INDIA

"An ointment made of the tabernamontana corornaria, the costus specious of arabicus, and the flacourtia cataphracta, can be used as an unguent of adornment. If a fine powder is made of the above plants, and applied to the wick of a lamp, which is made to burn with the oil of blue vitriol, the black pigment or lamp black produced therefrom, when applied to the eyelashes, has the effect of making a person look lovely".

(Kama Sutra, written between the 1st and the 4th century).

Here is described how Ancient Indians used to prepare the kajal. "Kajal" means "kohl" in Hindi. In Punjabi culture, men and children smear their eyelashes as a traditional ceremony called surma; it has a religious significance, but they also believe in medicinal properties of kajal, recommended by the Ayurveda, as a coolant for the eyes and a protection of the vision from the sun rays. Kajal was -and still is- usually home made: they burn all night long a wick, made from a white cloth, in a lamp filled with castor oil. At morning, they add ghee (clarified butter) to the remained paste, or more castor oil, and the preparation is stored in small boxes.