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[Gr. kosmos, elegance, and anthos, a flower.] ( Bot.) A gen. of plants, ord. Hydrophyllacea. They are American herbs, with alternate leaves; гаcemes long, bractle ; flowers small, white or pale blue. The Miami-Mist, C. purshii, found in fields and river bottoms, is a plant 8 to 12 inches high, slender, and with slender branches; flowers light blue, in May. Cosmetic, ( kos -met'ik,) n. [Fr. cosmétique: Gr. kosmeo, I adorn.] ( Hygiene .) A preparation applied externally for the purpose of preserving the bloom and beauty of youth; or for restoring those attractions when lost, or in the proce of decay. From the time of Medea, when she restored the bent and wrinkled form of Jason's father to the lithe figure and lusty beauty of his early manhood, all nations have more or le dabbled in the art of revivifying age and retaining the freshne of youth; but that they have never succeeded is proved by the ill succe that still marks the practice; for, as the chief articles used for the purpose are derived from the mineral kingdom, the baneful consequences that follow their use become a punishment to the ignorance or vanity of those who adopt them. Among the articles most used are lead, mercury, bismuth, antimony, and arsenic. Pearl powder , that compound which actre es and ladies of fashion use so extensively to give a blooming complexion to the neck and face, is prepared with bismuth powder, or white oxide, and French chalk, with a small amount of carmine to counteract its deadly whitene ; it is usually put on as a liquid compost, and the lady has to sit for some time before her complexion is dry enough to permit the after-touches of rouge, and other pigments, to intensify the eyelashes and brows. From the absorbing and exhaling properties of the skin. the extreme danger of thus blocking up the pores of the most sensitive part of the body's surface will be evident to all. For not only is all sensible and insensible perspiration prevented, but when the body becomes heated, the absorbents take up the mineral from the cuticle and carry it to the system, where it is certain, sooner or Later, to show its influence on the nervous organization by a partial paralysis of the eyelids, or the corner of the mouth. Nor is this the only danger. The skin is made coarse and wrinkled by fine lines, soon loses all its natural smoothne , and the lady is at length compelled to paint by day as well as by night, to enable her to meet the public gaze. A little of this injurious effect may be prevented by first covering the face and breast with lard or cold cream, when, after having filled up all the pores by this means, and wiped the skin, the wash of pearl powder may be painted in. There are certain strong odors and gases which the painted lady must carefully avoid coming in contact with, or she may discover her pearly bloom in a few seconds converted into a leaden mask or a negro's darkne . Sulphuretted hydrogen, or sulphur in any form, or the eating or the smell of onions, are two of the causes which produce this effect. Nearly all the washes used so frequently, under the names of Kalydor , Circa ian Cream, Milk of Roses, ., and which are, though injurious, the least hurtful of cosmetics, are generally prepared by beating down bitter almonds with rose or elder-flower water, and adding from 1 to 2 grains of corrosive sublimate to each ounce of liquid, -sweet almonds, Castile soap, and spermaceti being mere addenda ; - almond oil, caustic potash, e ential oil of almonds as a perfume, and water, being by some used to make a cosmetic cream. Elder flower water is among the most serviceable of all the washes for the face, and when used to remove freckles, with 1 grain of corrosive sublimate added to each four ounces, a lotion of considerable utility is produced, which may be employed 2 or 3 times a day with good results. Those ladies, however, who wish to preserve their good looks the longest, will trust rather to a happy, cheerful mind, a little constitutional aperient, the use of the bath, and simple elder-flower water as a lotion for the face, than resort to the deadly properties of such mineral cosmetics, as those already enumerated. IMG:content-0384.png:[graphic] -a. Adorning or beautifying; improving beauty, particularly the beauty of the skin; as, " Cosmetic powders." Cosmetology, n. [Gr. kosmeo , to adorn, and logos , a discourse.] A treatise on the dre , and cleanline of the body.