A large number of recent innovations are focused on simplifying aspects of our regular routines. A significant number of those recent patents were submitted by men, which, taking into account the available data, suggests that some of the items marketed for women were also conceptualised by these individuals. These brilliant inventions are incredibly useful, and the design of many of them has hardly changed in the last few decades, despite the fact that their ultimate purpose may have been to become wealthy or famous or to assist ladies.
- Conditioner for the hair
Edouard Pinaud, a French perfumer, submitted his new creation to the World Exhibition in Paris at the beginning of the 20th century. It was a moustache and beard softener. It was formulated with unique oils, and as a result, it provided superior conditioning to the hair. At one point, the use of hair conditioner became an essential component of the daily routine of every single woman. These days, however, not only women but also men and even dogs and other animals with hair utilise it.
- Handbags
Additionally, a male came up with the idea for this piece of women’s jewellery. When Samuel Parkinson and his wife were packing for a trip, he realised that the standard cloth bag that women typically bring along with them to carry their personal belongings might not be able to withstand the rigours of a lengthy voyage. He made the decision to experiment with something new and placed an order with his tanner, H.J. Cave, for a variety of smaller bags in a range of sizes. When Mrs. Parkinson received those one-of-a-kind designer handbags, we can only speculate as to how thrilled she was to receive them.
- Bobby pins
These little metal gizmos are prone to disappearing, and you can never find them when you need them. Additionally, if you ask Hollywood, bobby pins are the most effective lockpicks that money can buy. Who exactly was the first to use them, and why are they referred to as “bobby” pins? Do you remember the good old days of the 1950s, when every other lady sported a bobbed haircut? I don’t either, but Luis Marcus is partially to blame for that because he was the one who came up with these pins specifically designed for that hairdo.
- Iron for making curls
In connection with the topic of hairdos, an additional major trend that emerged in 1872 and was known as the “Marcel curl” was only made feasible because Marcel Gateau popularised the use of a curling iron. Surprisingly, he wasn’t even the one who came up with the idea in the first place. This distinction belongs to Hiram Maxim, who in 1866 received a patent for his peculiar innovation. In spite of this, Marcel did construct his own version of the device in the year 1890, due to the fact that the older one had a tendency to burn through hair when it was operated by an untrained individual.
- Fake nails
This is an odd one for sure. Actually, a dentist was the one who came up with the idea of false nails. You might imagine that some beauty-obsessed fashion freak or something else came up with the idea, but it was actually a dentist. While Fred Slack was being careless about his chores, he ended up breaking off one of his nails. It didn’t take Slack long to come up with a solution to that problem, which was to create a phoney one. After that point, both men and women all over the world began wearing fake nails in a variety of settings. This trend continues to this day.
- Pads
On the battlefields of World War I, the first sanitary pads were employed to prevent soldiers from losing their lives to excessive bleeding. Benjamin Franklin was the brilliant mind behind this ingenious invention, which is credited with preventing the loss of thousands of lives. Franklin’s sanitary pads also spurred the production of paper napkins, which in turn assisted two Johnson brothers in 1888 in starting their hitherto obscure company known as Johnson & Johnson.
- Hair colouring
Eugene Schuller, a chemist, came up with the idea for the first ever permanent and risk-free hair colour in 1907. He then went on to patent his invention. In the past, ladies who wanted to change the colour of their hair would use henna or harsh chemicals. Young Schuller observed how frustrated his wife was because she was unable to get the appropriate tone, and as a result, he devised a remedy. This is how the dye known as Aureole came into existence, but you may be more familiar with it by its more current name, L’Oreal.
- Mascara
Although the English cosmetics trader Eugene Rimmel is credited with inventing mascara in the 19th century, the product didn’t start seeing widespread use until Terry Williams perfected the formula and introduced it to the film industry in the early 20th century. In the beginning, he made his mascara out of coal and petroleum jelly, but it was a recipe that was prone to failure. Williams eventually included some wax in the mixture and packaged it in cones along with brushes.