1. Edo Period Lipstick Was Painted Inside Small Cups
In Japan, since the Edo period, lipstick was made by painting red paste on the inside of a small cup (called a beni-choko) [5]. This is different from today’s method of touching a stick directly to the lips. So, when, where, and why did the stick shape appear?
2. Candle-Making Is Said to Have Inspired the Stick Shape
Stick-shaped lipstick was made in France in the late 19th century [1]. It is said that the Paris company Guerlain got the idea for turning waxy cosmetics into a stick from candle-making techniques [2]. Candles are also made by shaping wax into long, thin sticks. If waxy materials used on the lips are shaped like sticks, they may become easier to hold. This ease of holding might have been the reason for choosing the stick shape (though the sources do not explain this fully; it is an interpretation).
However, there are differences in the dates. Some sources say the first one was made in 1870, while others state that the first commercial product appeared around 1884 [4]. The story about being inspired by candles appears in secondary sources, so it is best to view it as "said to be" rather than a confirmed fact. Even if the stick shape was created, did it immediately feel like today’s lipstick?
3. Early Stick Lipsticks Were Wrapped in Paper
In the late 19th century in Europe and America, products appeared such as kneaded red paste, crayon-like sticks, and paper sheets of red pigment [3]. Early lipsticks were sold wrapped in paper or placed in paper tubes or small containers, not metal tubes [2]. In the range of sources introduced here, a mechanism where you twist the bottom to push the stick out (like a metal tube) cannot be confirmed. Therefore, what was needed next was a container that could let the contents move in and out.
4. Metal Tubes and Twisting Mechanisms Made Lipstick Easier to Use
Around 1915, a "Levy Tube" was sold in America. It held lipstick in a metal tube and used a side lever to push the stick up. The inventor is said to be Maurice Levy, and it was manufactured by Scovil [4]. Furthermore, in 1923, James Bruce Mason Jr. of Nashville, Tennessee, USA, is said to have invented a rotating tube where you twist the bottom to raise and lower the stick [4]. This is almost the same mechanism as today’s lipstick.
Here, the shape of the stick did not change. What changed was the container. You could push the contents out little by little, and when you were done, pull it back in to carry it around. This improvement in packaging turned lipstick into a portable tool.
On the other hand, deciding on one single inventor is difficult. Reference materials from Japanese libraries mention that Raymond Loewy took out a patent for a feed-out mechanism in 1915, which does not match the Levy theory [3]. There are also sources stating that metal containers with push-up mechanisms existed in Europe in 1911. Therefore, it is better not to assert who was the "world’s first."
In these two changes, the shape of the contents (the stick) stayed the same, but only the container changed.
5. Stick Lipsticks Were Made in Japan During the Taisho Era
In Japan, domestically produced stick-shaped lipsticks were sold in the first half of the 20th century [1]. According to the Cooperative Reference Database, the first domestic lipstick is said to be "Opera Lipstick," released by Nakamura Shinyodo in 1918 (Taisho 7) [3].
However, other sources write that Shiseido released a stick-shaped lipstick in 1917, or that sales of stick-shaped red pigments began in 1908. The years and companies do not match [6]. Some sources say 1908 was the start of selling imported stick lipsticks, while 1917 was the appearance of the first domestic product. They might be describing the same events from different angles. Since it cannot be decided as one single fact, this article summarizes it as: "During the Taisho era, stick-shaped lipsticks began to be made in Japan as well."
From Edo-period red on cups to Taisho-era stick lipsticks. The shapes and containers born in Europe and America seem to have entered Japanese daily life.
Note: An explanation related to Isehan by @cosme states that sales of imported stick lipsticks began in 1908, and the first domestic product appeared in 1917 (written as Shiseido's stick lipstick) [6]. (This explanation had some text errors in the original source and was read from a summary.)
6. How to Observe the Twisting Mechanism with a Lipstick Tube at Home
Observe the container. Ask an adult to show you an empty lipstick or lip balm tube from home. When you twist the bottom, the stick moves up and down. Observe the relationship between the direction you turn it, how far the stick comes out, and where it stops. If you take it apart, leave it to an adult to avoid injury.
If you want to read more. The story about domestic production in Japan is listed in the Cooperative Reference Database [3]. You can also read about Edo-period red on cups at the Beni Museum introduction [5]. With containers at home, compare the direction you twist the bottom and how the stick moves with the lever-push-up style described in Section 4. Compare the two mechanisms and describe the difference in your own words.
Check empty lipstick or lip balm containers with an adult. Be careful not to get cut by fragments or metal when taking things apart.