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Maksymilian Faktorowicz (September 15, 1877-August 30, 1938), also known as Max Factor Sr., was a Polish-American businessman, beautician, entrepreneur and inventor.
As a founder of the cosmetics giant Max Factor & Company, he largely developed the modern cosmetics industry in the United States and popularized the term make-up in noun form based on the verb.
He is also known for doing makeovers for starlets and giving them their signature looks; his most iconic works include Jean Harlow's platinum hair, Clara Bow's bob, Lucille Ball's false lashes and red curls, and Joan Crawford's Hunter's Bow, or overdrawn lips.
Factor, of Polish-Jewish descent, was born in Zduńska Wola to Abraham Faktorowicz (1850/52-before 1938) and Cecylia Wrocławska.
By the age of eight years, Factor was working as an assistant to a dentist and pharmacist. At the age of nine, he was apprenticed to a wig maker and cosmetician in Łódź, in central Poland. That experience enabled him to gain a position at Anton's of Berlin, a leading hairstylist and cosmetics creator. By the age of fourteen, he was working at Korpo, a Moscow wig maker and cosmetician to the Imperial Russian Grand Opera. He spent the years from age eighteen to twenty-two undertaking his compulsory military service in the Imperial Russian Army, where he served in the Hospital Corps.
Upon his discharge, he opened his own shop in the town of Ryazan, selling hand-made rouges, creams, fragrances, and wigs. He became well known when a traveling theatrical troupe wore Factor's cosmetics to perform for Russian nobility.
The Russian nobility appointed Factor the official cosmetics expert for the royal family and the Imperial Russian Grand Opera, an honor which led to him being closely monitored.
By 1904, concerned about the increasing anti-Jewish persecution developing in the Russian Empire, he and his wife decided to follow his brother Nathan and uncle Fischel to America. They settled in St. Louis, Missouri.
More information: Max Factor
He sold his rouges and creams at the 1904 World's Fair, operating under the newly re-spelled name Max Factor. His partner in the venture stole all of his stock and the profits. With assistance from his brother and uncle, Factor recovered and opened a barber's shop.
Factor moved his family to Los Angeles, California, when he saw an opportunity to provide made-to-order wigs and theatrical make-up to the growing film industry. Initially, he established a shop on South Central Avenue, and advertised the business as Max Factor's Antiseptic Hair Store.
After the foundation of Max Factor & Company in 1909, he soon became the West Coast distributor of Leichner and Minor, two leading theatrical make-up manufacturers. Greasepaint in stick form -although the accepted make-up for use on the stage- could not be applied thinly enough, nor were the colors appropriate, to work satisfactorily on the screen during the early years of movie-making.
Factor began experimenting with various compounds in an effort to develop a suitable make-up for the new film medium.
By 1914, he had perfected the first cosmetic specifically created for motion picture use -a thinner greasepaint in cream form, packaged in a jar, and created in 12 precisely-graduated shades. Unlike theatrical cosmetics, it would not crack or cake.
With this major achievement to his credit, Max Factor became the authority on cosmetics for film making. Soon, movie stars were eager to sample the flexible greasepaint, while movie producers sought Factor's human hair wigs.
More information: Yesterday's America
Factor marketed a range of cosmetics to the public during the 1920s, and insisted that every girl could look like a movie star by using Max Factor cosmetics.
In the early years of the business, Factor personally applied his products to actors and actresses. He developed a reputation for being able to customize makeup to present actors and actresses in the best possible light on screen. Among his most notable clients were: Ben Turpin, Gloria Swanson, Mary Pickford, Pola Negri, Jean Harlow, Claudette Colbert, Bette Davis, Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Lucille Ball, and Judy Garland.
As a result, virtually all of the major movie actresses were regular customers of the Max Factor beauty salon, located near Hollywood Boulevard. Max Factor's name appeared on many movie credits, and Factor appeared in some cameos.
In 1920, Max Factor gave in to Frank Factor's suggestion, and officially began referring to his products as make-up. Until then, the term cosmetics had been used, because make-up was considered to be used only by people in the theatre or of dubious reputation -not something to be used in polite society.
Factor died on August 30, 1938, at the age of 60, in Beverly Hills, California.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented Max Factor with an honorary Academy Award in 1929 for his contributions to the film industry. Additionally, Max Factor is honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
More information: Beautylish
He'll make your pucker look good!
Johnny Mercer
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