Makeup and Fragrances are not a Deception

The controversy on deception behind makeup and fragrances is part of an age-old debate
on socially constructed beauty and aesthetic standards. The numerous viral stories on media
about the transformative power of makeup have constantly stirred up the narrative that women
who wear makeup are deceitful about their natural looks. Without doubt, women risk their sanity
by succumbing to social ideals of beauty and aesthetics and get rewarded through hateful and
degrading opinions. According to several fragrance critics, perfume is a form of art that
inherently predisposes it to deception (Herz 118). All art work involves an element of
manipulation, which naturally makes it a false construction. In such a context, the truth is what
the artist seeks to convey to the audience. Ultimately, the question whether makeup or fragrances
are a form of deception is determined by the kind of value attached to both attributes, regardless
of what the society labels as truth or lies.
Women who use makeup seek to look good, not to deceive people. Numerous studies
have explored the psychology behind aesthetics, and still there has not been a conclusion on
where to draw the line between deception and reality (White 10; Yarosh 34). The same way a
perfume marketer will attribute a caramel-laced scent to happiness, confidence, and relaxation, is
the same way a makeup artist connects value to any look created using makeup. In essence, it
depends on how someone looks at deception; everything about human lives involves some level
of deception.

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The argument that makeup and fragrances are a deception is made on the context of
Kantian ethics whereby decisions that are universally good or have a duty to all rational beings
are the only ethical decisions (Zuckert 110). In such a scenario, the idea behind the production,
distribution, and marketing of makeup becomes obsolete. People who are anti-makeup or
fragrances assume the simple reality that these assets are meant to serve the social ideals that
define beauty. The society wants to subscribe to a certain form of innocent ignorance that defies
the cognitive capacity of rational people to distinguish between what is natural from what is
unnatural.
The same way people use scents to distinguish among products, is the same way that
fragrances contribute to interpersonal relationships. Humans have a strong sense of smell; scent
is scientifically linked to memories and emotions (Orth and Aurelie 279). Chemical fragrances
last longer than natural fragrances. Therefore, it is common for an individual’s scent to linger
even in their absence especially if they had a signature perfume due to its staying power. Thus, it
would be wrong to call the ability to bring back memories of a loved one a lie.
Ultimately, the question whether makeup or fragrances are a form of deception is
determined by the kind of value attached to both attributes, regardless of what the society labels
as truth or lies. The debate on the deceptive element of makeup is largely distorted and
influenced by propagation of socially constructed beauty ideals. People who are against makeup
share the opinion that makeup users lie about their true appearance. However, makeup has the
power to boost an individual’s confidence and just like fragrances, it demonstrates a form of self-
ascribed value. Makeup and fragrances are works of art whereby the artist reserves the power to
determine their truth.

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Works Cited

Herz, Rachel S. “The emotional, cognitive, and biological basics of olfaction: implications and
considerations for scent marketing.” Sensory Marketing. Routledge, 2011. 117-138.
White, Michele. ““There’s nothing makeup cannot do”: Women Beauty Vloggers’ Self-
Representations, Transformations, and# thepowerofmakeup.” Screen Bodies 2.1 (2017):
1-21.
Orth, Ulrich R., and Aurelie Bourrain. “The influence of nostalgic memories on consumer
exploratory tendencies: Echoes from scents past.” Journal of Retailing and Consumer
services 15.4 (2008): 277-287.
Yarosh, Daniel B. “Perception and Deception: Human Beauty and the Brain.” Behavioral
Sciences 9.4 (2019): 34.
Zuckert, Rachel. “Boring beauty and universal morality: Kant on the ideal of beauty.” Inquiry
48.2 (2005): 107-130.