From Russia with beauty: the story of Max Factor

Max Factor (real name - Maximilian Faktorovich) - the famous American makeup artist of Jewish origin, cosmetologist, stylist and businessman, who founded the cosmetic brand Max Factor.

Photo: Shutterstock

The story of his success told the project Museum of Russian-American Heritage.

He was born in the city of Zduńska Wola (now Poland), which at that time was part of the Russian Empire.

Maximilian grew up in a large family (8 brothers and sisters), so he had to work with 7 for years. He sold sweets in the theater, worked as a pharmacist assistant in a pharmacy, and was also a messenger in a beauty salon.

In 14 years, Maximilian moved to Moscow and joined the Bolshoi Theater as an assistant make-up artist, where he acquired the first skills in the field of visage.

After compulsory military service in the army of the Russian Empire, in 1895, he opened his own store, where he sold blush, creams, perfumes and wigs - all of his own making. He also suggested to clients how they could use cosmetics to highlight their strengths and hide their flaws. This distinguished Faktorovich from his competitors and played a key role on his path to fame.

After some time, he moved to St. Petersburg, where he began working at the Opera House, doing costumes and make-up. The actors, made up by Max Factor, played in front of Nicholas II, and soon the name of the talented make-up artist became widely known among the nobility. For several years he worked as a specialist in cosmetics at the court of the Russian Tsar and in the imperial theaters.

In the 1904 year, due to the growth of anti-Semitic sentiment in Russia, Max Factor, along with his wife and 2 children, was forced to leave the country.

In 1908, he opened his own cosmetics shop not far from "Dream Factory" on Hollywood Boulevard. The place was very successful, and he soon gained popularity among Hollywood actresses, not only as a cosmetologist, but also as a stylist.

It was he who made Jean Harlow the world's first "platinum blonde." And when she became a superstar, thousands of women around the world began to copy her appearance, and Factor developed a separate make-up line for this type of appearance.

His services were used not only by actresses, but also by actors, for example, Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.

In 1920, it was Factor that coined the term “make-up”, which until then was considered a vulgar expression.

He also experimented intensely and created a replacement for theatrical makeup that was applied too thick. for filming a movie layer. Therefore, Hollywood directors began to turn to him for help.

In 1925, his company received an order for 600 gallons (2271 liter) of olive-colored makeup for the filming of the film “Ben-Hur” to create the dark skin color of the actors. The following year, he developed the first waterproof makeup for the next historical mega film Mare Nostrum.

The factor created a make-up for sound films, in the filming of which lighting other than silent films was used. And with the advent of color to the cinema, he developed makeup, with which actors in full-color movies looked natural.

The factor belongs to the invention of the “beauty calibrator” - a device that measures the parameters of a face and allows a makeup artist to eliminate the flaws of the image.

In 20-30-ies of the twentieth century, Max Factor and his sons began manufacturing their own cosmetics, expanded the network of stores throughout America, and then in Europe. Soon the brand acquired a world name and popularity.

In 1938, during a business tour in Europe, Max became a victim of blackmailers. Upon arrival in Paris, he received a threatening letter - extortionists demanded money in exchange for the life of a businessman. The attempt to detain the criminals was unsuccessful - the blackmailers did not show up at the agreed place to hand over the money.

The make-up artist was so shocked by what happened that he returned to the United States and fell ill in the same year. He was 65 years old.

After the death of Max Factor his son Frank continued his work, who changed his name to Max Factor Junior.

The genius of make-up and make-up, who personally created the whole cosmetics industry, influenced the development of Hollywood in many ways, so a star was laid in his honor on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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