In the early years of movie-making,
greasepaint in stick form, although the accepted make-up for use on the stage,
could not be applied thinly enough, nor where did colors work satisfactorily on
the screen. 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. It was worn for the first time by actor Henry B. Walthall, who served as
the model for screen tests.
With this major achievement to his
credit, Max Factor became the authority on cosmetics. Soon movie stars were
eager to sample the "flexible greasepaint".
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, 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.
In 1918 Max Factor completed
development of his "Color Harmony" range of face powder which, due to
its wide range of shades, allowed him to customize and provide more consistent
make-up for each individual actor or actress. He created many appearances for
these actresses, such as Clara Bow's heart-shaped/pierrot lips. Years later, he
exaggerated Joan Crawford's naturally full lips to distinguish her from the
many would-be stars copying the Clara Bow look he created. He also created
shades specifically for them: Platinum (for Jean Harlow), Special Medium (for
Joan Crawford), and Dark (for Claudette Colbert). For Rudolph Valentino he
created makeup which complemented his complexion, and masked the darkness of
his skin on screen.
In 1920 Max Factor gave in to Frank Factor’s
suggestion and officially began referring to his products as
"make-up" based on the verb phrase "to make up" (one's
face). Until then the term "cosmetics" had been used, as the term
"make-up" was considered to be used only by people in the theater or
of dubious reputation and not something to be used in polite society.
In 1922 while on holiday in Europe with
his wife, Factor visited the headquarters of Leichner in Germany. He was by
then the biggest retailer of their theatrical stick greasepaint, yet he was
snubbed and kept waiting at reception.[1] Upset at this treatment he left and
immediately cabled his sons to begin selling his own brand of greasepaint.
Until then Factor had been making his own greasepaint for use on his clients,
but had made no attempt to market it while he was representing other brands.
Now he concentrated on his own products, which he offered in a collapsible
tube, instead of in the stick form used by other producers. His tube
greasepaint was not only more hygienic but also could be applied more thinly
and evenly. Soon Max Factor's version was the leading brand.
By the 1920s his sons Davis and Frank
were heavily involved in the business, with Davis the general manager and Frank
assisting his father in the development of new products.
In 1925 the company received its
biggest order to date when it had to complete a rush order to supply 600
gallons of light olive makeup to the set of the movie Ben-Hur to ensure that
the skin color of the extras used in filming undertaken in America would match
that of the darker skinned Italian extras in the scenes filmed in Italy.
In 1926 for the film Mare Nostrum Max
and Frank Factor developed the first waterproof theatrical make-up.
By the 1920s Max Factor was becoming
known outside of the film community, which led to the company in the early
1930s developing an in-house public relations department.
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