▁conj unct ival ▁cic at ric ial ▁disease , ▁with ▁visual ▁loss . ▁K ohl ▁was ▁used ▁not ▁only ▁as ▁a ▁cos met ic ▁but ▁also ▁as ▁a ▁medic inal ▁col ly rium ▁( from ▁Gr . ▁k oll ur ion ). ▁Two ▁of ▁k ohl ' s ▁lead ▁comp ounds ▁— ▁the ▁lead ▁ch lor ides ▁la ur ion ite ▁and ▁ph os gen ite ▁— ▁were ▁not ▁natural ▁to ▁the ▁N ile ▁valley . ▁It ▁is ▁believed ▁they ▁were ▁intention ally ▁synth es ized ▁by ▁the ▁ancient ▁Egypt ians ▁for ▁this ▁purpose . ▁The ▁w ides p read ▁use ▁of ▁k ohl ▁across ▁the ▁Mediter rane an ▁and ▁the ▁Mid - east ▁att ests ▁to ▁its ▁ability ▁to ▁protect ▁the ▁eye ▁from ▁inf ect ious ▁disease ▁and ▁be ▁used ▁as ▁a ▁cos met ic . ▁ ▁Leg al ▁status ▁K ohl ▁is ▁not ▁on ▁the ▁list ▁of ▁color ▁add it ives ▁approved ▁by ▁the ▁Food ▁and ▁D rug ▁Administration , ▁which ▁cons iders ▁k ohl ▁unsafe ▁for ▁use ▁due ▁to ▁its ▁potential ▁lead ▁content . ▁It ▁is ▁thus ▁illegal ▁to ▁import ▁into , ▁or ▁sell ▁in , ▁the ▁United ▁States . ▁ ▁In ▁popular ▁culture ▁ ▁At ▁the ▁beginning ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 9 9 9 ▁British ▁film ▁East ▁is ▁East , ▁the ▁character ▁George ▁Khan ▁played ▁by ▁Om ▁P uri ▁applies ▁k ohl ▁to ▁his ▁son ' s ▁eyes ▁before ▁his ▁wed ding . ▁The ▁film ▁actress ▁Th eda ▁Bar a ▁used ▁k ohl ▁to ▁rim ▁her ▁eyes ▁throughout ▁her