The Trouble with Kohl
Kohl eye liner used a variety of ingredients, from burnt almonds, black manganese oxide, malachite, ochre, but at times would also be made of galena, which contains a lead sulfide, or the slightly less toxic antimony sulfide. Egyptians applied it by wetting the kohl, often by using saliva, and painting it in lines around both upper and lower eyelids. Over time, the exposure to lead would be toxic. Lead poisoning isn’t an instant killer, but accumulates over time, even decades. The Mayo Clinic says lead poisoning can lead to memory deficiency, joint and muscle pain, high blook pressure, headaches, and at high levels, it can be fatal. Lead is toxic but the Egyptians weren’t aware of its long-term health effects. It produced the desired cosmetic effect. It was so commonly used that French scientists found lead present in a sample of fifty-two ancient Egyptian kohl jars.