Kohl (cosmetics)
![A 4th-century AD double cosmetic tube for kohl from the Louvre Museum in Paris.](/Images/godic/202502/12/Double_cosmetic_tube_Louvre_MNC18253757.jpg")
![Ancient kohl cosmetic tube from western Iran, dated 800-500 BCE.](/Images/godic/202502/12/Kohl_Tube_LACMA_M.76.97.813757.jpg")
![An 18th Dynasty Ancient Egyptian kohl container inscribed for Queen Tiye (1410–1372 BCE).](/Images/godic/202502/12/Kohl_Container_Inscribed_for_Queen_Tiye_LACMA_M.80.198.893757.jpg")
![Ancient Egyptian women wearing kohl, from a tomb mural in Thebes (1420–1375 BCE).](/Images/godic/202502/12/Musicians_and_dancers_on_fresco_at_Tomb_of_Nebamun3757.jpg")
Kohl is an ancient eye cosmetic, traditionally made by grinding stibnite (Sb2S3). It is widely used in South Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and parts of West Africa as eyeliner to contour and/or darken the eyelids and as mascara for the eyelashes. It is worn mostly by women, but also by some men and children.