Across centuries, continents and cultures, women’s relationship with beauty has always been something of a paradox, serving as both a tax and a source of power. It’s also proven to be a pretty bulletproof business. Even as women gained footing in the formal economy, investing in beauty only grew. (Suffragettes were famous for their red lipstick.) Stranger still, when times are lean and people start cutting back, beauty sales often see a bump.