Nail Polish Was Used In 3,000 B.C. – Color Of Fingernails Indicated Social Status In Ancient China And Egypt

AncientPages.com - Painting your fingernails in ancient China and Egypt was not just a matter of vanity. The color of a person's nails indicates social status.

Our ancestors started using fingernail paint a long time ago. Ancient Egyptians used henna to paint their fingernails. However, according to historians and archaeologists, the actual invention of fingernail painting originated in ancient China.

In 3000 BC, the Chinese started experimenting with different ingredients to create nail polish. The Chinese combined gum Arabic, beeswax, egg whites, gelatin, and vegetable dyes to formulate varnishes, enamels, and lacquers.

Well-Manicured Nails Became A Symbol Of Culture And Civilization

During the Chou Dynasty of 600 B.C., colors such as gold and silver were associated with royalty. It changed later. A Ming manuscript from the 15th century states that members of the royal family used black and red to paint their fingernails. These colors indicated the highest social status.

As previously mentioned in Ancient Pages, cosmetics was essential to ancient Egyptians and was used by both men and women. Frescoes discovered in ancient Egyptian temples illustrating daily life reveal men often wore makeup. Finding a portrait of an ancient Egyptian whose eyes are not decorated is almost impossible.

So, it's not surprising that ancient Egyptians were fond of nail polish, too. Just like in ancient China, nail color came to signify social order.

Queen Nefertiti painted her fingernails and toenails ruby red, and Cleopatra favored deep rust red.

Ancient Egyptian women of lower rank were prohibited from using intense lipstick colors, so they used only pale hues. No woman dared to flaunt the color worn by the queen or king, for Egyptian men, too, painted their nails.

Before a battle, ancient Egyptian and Babylonian warriors and early Roman military commanders spent several hours having their hair lacquered and curled, and their nails had the same shade as their lips.

In the late 17th century, the first portraits with shiny nails started to appear; today, nail polish's popularity is widespread worldwide. Yet, let us remember the history of nail polish and the tradition of painting your nails, which go far back in time.

It should be added that many ancient civilizations used colors to show social rank. For example, Vikings used intense colors as a symbol of status and wealth.

Updated on December 3, 2023

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