THE FIRST AUTOMATIC MASCARA IN THE WORLD

Updated: Jan 21, 2022

MASCARA-MATIC invented by HELENA RUBINSTEIN

In 1957 Mascara-Matic was an instant success. Early advertisements called it 'Revolutionary', and it was: mascara has never been the same since.

I am thrilled to have recently added this Very Rare Museum Quality piece to my collection!

" First, let me tell you how excited I was when I won this auction, we were 17 bidders and within the last 15secs, I was sweating lol and I still can't believe I got it at only 56$usd.. This is no ordinary mascara! To own the very first brushless mascara ever patented is a very special feeling, it's a piece of beauty history I hold in my hand. "

" It's funny cause I had just ordered the original magazine advert for the Mascara-Matic, and then noticed a 'new listing' appeared for the actual Mascara. It was my lucky day! "

1962 Drawings from the patent invented by Ira Joss, Philip M. Lederberg and Victor Silson (US Patent: 3,033,213, 1962)

ORIGINAL PATENT

The Mascara-Matic combined an inner glass vial of waterproof cream mascara with a grooved metal rod applicator built into a screw-top cap. The applicator was pulled through a central opening that acted both as a seal to reduce evaporation, the grooves in the rod would trap in the mascara while the rest of the rod was wiped clean.

The mascara formula Rubinstein used in the Mascara-Matic appears to have been the one she used in her earlier Waterproof Mascara based on a licence she obtained from Helene Vierthaler Winterstein (1900-1966).

It opened like a pen and was advertised as the first brushless mascara!

My Mascara-Matic is in Blue, there was 4 shades made

REVOLUTION IN MASCARA

This is the original magazine advertising of Mascara-Matic - dated 1957

1960 Part of an advertisement for Helena Rubinstein Mascara-Matic.

The waterproof formula came in four colours black, brown, blue or green (I own the blue one).

Before Rubinstein invented the wand applicator, women who wanted darker lashes used a tiny brush to apply cream mascara (a squeeze tube or liquid paint) or cake mascara (basically, a watercolour set). While these products had their charms, it's easy to see why they became obsolete once mascara wands became available. Today, these automatic applicators are simply known as mascaras.

The Mascara-Matic applicator built into the screw top cap

1969 Helena Rubinstein Long Lash Mascara Advert. It still used the grooved applicator but now had nylon fibres in the mascara to help lengthen the lashes.