Kohl eyeliner and I have a rocky relationship. It was my best friend during my teen years and now looking back I wish it wasn’t. And it shouldn’t be your best bud either after the truth I’m about to spill.

Did you know that kohl is considered unsafe according to the FDA? According to their website, the most common ingredient in eyeliner, kohl, contains unsafe color additive, making it an adulterated product. Kohl is also known as al-kahl, kajal and surma.

According to the FDA, we are  warned to be watchful of eyeliners containing kohl because it is mainly made out of heavy metals like antimony and lead, which are poisonous for humans.

Studies have shown that majority of kohl samples contain significant levels of lead. One study shows that eighty-eight percent of the kohl-based preparations contained significant amounts of lead.

Meanwhile other samples of kohl preparations have tested positive for aluminium, carbon, titanium, calcium, magnesium, oxygen, silver, silicon and sulfur, making them unsuitable for use on the eyelids.

Second, labels in kohl eyeliner and kohl products sometimes contain labels falsely claiming to be approved by the FDA when the use and importation of kohl is illegal.

On the other hand, it must also be noted that not all eyeliners that say are labeled as “kohl” are actually made from this poisonous substance. There are some awesome organic cosmetics out there just waiting to blow you away.

Finding which products you like is priceless, because your skin is unique to you – remember that.