How Eyebrow Trends Have Evolved In The Last 100 Years

How Eyebrow Trends Have Evolved In The Last 100 Years

The beauty world is OBSESSED with brows today, need we even tell you that? In 2022, whether you look at influencers, celebrities or the average social media user, one thing is for sure - just about everyone wants to get their best brow game on. But when exactly did eyebrow styling transform from the niche it was to become the absolute make-or-break aspect of everyone’s beauty routines?

Actually, you can thank the 1920s for it, because that’s when brow beauty first entered popular culture, and it was all onwards from there.  We’ve seen all the eyebrow trends from the cult-classic skinny brow to the 80s bushy, natural shape to a modern bleached brow look in the last 100 years and we expect newer styles are just around the corner.

Let’s take a look at the best eyebrow trends from each decade, how you can recreate these for your clients in-salon and our predictions for the future!

Anna May Wong 1920s

1920s Eyebrow Trend - Thin, Dark, Drooping

In the era of silent films, eyebrows played a big part in showcasing emotion and characters of movie stars. Thin, dark black, and following a long downwards slope, the brow look of the 20s was overemphasised and gripping, to say the least. The growth of large makeup companies made it easier for women to beautify their brows, Anna May Wong and Bebe Daniels style, and a deep pencilled-in effect quickly came into fashion where the eyebrows really looked like they had no hair, and were totally illustrative instead. Elegant, melodramatic, and full of emotion, 1920s brows were a whole mood.

Want to recreate the 20s eyebrow trend for your clients?

Our recommended salon eyebrow styling products:

1. Design & Define Hot Wax for shaping the eyebrows.

2. Imitations Eyebrow Pencil or Creamades to darken the eyebrows.

(Pictured: Anna May Wong, Pinterest)

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Greta Garbo 1930s

1930s Eyebrow Trend - Curved Arches

Similar to the 20s, thin eyebrows remained popular but women ditched the drooping-down effect for a high and rounded brow arch that was drawn on longer than the natural length of the brows. With Hollywood actresses wearing the highly exaggerated brow look widely on screen, charisma and confidence became every woman’s second name. Greta Garbo’s curved arches were a testament to it.

Want to recreate the 30s eyebrow trend for your clients?

Our recommended salon eyebrow styling products:

1. Eyebrow Mapping Thread for marking the starting point, highest point and end point of the brow arch.

2. Medium-Dark Eyebrow Pencil for drawing a curved line across the eyebrows.

(Pictured: Greta Garbo, Pinterest)

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Rita Hayworth 1940s

1940s Eyebrow Trend - Low Maintenance, Soft

In the wartime years of the 40s, women preferred an uncomplicated and easy-to-care-for beauty look, which saw a shift to a softer, more natural eyebrow. The trend was to pluck, but with caution, to a neutral eyebrow shape and finish setting with an oil or Vaseline jelly. The uncomplicated eyebrow trend of the 40s showed us that brow styling could be both classy and low-maintenance at the same time.. We’re thinking of Rita Hayworth’s pristine arches.

Want to recreate the 40s eyebrow trend for your clients?

Our recommended salon eyebrow styling products:

1. Brow Code Slant Precision Eyebrow Tweezers for plucking and removing stray hairs.

2. Alias Brow Lamination Gel for setting the brow hairs in place for a sleek finish.

3. Brow Code Nourishing Brow Gold Oil for moisturising the hairs.

(Pictured: Rita Hayworth, Pinterest)

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Marilyn Monroe 1950s

1950s Eyebrow Trend - Angled Arches

Ah, the 50s… easily the Marilyn Monroe era. It was the time when the use of makeup shined and every woman wanted to get their Marilyn glam on. Her pump red lips, lush curls, and the classic angled arched eyebrow were the ultimate feminine muse and marked the beginning of bold and defined eyebrow styles. Eyeshadow was used to give the brows a deep, matte colour and create a sharp, triangular look by highlighting the high point of the arch. All in all, the eyebrow look was nothing short of glamorous.

Want to recreate the 50s eyebrow trend for your clients?

