eye liner was first used in ancient india, ancient egypt and mesopotamia as a dark black line around the eyes. as early as 10,000 bc, egyptians and mesopotamians wore various cosmetics including eye liner not only for aesthetics but to protect the skin from the desert sun. eye liner may also have been worn to protect the wearer from the evil eye. the characteristic of having heavily lined eyes has been frequently shown 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.