JOURNAL OF COSMETIC SCIENCE 48 confi dence, or to feel desired. Study of these results can open a window to other studies that might consider the relationship between personality traits, depression, and anxiety with the frequency of makeup use. INTRODUCTION Many factors infl uence the development of a person’s personality and relationships (1). Physical appearance, especially the facial features, is considered a vital factor behind phys- ical attractiveness, which is directly correlated with the improvement of social skills (2). Thus, Nielsen and Kernaleguen showed that the attractiveness of the face, but not of the body, infl uences the subjective evaluation of their appearance and general physical attrac- tiveness, as well as the social and professional satisfaction and social desirability (2). Now- adays, one of the main ways women increase their perceived attractiveness of the face is through the use of commercial cosmetics. These products allow women to conform to the standards of current feminine beauty by artifi cially changing the appearance of a few facial features, such as enhancing the visual impact of the eyes and lips, reducing the eyebrows, blushing the cheeks, coloring gray hair, or masking wrinkles. In addition, some studies pointed out that displaying young or slightly immature facial features (large eyes, small nose, fl eshy lips, small chin, delicate jaw, etc.) increases the woman’s attrac- tiveness (3–5). Moreover, makeup products and cosmetics are initially used with the inten- tion of protecting the skin from hazards and ensuring feelings of comfort after application. The role of cosmetic procedures is compensatory. It is a sort of a mask that enhances any feature that is lacking and that may be responsible for making the person feel embarrassed when exposed to the public eye (6). However, the main reason for putting on lipstick, foundation, and mascara is to reveal beautiful skin and make eyes and lips more attractive (7). In the purpose of proving the positive effect of makeup on physical attractiveness, Jones and Russell executed before and after use photographs and found supporting re- sults. Their fi ndings demonstrate that cosmetics manipulate with the facial contrast of the brows and the eyes to increase beauty factors (8). Regarding the relationship between body image and the consumption of cosmetics, pre- vious fi ndings (9) have suggested that some negative aspects of body image are associated with increased use of cosmetics, to boost their image and improve the appearance of a look considered defective (10). Thus, women trying to improve various unsatisfactory aspects of their body desire a fl awless self-image. On another hand, other authors showed that a positive facial image corresponds to a higher use of cosmetics (11). Therefore, greater facial image satisfaction also involved excessive use of cosmetics. Furthermore, it has been reported that the variations of the face appearance caused by cosmetics are incorporated in many personality traits. Self-esteem, body image conscious- ness, and anxiety are found to be related to wearing makeup in public or in front of other people (12). Furthermore, Leveque also studied the correlation between makeup and women’s mental health (13). The use of cosmetics helped in the manifestation of emotional benefi ts such as having a good mood, refl ecting a positive self-evaluation, and showing a signifi cant escalation in the confi dence level (14). In addition, women who put on makeup are more likely to have good jobs and higher salaries. Those who lack interest in such beauty products are women with low work positions and little earnings (15,16). Nielsen and

COSMETICS, SELF-ESTEEM, AND ATTRACTIVENESS 49 Kernaleguen add that facial attractiveness provides the applier satisfaction and profes- sional success (2). Religion is also considered as an important element of culture (17). It is also the main factor that controls the consumer behavior and the purchasing decision of different prod- ucts (18). Therefore, individuals select their cosmetics according to the opinions provided by the religious state they belong to (19). Consumer behavior is also found to be related to demographic variables. Young women between 19 and 23 years of age are more likely to use makeup than men of the same age. This usage of cosmetic supplements undergoes a signifi cant decrease after marriage (20). The purpose of this study was to assess the variables related to the usage of cosmetic prod- ucts among a representative sample of the Lebanese population to see if the cosmetic us- age is affected by factors similar to that in Western countries. This includes self-perception, facial attractiveness satisfaction, body image, and self-esteem. METHODS SAMPLING AND DATA COLLECTION This is a cross-sectional study, conducted between January 2018 and June 2018, which enrolled 2,072 female participants using a proportionate random sample from all Leba- nese Mohafazat (Beirut, Mount Lebanon, North, South, and Bekaa). Each Mohafaza is divided into Caza (stratum) two villages were randomly selected from the list of villages provided by the Central Agency of Statistics in Lebanon. Participants were randomly se- lected from each village. This population is appropriate for this research, as women are the primary users of cosmetics. All participants older than 15 years were eligible to par- ticipate late teens and early twenties are years when women are still developing cosmetic habits and patterns. Excluded were the participants with self-reported psychiatric prob- lems, mental retardation, dementia, or who refused to fi ll the questionnaire. Data collection was performed through personal interviews with participants by trained, study-independent personnel. ETHICAL APPROVAL The Psychiatric Hospital of the Cross Ethics and Research Committee, in compliance with the Hospital’s Regulatory Research Protocol, approved this study protocol (HPC- 018-2018). The purpose and requirement of the study was informed to each participant. Consent was obtained as written approval on the ethical consent form. QUESTIONNAIRE An Arabic questionnaire was used during the interview, Arabic being the native language of Lebanon. The fi rst part assessed the sociodemographic characteristics of the partici- pants (age, education level, marital status, socioeconomic level, and ideology). The other parts included the different scales used in this study as follows: