Eye liner

As early as 10,000 BC, Egyptians and Mesopotamians wore eye liner not only for aesthetics but to protect the skin from the desert sun.

The characteristic of having heavily lined eyes has been frequently depicted in ancient Egyptian art.

They produced eye liner with a variety of materials, including copper ore and antimony.

Ancient Egyptian kohl contained galena, which was imported from nearby regions in the Land of Punt, Coptos and Western Asia.

Eye liner of varying degrees of thickness has also become associated with the emo subculture and various alternative lifestyles.

The term 'guyliner' has alternatively been used to describe men wearing eye liner and was popularized during the emo subculture of the early 2000s thanks to members of bands like Fall Out Boy and Panic!

Typical pigments include black iron oxides, as well as smaller amounts of titanium dioxide and Prussian blue.

Dark teal eye liner along the rim of the eye
Ancient Egyptian women and men wearing kohl eye liner, from the tomb of Nakht in Thebes (15th century BC).
A girl wearing eye liner.
An eye with brown eye liner under the bottom lashes.
Woman with turquoise eye liner