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Kohl(surma/kajal) is a mixture of soot and other ingredients used predominantly by Middle Eastern, African and South Asian women and some men, to darken the eyelids and as mascara for the eyelashes. Kohl {from Arabic كحل kuḥl) is also sometimes spelled kol, kehal (in the Arab world), or kohal, and is known as surma or kajal in South Asia. In many parts of West Africa, it is known as kwalli. In Kurdistan it is known as Kille (کڵە) .
Kohl[kehal] has been worn traditionally as far back as the Bronze Age (3500 B.C. onward) by the Egyptian queens. Kohl was originally used as protection against eye ailments. Darkening around the eyelids also provided relief from the glare of the sun. India's oldest caste, the koli used kohl as a cosmetic. Mothers would also apply kohl to their infants' eyes soon after birth. Some did this to "strengthen the child's eyes," and others believed it could prevent the child from being cursed by the "evil eye".
Muslims today traditionally use kohl in an imitation of their Prophet, who was reported to use kohl every night before going to sleep.
Health concerns
The content of kohl and the recipes to prepare it vary greatly. While homemade kohl is thought to be harmless, it is often made by grinding Galena (lead sulfide) and can pose a serious public health concern. Preparers of the homemade kohl are usually unaware that the mineral that they are sourcing, usually from unlicensed suppliers, may be Galena. Some "natural" commercialized cosmetics can also pose a serious public health concern. Galena (lead sulfide) used to be used in commercial kohl preparations before the toxicity of lead became known, but now reputable manufacturers use amorphous carbon or organic charcoal instead of lead. Plant oils and the soot from various nuts, seeds, and gum resins are often added to the carbon powder. Unfortunately, the reputable products are considered to be of inferior quality to the older, traditional varieties and therefore there has been an increase in the use of handmade, lead based kohl.
The drive to eliminate lead from kohl was sparked by studies in the early 1990s of preparations of kohl that found high levels of contaminants including lead.Lead levels in commercial kohl preparations were as high as 84%. Kohl samples from Oman and Cairo, analyzed using X-ray powder diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, found galena. One decade later, a study of kohl manufactured in Egypt and India found that a third of the samples studied contained lead while the remaining two thirds contained amorphous carbon ,zincite,cuprite,goethite, elemental siliconor talc, hematite, minium, and organic compounds.
Lead-contaminated kohl use has been linked to increased levels of lead in the bloodstream, putting its users at risk of lead poisoning and lead intoxication.
Complications of lead poisoning include anemia, growth retardation, low IQ, convulsions, and in severe cases, death.
Anemia from lead poisoning is of special concern in Middle Eastern and South Asian countries where other forms of anemia are prevalent — including iron deficiency anemia (from malnutrition) and hemoglobinopathy (sickle cell anemia, thalassemia).
These banned products are different from lead-free cosmetics that only use the term "kohl" to describe its shade/color, rather than its actual ingredients. Some modern eye cosmetics are marketed as "kohl" but are prepared differently and in accordance with relevant health standards. Consumers should verify that any cosmetic product is lead free before usage.
Kohl[kehal] has been worn traditionally as far back as the Bronze Age (3500 B.C. onward) by the Egyptian queens. Kohl was originally used as protection against eye ailments. Darkening around the eyelids also provided relief from the glare of the sun. India's oldest caste, the koli used kohl as a cosmetic. Mothers would also apply kohl to their infants' eyes soon after birth. Some did this to "strengthen the child's eyes," and others believed it could prevent the child from being cursed by the "evil eye".
Muslims today traditionally use kohl in an imitation of their Prophet, who was reported to use kohl every night before going to sleep.
Health concerns
The content of kohl and the recipes to prepare it vary greatly. While homemade kohl is thought to be harmless, it is often made by grinding Galena (lead sulfide) and can pose a serious public health concern. Preparers of the homemade kohl are usually unaware that the mineral that they are sourcing, usually from unlicensed suppliers, may be Galena. Some "natural" commercialized cosmetics can also pose a serious public health concern. Galena (lead sulfide) used to be used in commercial kohl preparations before the toxicity of lead became known, but now reputable manufacturers use amorphous carbon or organic charcoal instead of lead. Plant oils and the soot from various nuts, seeds, and gum resins are often added to the carbon powder. Unfortunately, the reputable products are considered to be of inferior quality to the older, traditional varieties and therefore there has been an increase in the use of handmade, lead based kohl.
The drive to eliminate lead from kohl was sparked by studies in the early 1990s of preparations of kohl that found high levels of contaminants including lead.Lead levels in commercial kohl preparations were as high as 84%. Kohl samples from Oman and Cairo, analyzed using X-ray powder diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, found galena. One decade later, a study of kohl manufactured in Egypt and India found that a third of the samples studied contained lead while the remaining two thirds contained amorphous carbon ,zincite,cuprite,goethite, elemental siliconor talc, hematite, minium, and organic compounds.
Lead-contaminated kohl use has been linked to increased levels of lead in the bloodstream, putting its users at risk of lead poisoning and lead intoxication.
Complications of lead poisoning include anemia, growth retardation, low IQ, convulsions, and in severe cases, death.
Anemia from lead poisoning is of special concern in Middle Eastern and South Asian countries where other forms of anemia are prevalent — including iron deficiency anemia (from malnutrition) and hemoglobinopathy (sickle cell anemia, thalassemia).
These banned products are different from lead-free cosmetics that only use the term "kohl" to describe its shade/color, rather than its actual ingredients. Some modern eye cosmetics are marketed as "kohl" but are prepared differently and in accordance with relevant health standards. Consumers should verify that any cosmetic product is lead free before usage.
