Ancient
Egypt. The mind goes to beautiful painted queens adorned with ornate
headdresses and jewels, their faces stunning and immaculate. Before you
get too jealous, hear this: they weren’t just born that way. Cleopatra wore makeup!
Unlike some beauty products, which were likely dreamed up in the laboratory of some big cosmetics company and adeptly marketed to the public, eyeliner, or Kohl, as it was commonly known, originated in the Bronze Age (that’s 3500 B.C., ladies!!). Though there was no doubt a decorative aspect to its application, Kohl was also used by Egyptian queens to ward off eye ailments such as poor eyesight and infections. Darkening the perimeter of the eye was also a common device to protect against the sun’s powerful rays. Kohl is made by grinding galena, or lead sulfide, and other ingredients such as oxidized copper, ochre, and malachite—always at the height of style, it is believed that the ancient Egyptians would even add in minerals and semi-precious stones, like malachite or lapus lazuli, to bring some color to the mix!
The use of kohl extended to many regions of Africa and Asia, where it was widely used for various decorative and spiritual purposes. India’s oldest caste, the koli, used kohl to ward off the evil eye: mothers would apply it to their babies soon after birth to deflect terrible curses and strengthen the eyes. In Punjabi culture, kohl is worn on special or social occasions, predominately by men. In the Islamic tradition kohl is sanctioned for use by men and women alike to strengthen vision and cleanse the eye: some sources even claim that it was worn by the Prophet Muhammed himself.
The eyeliner we typically use today is not traditional kohl, which has been warned against by scientists and beauty experts alike because of its toxic lead-based properties. It is believed, in fact, that the use of traditional kohl is behind high rates of lead poisoning among some Middle Eastern, Asian and North African peoples.
Not to worry, the common eyeliner that you can pick up in the drugstore is safe. Many makeup artists and cosmetics brands now use the term “kohl” just to refer to a soft powder in dark matte shades that applies seamlessly and is easily smudged. No grinding of pigments necessary! You’ll be looking like Cleopatra in no time.
Unlike some beauty products, which were likely dreamed up in the laboratory of some big cosmetics company and adeptly marketed to the public, eyeliner, or Kohl, as it was commonly known, originated in the Bronze Age (that’s 3500 B.C., ladies!!). Though there was no doubt a decorative aspect to its application, Kohl was also used by Egyptian queens to ward off eye ailments such as poor eyesight and infections. Darkening the perimeter of the eye was also a common device to protect against the sun’s powerful rays. Kohl is made by grinding galena, or lead sulfide, and other ingredients such as oxidized copper, ochre, and malachite—always at the height of style, it is believed that the ancient Egyptians would even add in minerals and semi-precious stones, like malachite or lapus lazuli, to bring some color to the mix!
The use of kohl extended to many regions of Africa and Asia, where it was widely used for various decorative and spiritual purposes. India’s oldest caste, the koli, used kohl to ward off the evil eye: mothers would apply it to their babies soon after birth to deflect terrible curses and strengthen the eyes. In Punjabi culture, kohl is worn on special or social occasions, predominately by men. In the Islamic tradition kohl is sanctioned for use by men and women alike to strengthen vision and cleanse the eye: some sources even claim that it was worn by the Prophet Muhammed himself.
The eyeliner we typically use today is not traditional kohl, which has been warned against by scientists and beauty experts alike because of its toxic lead-based properties. It is believed, in fact, that the use of traditional kohl is behind high rates of lead poisoning among some Middle Eastern, Asian and North African peoples.
Not to worry, the common eyeliner that you can pick up in the drugstore is safe. Many makeup artists and cosmetics brands now use the term “kohl” just to refer to a soft powder in dark matte shades that applies seamlessly and is easily smudged. No grinding of pigments necessary! You’ll be looking like Cleopatra in no time.