Powder puffs are pieces of soft material used for the application of

face powder Face powder is a cosmetic product applied to the face to serve different functions, typically to beautify the face. Originating from ancient Egypt, face powder has had different social uses across cultures and in modern times, it is typically u ...

. They may be shaped as balls or pads. Historically, powder puffs have been made of very fine

down feather The down of birds is a layer of fine feathers found under the tougher exterior feathers. Very young birds are clad only in down. Powder down is a specialized type of down found only in a few groups of birds. Down is a fine thermal insulator an ...

s, cotton, fine fleece, etc. In modern times synthetic materials are widely used for powder puffs. In addition to softness, an important characteristic of powder puffs is their intake ability, i.e., the ability to hold powder. It was reported that for

synthetic fiber Synthetic fibers or synthetic fibres (in British English; see spelling differences) are fibers made by humans through chemical synthesis, as opposed to natural fibers that are directly derived from living organisms, such as plants (like cotton) ...

s important factors in designing high-intake powder puffs are mostly geometric ones: fiber diameter, pile length, and space between fibers, with little dependence on material factors. Powder puffs have been used as a stereotype image for soft, careless

femininity Femininity (also called womanliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with women and girls. Femininity can be understood as socially constructed, and there is also some evidence that some behaviors considered f ...

, as seen, e.g., in the term " powderpuff sports", including collegiate sorority flag football leagues. The name of the

Powerpuff Girls ''The Powerpuff Girls'' is an American Superhero fiction, superhero List of animated television series, animated television series created by animator Craig McCracken and produced by Hanna-Barbera (later Cartoon Network Studios) for Cartoon N ...

is a pun on "powder puff". American inventor

Ellene Alice Bailey Ellene Alice Bailey (1853 – July 22, 1897) was an American designer and inventor specializing in clothing and household goods. She patented over a dozen of her many inventions. Biography Ellene Alice Bailey was born in Pond Fort, just south of ...

(1853-1897) patented several versions of powder puffs and has been described as "America’s powder puff pioneer".

References

Cosmetics * {{fashion-stub