What does GHD stand for and all your other burning beauty brand name questions answered.

It’s come to our, and The Internet’s attention that people exist out there who don’t know what GHD stands for. As in, the GHD straightener you use most days.

This writer may or may not have been one of those people, but that’s beside the point.

This week, the hair gods shared a tweet from last year on Instagram, throwing back to the good old days when no one knew what their brand name stood for.

#Throwback to our favourite tweet from last year ???? Tag someone in the comments and blow their mind! ???? #ghdhair #goodhairday #tbt

A post shared by ghd hair (@ghdhair) on Jan 10, 2018 at 11:11pm PST

“I’ve just found out ‘ghd’ means ‘good hair day’ please tell me I’m not the only one or am I just stupid,” the Twitter user wrote in August last year.

Only… turns out a heck of a lot of people still didn’t know what the acronym stood for. Cue brain explosions in the comments section.

Did you know this?! OMG mind blown. You expect the name to be something fancy but it’s not!! I can’t believe this. how am I only finding out that ghd actually stands for good hair day..that’s so smart!, they cried.

Some people even got a bit ~defensive~ about it.

No I didn’t know but it sounds stupid. Well alright, Susan, nothing to get worked up about.

In any case, it got us thinking.

What are all the other beauty brand name meanings we’ve never really thought about, but now we do, have no clue about?

If you’re wondering too, we’ve done some digging. Here’s a list of the real meanings of some of your favourite go-to beauty brands.

MAC

Sorry to break it to you, buy anyone who says ‘MAC Cosmetics’ has been saying it wrong. That’s because it stands for Makeup Art Cosmetics, making that extra ‘cosmetics’ totally redundant. Who knew?

Nivea

Founded in 1882, your trusty skincare brand is probably older than you think – and its name has an ancient meaning too. It’s derived from the Latin word “nix, nivis,” which means ‘white as snow’ which refers to the company’s first major product, the pure white NIVEA Creme.

OPI

A post shared by OPI (@opi_professionals) on Jan 10, 2018 at 12:45pm PST

Their polish names may be seriously catchy but the full brand name? It’s more on the serious side. While we were all guessing things like ‘Opulent Polish Inc’, the reality is a lot less out there. It actually stands for the company’s full name ‘Odontorium Products Inc’. Try saying that fast 10 times.

Another fun fact? OPI actually started out as a dental brand, before its polishes took off and they ditched teeth care permanently.

Maybelline

Founded in 1913, Maybelline is named after creator Thomas William’s sister. According to the brand, Maybel used to use petroleum jelly on her lashes and brows to impress the man she was in love. The only problem? He was in love with someone else.

Chemist Williams whipped up some carbon dust to mix with her Jelly mix to darken her lashes and increase her allure. And a highly successful cosmetics brand named after her was formed.

LISTEN: We unpack the most dangerous bathroom items for anyone with a newborn, on our podcast for new parents. Post continues after audio. 

SK-II

The meaning behind the Japanese cult brand’s name is top secret… literally. It stands for ‘Secret Key’ which is what the skincare line was originally going to be called as the scientists were on a quest to find the ‘secret key’ to crystal clear skin. In their research, they found the answer by surprise.

Observing workers at a sake brewery, they noticed that while the elderly workers had wrinkled faces, their hands were smooth and youthful looking – after being constantly submerged in the yeast fermentation process. They discovered this was due to a natural by-product called Pitera, which is a key ingredient in the brand’s products.

L’Oréal

A post shared by L’Oréal Paris Makeup (@lorealmakeup) on Jan 16, 2018 at 5:45am PST

In 1907, L’Oréal founder Eugène Schueller created the first hair dye formula which he called L’Auréale after a fashionable hairstyle at the time called L’Auréole meaning ‘halo’. The spelling was later changed to the name we know it as today.

NYX

A favourite brand for bright colours and products at affordable prices, while we had it down as another acronym to crack, Nyx (pronounced like ‘nicks’) is actually named after the Greek goddess of night. Another reason to scrub up on our ancient mythology knowledge perhaps?

Alright, we’ll just be over here having a rest after consuming all that knowledge.

Are there any other hidden beauty brand names we didn’t mention? Tell us in the comments!