Probably, few beauties who use Max Factor cosmetics know that the name of their favorite nonsense came from the name of its creator - Maximilian Abramovich Faktorovich. More than a century ago, he opened the first store, and today he is called "the father of modern cosmetics."
early years
Maximilian was born into the family of a Polish Jew in 1872. From early childhood, the boy had to help parents with many children and learn to earn a living. As a seven-year-old child, Maximilian carried sweets during the intermission of performances, then he first visited the theatrical backstage, which amazed him. At eight years old, he served as a pharmacist and learned the basics of chemistry and pharmacy. And at the age of nine, being an apprentice with a stylist, he learned how to make real wigs. Barely reaching fourteen, Faktorovich got a job at the Moscow Bolshoi Theater. As an assistant make-up artist, he acquired skills that helped him in the future.
Carier start
The next stage in his biography was military service. After that, Faktorovich started his own business. This happened in Ryazan in 1895. All the goods in his store: powder, blush, creams, wigs, were made by him. The theater troupe, which once visited the city, brought the news of the talented master to the capital. In addition to creating cosmetic products, Faktorovich devoted part of his time to communicating with customers, giving them advice on how to highlight the best features and hide facial imperfections.
Soon Maximilian was invited to the St. Petersburg Opera House. He was in charge of costumes and makeup. The images of the actors created by Faktorovich evoked delight among the noble public and even the emperor himself. Among the makeup specialists in Russian theaters and at the royal court, he was considered the best. He was accompanied everywhere by security, even his own store he could not visit alone. Moreover, an accidental acquaintance with one of the visitors, Esther Rosa, turned into a whirlwind romance. Max had to be married secretly, and then also secretly then visit his wife and the children that appeared. In the palace of Nicholas II, he felt like a prisoner.
Factor in Hollywood
In 1904, the famous make-up artist left for the United States. He considered his continued stay in Russia dangerous due to anti-Semitic sentiments, so he left her with his wife and children. The name of the emigrant turned into a short and sonorous Max Factor. The newly minted American opened a business in St. Louis. With the move to Los Angeles, the products appeared on the shelves of the store on Hollywood Boulevard. Neighborhood with the "Dream Factory" brought great popularity to the institution in the acting environment, it was here that they acquired make-up and wigs. Max's store featured leading theatrical makeup companies on the West Coast.
The rapid development of cinematography has led to the change in the requirements of the creators of the pictures to the existing make-up. The product was created from a mixture of fat, flour and starch. It was applied in a thick layer, and on the screen the faces of the characters seemed "disgusting and frightening." The makeup cracked and fell off at the slightest movement. Max's new product met the expectations of the creator and gained unprecedented popularity. Using “on-screen make-up,” the performers looked more natural, the new product was liquid and had twelve shades of color. In 1914, Max learned to create "eye drops" using molten wax. The genius comedian Charlie Chaplin and his colleagues were in awe of the innovation and used it extensively on the set. The Factor himself emphasized that "a successful make-up is not noticeable."
"For the stars - and for you"
The factor dreamed of making cosmetics the property of all women, without exception. The novelties demonstrated by the actresses instantly appeared on the shelves of his stores. With bated breath, the ladies watched on the screens for the beautiful heart-shaped contours of Clara Bow's lips, the charming look of Gretta Garbo, which was emphasized by the shadows and makeup of Rudolfo Valentino.
In 1918, the theory of "Color Harmony" arose. Its author believed that makeup is combined with a tone of skin, eyes and hair. This is how the expression “make up” appeared, literally meaning “to make a face”.
While visiting Europe in 1922, he was rejected by the German firm Leichner. Then Factor decided to end their long-term cooperation and sell makeup exclusively under his own brand “Max Factor”. Convenient tube packaging soon pushed out the competition. Sons Davis and Frank provided great help in Max's affairs, the beauty empire turned into a family business. They hired famous actors to promote their products, and they kindly agreed to shoot for almost free. So they expressed their recognition of the great master. In 1926 he created waterproof makeup, and in 1928 he completed a line of cosmetics for black and white cinema. His contribution to filmmaking was well deservedly appreciated by the Oscar. The next result of creativity was cosmetics for sound cinematography.
By 1935, the Makeup Studio opened its doors. Four halls were intended for different types: the blue room was given to the fair-haired, the green room was given to the owners of red hair, brunettes went straight to pink, and dark-blond, “brownies, as the master called them, chose peach. The Beauty Calibrator was also located here. The apparatus was used to determine the parameters of the model's face.
The most important invention of Max was the "pancake" - make-up for color films, this happened in 1937. The creators of the picture for the first time indicated the name of the Factor in the credits.
The legacy of the "Hollywood Wizard"
At the peak of his career, Max Factor unexpectedly fell seriously ill and soon passed away. The cause of his severe discomfort was the stress he experienced when he received the anonymous threatening letter.
The empire remained in the hands of his sons, who continued his work. They created mascara that was not afraid of water and eyeliner, nail polish and liquid foundation. In addition, we obtained a patent for a make-up for television. As before, movie stars considered it an honor to advertise Max Factor products.
In the 70s, the company went through a big change. First, a representative of the older generation Sydney retired, then several young members of the Factor family left the family business. In 1976, the company did not have a single direct heir to the founder of the corporation, and ten years later it was sold to the Revlon company. A few years later, the new owner, almost bankrupt, resold the line to Procter & Gamble. In 1993, the beloved products were released in dark blue and gold packaging. A global brand with almost a century of history, combines classics and new technologies. He is among the leaders in modern cosmetics and remains popular because women want to be beautiful at all times.
