In cosmetic perfumery, use is made chiefly of articles which serve to beautify some parts of the body by artificial means; for instance, to impart to pale cheeks a youthful freshness or to restore to prematurely gray hair its original appearance. In so far as the former object is attained also by the preparations discussed in Chapters XXI., XXII., XXIII., and XXIV., they likewise belong to the domain of cosmetic perfumery; for health and beauty are inseparably connected.

Though we have separated hygienic from cosmetic perfumery, we have done so only in order to draw the line between preparations whose regular use really improves the bodily health, and those which temporarily cover a defect of certain parts of the body.

Cosmetics may also be divided into several groups—those for beautifying the skin, as paints and toilet powders; and those for the care of the hair. The latter are subdivided into hair washes, hair dyes, so-called hair tonics, depilatories, and preparations for dressing the hair, i.e., for making it glossy and fixing it.