In spite of the war, the development of the chemistry of colorants continued. At the same time, the notion of translucent makeup for natural or tanned skins came up. New bases of lipstick formulas were developed; they comprised soluble organic pigments or lacquers (organic colorants precipitated onto a white base). The 1940s also witnessed spreading of walnut juice on the legs to imitate stockings, the return of natural colorants for the lips, nails completely polished in a color matching that of lipstick, etc.

As of 1942, propylene glycol [1] and ethylene glycol started being used as glycerin substitutes for skin care due to their moistening qualities. Previously abundant natural fatty substances became a precious resource in times of war. Consequently, research on the synthesis of fatty acids from paraffin was developed. Work on the hydrogenation of unsaturated fatty substances led to different and more stable compounds.