For ages, Kajal has been the favorite and ‘close to heart’ makeup for women. Be it any occasion, the foremost thing on a woman’s lips is “Where is my favorite kajal pencil?” followed by the lipstick shades. This attraction has led many brands to bring their kajal pencils. From the usual black to extra dark black, white, yellow, green, blue, and whatnot, kajal pencils are available in diversity today. This means that finding the best kajal pencil is no more a struggle for women.
Why Do Women Love Kajal?
Nobody says it is a compulsory thing, but for women, kajal is the most obvious makeup product. And most of them do not even consider it a makeup product, they just carry it as they wear their favorite jewelry. Kajal is that close to a woman’s heart. Besides, eyes adorned with kajal not only beautify the eyes but also drive confidence in the women. This way they not only feel beautiful from the inside but outside as well. The diverse variety of kajal in the market empowers them to be someone new every day and look absolutely different each day. That’s correct, women do buy kajal pencils for different occasions, especially when they have an immense collection to choose from.
The History – Kajal
In the past, women used to wear kajal as a protection shield for the eye. They believed that the darkness at the waterline and around the eyes will prevent them from both the sun’s rays as well as the evil eye of other people. The mothers of the newborn babies put a dot of black kajal on their forehead with their fingertips so that they do not get caught by the evil eye. This tradition or ‘superstition’ is still prevailing in Indian families.
However, back then, there were no kajal pencils, and if there were, then not more than one brand used to offer them. Therefore, women used to make kajal by themselves at home. Yep, that’s true. They used to dip cotton in the ghee, and then light it to get the flame. They then used to cover it with a metal lid and soot, already greased with sandal and camphor. This resultant kajal was the exemplary makeup of the women back then and applied with either cotton or fingertips.
Here it is good to know that the kajal was first used in Egypt in 3100 BC. Back then the Egyptians recognized it as a cure to eye ailments and of course an adornment, that’s makeup. They used to call them eye paints and put them on both the lower and upper sides of the eye. Later, the African tribes chose kajal too but not just on the eyes but also on their forehead, nose, and other parts of the body. Kajal used to be their thin-lined decoration.
After The History!
As kajal’s demand boosted, people started dropping the exhaustive idea of creating it at home and began to search for them in the market where fortunately the brands grew too. The idea of organic and pure kajal left the market and what was shining then was the pre-built kajal pencil or stick.
Plum was among the first brands that brought kajal to India at a reasonable price and expanded its market. Slowly other brands started bringing out their kajal pencils too. While some brands found limited marketing enough to promote their products, other brands introduced celebrities, actresses, and fashion models in the kajal commercials. And guess what, since these actresses used to be our fashion icons down the lane, women got very attracted and started opting for those high-priced brands. After all, kajal has always been the favorite of Indian women, then why drop such a great kajal that even actresses use?
The Present of kajal
The current scenario has created a whole new and enormous market for it. The market is brimmed with brands like Lakme, Maybelline, MAC, Chanel, Recode, and many more, both Indian and foreign. What to opt for and what not may appear to be a challenging task, but Indian women are again a warrior in that chase.
What’s more special is that earlier these kajal pencils were only available at retail stores, but now the online eCommerce platforms have made their purchase much easier. And yes, this change has brought an enormous hike in the sale and profits of kajal all across India. Brands are going crazy as women give them food for thought to be creative in their genre.
Moreover, if you’d count the range of kajal in the current scenario, you’ll find that there is not just one type of it. Today we have a kajal pencil, a gel kajal, a lipstick style kajal, and even liquid eyeliners. Although eyeliners are mostly for the upper side of the eye, most women use them to embellish the lower one too. If you’d explore each brand, you’ll find different kinds and colors of kajal. So, gone are those days when only a black kajal used to be part of a women’s makeup kit. Just like the different shades of lipsticks, there are different hues for kajal.
Another accomplishment in the kajal and eye makeup industry is that some of the brands are going back and referring to the original benefits of kajal. This way they are able to create organic kajal pencils made from non-harmful ingredients and are able to protect eyes from toxic chemicals. So that’s good news as brands are actually thinking now about the health and well-being of their customers and not merely establishing their products in the market. Several celebrities are supporting them in their amazing thought and thoughtful venture.
Bottom Line
Hence, it is clear that kajal is not going to disappear from the makeup industry as it is one of the most loved products among women of all ages. The more the demand for kajal, the more products in the market. The higher the product range, the greater will be the customer’s eagerness to try them all. So it’s an apparent cycle in which women want to be happily trapped. Which brand are you using?
