Spirit gum is an adhesive, made mostly of

SD Alcohol 35-A SD Alcohol 35-A is a specially denatured alcohol containing 95.38% ethanol and 4.62% ethyl acetate. Uses of SD Alcohol 35-A include its use as the solvent in spirit gum Spirit gum is an adhesive, made mostly of SD Alcohol 35-A (the solvent, o ...

(the solvent, or "spirit") and

resin In polymer chemistry and materials science, resin is a solid or highly viscous substance of plant or synthetic origin that is typically convertible into polymers. Resins are usually mixtures of organic compounds. This article focuses on n ...

(the adhesive, or "gum") originally consisting of

mastix ''Pistacia lentiscus'' (also lentisk or mastic) is a dioecious evergreen shrub or small tree of the genus ''Pistacia'' native to the Mediterranean Basin. It grows up to tall and is cultivated for its aromatic resin, mainly on the Greek islan ...

, used primarily for affixing costume

prosthetics In medicine, a prosthesis (plural: prostheses; from grc, πρόσθεσις, prósthesis, addition, application, attachment), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through trau ...

such as

wigs A wig is a head or hair accessory made from human hair, animal hair, or synthetic fiber. The word wig is short for periwig, which makes its earliest known appearance in the English language in William Shakespeare's ''The Two Gentlemen of Verona' ...

merkin __NOTOC__ A merkin is a pubic wig. Merkins were worn by sex workers after shaving their mons pubis, and are now used as decorative items, erotic devices, or in films, by both men and women. History and etymology The '' Oxford Companion to the ...

s, or false facial hair. It has been manufactured since at least the 1870s, and has long been a standard tool in theatrical performances where prosthetic makeup or affixed costuming is used. It was mentioned in the earliest known published theatre makeup manual: "How to make-up; a practical guide for amateurs by Haresfoot and Rouge" in 1877. At the end of the nineteenth century, spirit gum could be procured by performers at theatrical wig makers and it was removed with alcohol,

cocoa butter Cocoa butter, also called theobroma oil, is a pale-yellow, edible fat extracted from the cocoa bean. It is used to make chocolate, as well as some ointments, toiletries, and pharmaceuticals. Cocoa butter has a cocoa flavor and aroma. Its mel ...

or petroleum jelly.J. E. Frobisher, "Frobisher's Make-up Book"
College of Oratory and Acting, New York, 1882.

References

Costume design Adhesives {{Stagecraft-stub