Our recommended salon eyebrow styling products:

1. Imitations Micro Eyebrow Pencil to outline a sharp-angled arch over the existing eyebrow shape.

2. Brow Code's Stain Hybrid Brow Dye for staining the eyebrows and skin to a dark shade.

(Pictured: Marilyn Monroe, Pinterest)

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Audrey Hepburn 1960s

1960s Eyebrow Trend - Tapered, Flat Arch

As the second half of the century saw a shift to a modernist approach to life, change was reflected in society in the form of creative expression and identity building. In the beauty world, an array of eyebrow styles popped up in a truly experimental sense - there was Twiggy with her short, moderate brows on one end of the spectrum and on the other there were Audrey Hepburn’s hard-to-miss brows - thick, bold, flattened arch and tapered on the ends - amongst many other eyebrow shapes. Audrey Hepburn’s eyebrows were definitely the winning eyebrow trend and simply calling them enigmatic would be an understatement - the pioneering straight brow look has made an impact on the brow industry till this day like no other.

Want to recreate the 60s eyebrow trend for your clients?

Our recommended salon eyebrow styling products:

1. Combination of Creamades Eyebrow Pomade and Imitations Eyebrow Pencil to fill in areas and create a bushy appearance.

2. 122 Define and Line Eyebrow Brush for precise product application.

(Pictured: Audrey Hepburn, Pinterest)

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Diana Ross 1970s

1970s Eyebrow Trend - Thinly Waxed, Elevated

Gripped by the power of disco, the 70’s brought loud and vibrant looks to the forefront of beauty and fashion. The aesthetic? Blush, bright eyeshadow, and a whole lotta glitter. The accentuated disco vibe needed face makeup to be in the limelight, which meant the focus was shifted away from the brows. The in-trend eyebrow shape was a highly arched and waxed off one, and usually not filled in. Diana Ross’s fine, elevated brow arches didn’t for a moment look underdone, but in fact perfectly outlined her radiant eyes.

Want to recreate the 70s eyebrow trend for your clients?

Our recommended salon eyebrow styling products:

1. Design & Define Eyebrow Wax for a high arch eyebrow shape.

2. Tweezers and Eyebrow Trimming Scissors to remove extra hairs for extra height in the brow arch.

(Pictured: Diana Ross, Pinterest)

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Brooke Shields 1980s

1980s Eyebrow Trend - Natural, Grown Out

The new decade welcomed a whole new crop of eyebrow fashion. For the first time ever, the all-natural look was the chosen route where the brows were grown out to the biggest, bushiest versions of themselves. Women everywhere championed the natural eyebrow trend - Brooke’s Shields' seriously voluminous brows and Whitney Houston’s more tamed, fluffy eyebrow shape, were amongst many. If you ask us, the 80s brow was easily the biggest trendsetter of the decade. Ask anyone in 2022 and they’d tell you how much brow growth is sought-after, just for the full and fluffy eyebrow look that the 80s paved the path for.

Want to recreate the 80s eyebrow trend for your clients?

Our recommended salon eyebrow styling products:

1. Brow Code's Alias Eyebrow Gel for a natural, everyday brow look or a fluffy, feathered brow look.

2. If your client is the repeat one, retail them a nourishing Eyebrow Growth Oil that will promote natural growth of the hairs when used daily.

(Pictured: Brooke Shields, Pinterest)

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Kate Moss 1990s

1990s Eyebrow Trend - Skinny, Barely-There

In what felt like the blink of an eye, the thick eyebrow trend was put to rest by the 90s. Divas of the time decided that skinny brows were the way to go, and literally everyone agreed. The tweezer-obsessed generation shaped their eyebrows to a bare minimum arch following a simple round curve, for a delicate look. Kate Moss’s slender, barely-there eyebrow look made waves in all of the modelling industry, clean and fresh as can be (let’s pretend her “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” reference was for her eyebrows after all). The thin 90s brow brought a sense of gracefulness to the face like no other but in hindsight, tweezing should have definitely been a big no no. Thankfully, there’s many ways to achieve a thin eyebrow shape today without resorting to plucking of any sort.

Want to recreate the 90s eyebrow trend for your clients?

