Born in Łódź, Congress Kingdom of Poland, in 1872 as Maksymilian Faktorowicz, he early became the wigmaker for the Imperial Russian Grand Opera. However, due to increasing anti-semitism in Russia, he left for America in 1904 and settled first in St. Louis, Missouri where he used his Anglicized name, Max Factor. His business partner soon cheated him out of his money and after series of misfortunes, Factor left for Los Angeles in 1908 and established a cosmetic and wig company the following year.
Max Factor's Los Angeles Shop on Hill Street in Los Angeles
Motion picture films brought the audience closer to actors than had been possible during the stage era and as a result, the greasepaint used in earlier times was noticeably unacceptable for close camera work. Max used his chemistry know how to create a thin creamy greasepaint that resisted both cracking and caking. Soon actors and actresses clamored for his makeup (the verb "make-up" being first used as a noun by Factor himself).
Max Factor, chemist and cosmetician
His craft was in such great demand that movies even listed Max Factor in the credits and before too long the general public was demanding the same great products as the glamorous movie stars.
Max Factor applying makeup to actress Dorothy Mackaill
Factor died in 1938, but today he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Max Factor's Star on the Walk of Fame
So Max Factor is pretty much the father of modern makeup, but here's one last interesting little tidbit, in 1932, he came up with a machine he called the "Beauty Calibrator" also known as the "Beauty Micrometer." In a pseudo-scientific way, it would supposedly pinpoint flaws where facial corrections needed to be made with pancake shading.
Max Factor's Beauty Calibrator in Action