952: Year that the first Miss Universe pageant was held. It was initially founded as a “bathing beauty” competition by Catalina Swimwear in California

9: Total number of pageant judges in the Miss Universe competition.  The judges for the 2010 Miss Universe were Criss Angel, William Baldwin, Sheila E., Tamron Hall, Evan Lysacek, Chazz Palminteri, Chynna Phillips, Jane Seymour and Niki Taylor.

17 to 25: Age requirement for Binibining Pilipinas candidates.

36: Percentage of the distance between a woman’s eyes and mouth to the overall length of the face from hairline to chin, that is considered to be the perfect dimensions of a female face, according to a study led by the University of Toronto.

10: Estimated weight in kilos of the brass neck rings worn by the women of the Kayan tribe of Burma and Thailand, a Kayan tradition associated with beauty.

15 to 16: Age when a Mursi woman is made to wear large pottery or wooden discs called lip-plates on her lower lip.  The Mursi tribe of Ethiopia considers the lip-plates a sign of beauty.

1912: Year that foot binding was banned in China.  The practice, which aims to make a woman’s feet look tiny and therefore desirable, was practiced in China for centuries.

41: Age of singer Jennifer Lopez, named by People Magazine as this year’s Most Beautiful.

$19.5 billion (or P1.2 trillion): Estimated consolidated sales of cosmetics and beauty company L’Oreal in 2010.

1946: Year that Estée Lauder founded the cosmetics company named after herself.  Estée Lauder products are currently sold in more than 135 countries.

6.5 million: Estimated number of independent Avon Sales Representatives in over 100 countries.

Compiled by Schatzi Quodala, Inquirer Research

Sources: missuniverse.com, bbpilipinas.com, telegraph.co.uk, people.com, eonline.com, loreal.com, esteelauder.com, avoncompany.com, huaypukeng.com, timesonline.co.uk, mursi.org, nationalgeographic.com, reuters.com, npr.org