Our recommended salon eyebrow styling products:

1. Cherry Blossom Hot Eyebrow Wax for shaping or a full coverage concealer to give the illusion of a thin eyebrow.

2. You can choose to lightly fill with an eyebrow pencil if your client prefers a darker brow.

(Pictured: Kate Moss, Pinterest)

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Gwen Stefani 2000s

2000s Eyebrow Trend - Pencil Thin Look

Yes, the thin brow trend seeped into the 2000s and, wait for it… the eyebrows got EVEN SLIMMER. Yep. Fashion and beauty reflected a largely underground vibe, owing to the dot com boom and the influence of hip-hop, where the sharply lined, ultra-thin eyebrow shape brought a stark distinctiveness to the face. Icons like Gwen Stefani and Fergie sported the 2000s eyebrow trend which basically looked like a curved line drawn on a completely sparse brow bone. It’s safe to say eyebrow pencil sales at the time were probably through the roof. Note that the second half of the decade did in fact say goodbye to the pencil-thin brow look and saw the resurgence of a thicker, more natural eyebrow shape again. 

Want to recreate the 2000s eyebrow trend for your clients?

Our recommended salon eyebrow styling product:

Brow Code's Imitations Micro Eyebrow Pencil will be perfect for drawing a clean line on the brows. Make sure the hairs are covered first with a concealer or bleach.

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2010s Eyebrow Trends - Celebrity Style

The aura of the 2010s was something else entirely. No single eyebrow trend can define the decade because new ones were in style almost every year. Social media had a large role to play in the rise of innovative eyebrow styles, especially with the influence exerted by celebrities and makeup artists across the world. We handpicked the best eyebrow trends of the 2010s for you.

Kim Kardashian 2010s

Kim Kardashian Brows

Full and cleanly shaped eyebrows made a comeback, thanks to none other than the queen of beauty - Kim Kardashian herself.. The trend was to have the eyebrow shape thick, but super sculpted and running across the whole arch in a consistent width for a neat, on-point appearance. While sculpted, the eyebrows still looked natural in colour, compared to the heavy-handed lines of the previous decades. 

Want to recreate the 2010 Kim Kardashian eyebrow trend for your clients?

Our recommended salon eyebrow styling product is the Brow Code Eyebrow Henna Kit.

(Pictured: Kim Kardashian, Pinterest)

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Cara Delevingne 2012

Cara Delevingne Brows

If you didn’t already think everything in makeup came from the brow down, Cara Delevingne’s eyebrows in 2012 would have shown you. Bold, powerful, dark and bushy, her brows were statement-making and left an unmatched mark on the beauty industry. The style took inspiration from the bushy, ungroomed eyebrow shape of the 80s but with a deep dark colour. Cara Delevingne’s dark eyebrows were probably what gave birth to the biggest brow styling trend we know today - Eyebrow Tinting!

Want to recreate the 2012 Cara Delevingne eyebrow trend for your clients?

Our recommended salon eyebrow styling products are:

1. Brow Code Professional Eyebrow Tint Kit with Wax.

2. Imitations Micro Eyebrow Pencil if extra darkening is needed.

(Pictured: Cara Delevingne, Pinterest)

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Kylie Jenner 2015

On Fleek Brows

As social media became increasingly popular over the world, the #BrowsOnFleek trend was born. What defined the celebrity-style eyebrow look was a thick ombre brow that started light at the head and blended into a darker, fine-tuned tail end. Eyebrow Pomades became the go-to brow cosmetic for achieving the in-demand eyebrow trend temporarily, with eyebrow tattooing being the permanent alternative. Brow Code founder Melanie Marris says Kylie Jenner had a phenomenal effect on the brow industry at the time. “She really was the first from memory to bring this ‘Instagram’ style, #OnFleek eyebrows to the front line”.

Want to recreate the 2015 #OnFleek eyebrow trend for your clients?

We recommend Microblading with the Li Pigments Permanent Makeup Line.

(Pictured: Kylie Jenner, Pinterest)

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2018 Eyebrow Trend

Alternative Brow Styles

In the last few years of the decade, specifically 2017 and 2018, we saw all kinds of fun and creative brow styles pop up, from a blingy jewel-studded look to curvy cartoonic eyebrow shapes to brightly dyed rainbow arches. It was like a fantasy Pinterest moodboard suddenly came to life and gave years of normative eyebrow trends a run for their money.

(Source: Pinterest)

2020s Eyebrow Trends

Even when it seemed like every eyebrow trend under the sun had been trialled and tested, the 2020s proved us wrong. Eyebrow styling has changed dramatically (yet again) from what we saw in the last decade with both old and new eyebrow shapes gracing our daily social feeds.

