Here are some books about the beauty industry, both the good and the bad.
created by Nusaybah
last updated April, 2026
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women
Kate Moore
The Secret of Scent: Adventures in Perfume and the Science of Smell
Luca Turin
Chocolate Hair Vanilla Care: A Parent's Guide to Beginning Natural Hair Styling
Rory Mullen
Teach Yourself Henna Tattoo: Making Mehndi Art with Easy-to-Follow Instructions, Patterns, and Projects (Design Originals) Beginner-Friendly Directions with Dozens of Designs & Templates [BOOK ONLY]
Brenda Abdoyan
Mehndi Designs: Traditional Henna Body Art (Dover Pictorial Archive)
Marty Noble
Henna Is . . .
Marzieh Abbas
Killer Looks: The Forgotten History of Plastic Surgery in Prisons
Zara Stone
Unshaved: Resistance and Revolution in Women's Body Hair Politics
Breanne Fahs
The Managed Hand: Race, Gender, and the Body in Beauty Service Work
Miliann Kang
Nails: The Story of the Modern Manicure
Suzanne E. Shapiro
Hair Love
Matthew A. Cherry
Crowning Glory: A Celebration of Black Hair
Carole Boston Weatherford
Danger! Cosmetics to Go
Mira Manga
Painted Faces: A Colourful History of Cosmetics
Susie Stewart
The Culture of Male Beauty in Britain: From the First Photographs to David Beckham
Paul R. Deslandes
A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients: Complete Information About the Harmful and Desirable Ingredients Found in Cosmetics and Cosmeceuticals
Ruth Winter
Natural: Black Beauty and the Politics of Hair
Chelsea Mary Elise Johnson
Toxic Beauty: How Cosmetics and Personal-Care Products Endanger Your Health... and What You Can Do About It
Samuel S. Epstein
Beyond the Braids: What you don't know might be hurting you
Ms. Hair and Humor
Beauty Junkies: Inside Our $15 Billion Obsession with Cosmetic Surgery
Alex Kuczynski
No More Dirty Looks: The Truth About Your Beauty Products and the Ultimate Guide to Safe and Clean Cosmetics
Siobhan O'Connor
Bedtime Bonnet
Nancy Redd
The Nature of Beauty: Organic Skincare, Botanical Beauty Rituals and Clean Cosmetics
Imelda Burke
Dont Touch My Hair
Emma Dabiri
Disobedient Bodies: Reclaim Your Unruly Beauty
Tenderheaded: A Comb-Bending Collection of Hair Stories
Juliette Harris
Compacts and Cosmetics: Beauty from Victorian Times to the Present Day
Madeleine Marsh
Ain't I a Beauty Queen?: Black Women, Beauty, and the Politics of Race
Maxine Leeds Craig
On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker
A'Lelia Bundles
Beauty and Cosmetics 1550-1950
Sarah Jane Downing
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