skin and remove makeup. The name derives from the cooling feeling that the cream leaves on the skin. Variations of the product have been used for nearly two-thousand years.
History
The invention of cold cream is credited to GalenGalen
Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus , better known as Galen of Pergamon , was a prominent Roman physician, surgeon and philosopher...
, a physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
in second century Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.
In France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, this substance is still known as ('Galen's Wax'). A copy of the London Dispensatory, edited by Nicholas Culpeper and published in the year 1650 included the following formula for this substance:
An 1814 poem credited to "Dr. Russell" gives the following account of the benefits attributed to cold cream in that day:
Galen's cold cream was based on beeswax and water, also containing olive oil
Olive oil
Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
and rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
petal
Petal
Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They often are brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. Together, all of the petals of a flower are called a corolla. Petals are usually accompanied by another set of special leaves called sepals lying...
s for softness and scent, respectively. Significant differences in formula were established centuries ago. Spermaceti
Spermaceti
Spermaceti is a wax present in the head cavities of the sperm whale . Originally mistaken for the whales' sperm , spermaceti is created in the spermaceti organ inside the whale's head and connected to its nasal passage...
from whales was utilized as far back as 1780, contributing to the severe hunting of these animals. This 1857 account relates:
Modern formulation
Cold cream now replaces the olive oil with mineral oilMineral oil
A mineral oil is any of various colorless, odorless, light mixtures of alkanes in the C15 to C40 range from a non-vegetable source, particularly a distillate of petroleum....
or other oils, which are slower to spoil, as well as alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
, glycerin, and lanolin
Lanolin
Lanolin , also called Adeps Lanae, wool wax or wool grease, is a yellow waxy substance secreted by the sebaceous glands of wool-bearing animals. Most lanolin used by humans comes from domestic sheep...
. Beginning in the 1970s, jojoba oil
Jojoba oil
Jojoba oil is the liquid wax produced in the seed of the jojoba plant, a shrub native to southern Arizona, southern California, and northwestern Mexico. The oil makes up approximately 50% of the jojoba seed by weight....
became a common ingredient. Another common ingredient in modern cold cream is borax
Borax
Borax, also known as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate, is an important boron compound, a mineral, and a salt of boric acid. It is usually a white powder consisting of soft colorless crystals that dissolve easily in water.Borax has a wide variety of uses...
, which is also responsible for the whiteness of cold cream. Widely sold brands of cold cream in the United States include Pond's
Pond's Creams
Pond's Cream is a brand of beauty and health care products that is produced by the Ponds Institute which is owned by the multinational company Unilever.-History:...
and Noxzema
Noxzema
Noxzema is a skin cleanser marketed by Alberto-Culver. Alberto-Culver bought the rights to the brand in 2008 from Procter & Gamble and now owns and operates the line of skin-care products...
.
Over the centuries, new uses have been found for the product: "As a toilet requisite cold cream is used for softening and cooling the skin after sunburn
Sunburn
A sunburn is a burn to living tissue, such as skin, which is produced by overexposure to ultraviolet radiation, commonly from the sun's rays. Usual mild symptoms in humans and other animals include red or reddish skin that is hot to the touch, general fatigue, and mild dizziness. An excess of UV...
, as a cleansing cream, to relieve harshness of the skin, etc".