Gigi Hadid 2020s

Eyebrow Lamination

Eyebrow Lamination is easily the biggest, most obsessive trend on the tongues of all brow and beauty enthusiasts today. All about the lifted and feathery full eyebrow shape, lamination perms and stretches the hair to a straightened shape. 50 years ago, who even knew ‘straightening’ the eyebrow hairs would be an option? Lammy brows may not be for everyone, but all the ‘TikTok made me do it’ gals of today have definitely jumped on the trend.

Want to recreate the eyebrow lamination trend for your clients?

We recommend the Brow Code Lustre Lamination Pro Kit.

(Pictured: Gigi Hadid, Pinterest)

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Jess Hunt 2020s

Soap Brows

Another TikTok inspired trend all over social media right now is soap brows! It’s exactly what it sounds like… styling your eyebrow shape with soap lather for a natural, fluffy finish. What’s not to love when you can get bigger brows by literally using one product? Although hand soaps were what originally started the trend, plenty of nourishing eyebrow-specific soaps have now been developed to cater to the growing demand.

Want to recreate the soap brow trend for your clients?

We recommend Brow Code's Hyaluronic Acid Heist Brow Soap.

(Pictured: Jess Hunt, Pinterest)

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Kendall Jenner 2020s

Bleached Brows

Bleached eyebrows have also started making more frequent appearances, from Bella Hadid’s on point Versace runway look to Kendall Jenner’s big bleach brow moment on the 2022 Met Gala carpet. Although stripped of colour, bleached eyebrows are by no means minimalistic, in fact they have the power to single-handedly transform your whole look.

(Pictured: Kendall Jenner, Pinterest)

Alexa Demie 2020s

'90s Brow Comeback

Honestly, who in the world would have thought? Just when we thought women couldn’t be MORE regretful of their 90s and 2000s extreme brow thinning infatuation, skinny eyebrows made a return. The general consensus still remains “the bigger the brows the better” but if the likes of Alexa Demie keep slaying it with their graceful, slim brows, there’s nothing stopping the thin eyebrow shape from shining bright in the next few years.

(Pictured: Alexa Demie, Pinterest)

Eyebrow Trend Predictions for 2030

Wow, that sure was a full house. The last 100 years really showed us the best (and worst) in eyebrow shapes and styles. We saw everything from pencil-thin downward curves, to sharp-angled arches, to grown-out, bushy and natural brows. Most of all, we learned that eyebrow trends always return. So be confident about the brow looks you put on, because even if it's not popular and trendy then, it might be sooner or later! So what eyebrow trends do we think are coming in 2030?

  • Decorated Eyebrows

    Jewellery, colour and designs will play a big part in eyebrow styling; taking inspiration from the encrusted eyebrow trend, dyed arches and the complete hairless brow bone drawn-in with patterns.

  • Geometrically Shaped Eyebrows

    A 45 degree, straight eyebrow shape for a futuristic look. Think of the two eyebrows making a big V shape on the forehead with a gap in the middle.

  • Crisp Unibrow

    Joint in the middle but shaped to an ultra-groomed shape, unlike the original natural-looking unibrow style. Again, a very futuristic brow look prediction.

So there's that. All our favourite eyebrow trends from the last 100 years. Want to recreate any of these trendy brow looks? Make sure you shop Brow Code's professional-only and retail range of styling products!

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  • Design & Define Hot Wax

    For sculpting and shaping your client's brows

    Design & Define Hot Wax
  • Charcoal Brow Mapping Thread

    For mapping the perfect brow shape

    Charcoal Brow Mapping Thread
  • Tweezers 100% Stainless Steel

    For tweezing any stubborn brow hairs

    Tweezers 100% Stainless Steel
  • Alias Brow Lamination Gel

    Sculpt and set brows with a feathered finish.

    Alias Brow Lamination Gel - Brow Code Global
  • Brow Gold Nourishing Growth Oil 30ml

    For promoting healthy, nourished, and moisturised brows

    Brow Gold Nourishing Oil - Brow Code Global
    Pure Beauty Global Awards 2022 Finalist
  • Stain Hybrid Brow Dye

    An industry breakthrough in brow staining.

    Stain Hybrid Brow Dye - Brow Code Global
  • 122 Define & Line Brush

    Shape, fill and sculpt brows with pro-precision.

    122 Define & Line Brush
  • Professional Brow Henna Kit

    For staining your client's brows with naturally derived henna

    Professional Brow Henna Kit
  • Heist Brow Soap

    For a lifted and sleek brow look

    Heist Brow Soap
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