What started out as a Greek myth popularized by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen (and later as an animated Disney movie), has creeped into our eye shadow palettes, highlighters, and many other elements of our beauty routines. Mermaids have inspired us to top our heads with shells, dye our hair an array of rainbow and pearlescent shades, and have even found their way onto the logo of our coffee cups. And maybe you’re tired of them, but as of right now the mermaid moment isn't going anywhere. We look back at how we got here, with some of the most interesting facts about mermaids, past and present.
1837: Year Hans Christian Andersen wrote his story The Little Mermaid (or Den lille havfrue in Danish) about a young mermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea for a human soul.
300: The age mermaids live to in Christian Andersen's fairy tale.
1614: Year British explorer John Smith claimed to spot a mermaid near Newfoundland, saying, "her long green hair imparted to her an original character that was by no means unattractive." Cool story bro.
2: Number of times the Starbucks' mermaid logo has changed — first, in 1992, when they changed the mermaid to bright green and removed her nipples, and again in 2011, when the mermaid became a stylized princess.
8: Hours it took actress Daryl Hannah to put on her handpainted mermaid tail for the 1984 film Splash.
20: Number of makeup products Monica Rose uses in her iridescent "mermaid makeup" tutorial.
2,163,289: Number of times (and counting) Rose's "mermaid makeup" tutorial has been viewed on Instagram and YouTube since it was posted just under a year ago.
20: The number of minutes takes Amy Witham (@amythemermaidx on Instagram), takes to give herself rainbow mermaid hair.
6: Years after Sally Ride became the first American woman in space that Disney animators used footage from her expedition to mimic the movement of Ariel's hair under water in The Little Mermaid.
4: Shades of manic panic that Aura Friedman uses to create purple-and-blue-streaked hair.
125%: Growth in the number of Google searches for "mermaid hair" between 2014 and 2015.
2016: The year #mermaidthighs hit social media. The hashtag refers to thighs that touch and promotes body confidence.
13: The number of matte lipstick in CoverGirl's mermaid-inspired Katy Perry Pearl Collection, which launched in April 2017.
$25: The cost of a 45-minute Mermaid Fitness class at the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, where students are given their own colorful tail for an underwater cardio and strength workout.
A version of this article originally appeared in the June 2017 issue of Allure. To get your copy, head to newsstands or subscribe now.
Take a look back at the wildest beauty looks from the Cannes Film Festival (including one hairstyle that looks like a conch shell, speaking of mermaids):
