There is a particular memory many of us share: sitting very still while an older woman — a mother, an aunt, a dadi — steadied your chin with two fingers and drew kajal along your waterline with practiced, unsentimental confidence. No mirror. No hesitation. The surmedani open on the dresser, the smell of the kohl faintly smoky, the whole thing finished in under thirty seconds. You were sent off into the world with darkened eyes and, depending on who was doing it, a smudge of leftover kajal dabbed somewhere behind your ear for protection.
That ritual is thousands of years old. It is also, in 2026, having its most prominent global moment yet. Kohl-rimmed eyes have appeared on every major runway of the past two seasons. Western beauty editors are writing primers on "the smudged liner look." And the surmedani — once a fixture of every desi dressing table — is being redesigned and sold as a luxury object by labels that would never have touched it a decade ago.
"Kajal does not need to be reinvented. It needs to be remembered — and then worn with the confidence it always deserved."
— Zara M., An FabricsWhat Kajal Actually Is
The word kajal (also written kohl, surma, or tiro depending on geography and tradition) refers to a preparation applied to the eyes — traditionally made from soot, carbon black, or antimony, mixed with oils or ghee to create a smooth, intensely pigmented paste. The preparation varied by region: Lahori surma differs from Moroccan kohl differs from Egyptian kohl, each with its own mineral base and texture. What they share is the application — to the inner rim of the eye, with a blunt-tipped applicator, pulled with a single fluid stroke.
The reason kajal has persisted for millennia is partly cosmetic and partly practical. The carbon base was believed to protect against eye infection, reduce glare, and cool the eyes in hot climates. Whether the antimony-based varieties hold up to modern safety scrutiny is a separate question — and worth researching if you are using traditional preparations, particularly around children. But the core ingredient in most contemporary kajal — carbon black — is among the most well-tolerated pigments in cosmetic formulation.
Safety Note
If you are buying traditional surma or kohl preparations — especially for use on children — check that they are lead-free. Some imported traditional formulations have been found to contain elevated levels of lead. Modern kajal pencils from reputable cosmetic brands are formulated to cosmetic safety standards and are the safer choice for everyday use.
The Looks Worth Knowing
Kajal is one of those products that rewards a light hand and punishes a heavy one — until you know the looks well enough to break the rules deliberately. Here are the applications that matter most in 2026.
The Classic Waterline
The foundational application: kajal drawn along the inner rim of the lower lash line, sometimes the upper waterline too, with no blending. This is the look your grandmother wore, and it remains the most striking way to use kohl. The result is an eye that appears simultaneously more defined and more liquid — an intensity that no pencil applied along the lash line can replicate. The key is a genuinely soft, pigment-rich formula; a waxy or stiff kajal drags and hurts and should be thrown away.
The Smudged Lower Lid
Apply kajal to the lower waterline, then immediately press a finger or a smudge brush along the lower lash line below it. The kohl migrates outward, creating a diffused, slightly undone rim that softens the intensity of the waterline line. This is the runway look — worn with bare skin everywhere else, it reads as deliberately effortless. Worn with a bold lip, it becomes editorial. It is the most versatile kajal application for those who find a sharp waterline too intense for daytime.
The Full Rim
Upper and lower waterlines lined, upper and lower lash lines smudged outward, outer corners darkened and extended slightly. This is the classical South Asian evening eye — dramatic, enclosed, deeply beautiful on every eye shape. The Western beauty world has been repackaging versions of this look for years under various names. You know it as Eid makeup. It requires a long-wearing, transfer-resistant formula — the smudging should happen when you choose it, not progressively throughout the evening.
Choosing the Right Formula
The kajal market in 2026 is enormous and uneven. There is a significant difference between a kajal pencil that happens to be dark and a formula that has been specifically designed for waterline wear. A few markers of quality to look for.
Texture above all. A good kajal should feel almost buttery when drawn across the back of your hand — not scratchy, not waxy, not stiff. If it requires pressure to deposit colour, it will require pressure on your waterline, which is uncomfortable and increases the risk of irritation. The best formulas glide with almost no resistance.
Pigmentation on first pass. A kajal that needs two or three passes to build depth will always look muddy rather than intense. The quality of the pigment — and the ratio of pigment to carrier — determines this entirely. This is one area where spending more usually buys something real.
Among the brands worth knowing: Iba Halal Care produces one of the best affordable kajal pencils for South Asian skin tones, with excellent pigmentation and a formula that settles without creasing. Swiss Beauty and Colorbar both offer solid mid-range options. For those willing to spend, the kajal from Suqqu and the pot kohl from Clé de Peau are benchmarks for texture and longevity.
"The best kajal you own is probably the one in the oldest packaging in your mother's drawer."
— Zara M., An FabricsWearing It in 2026
The conversation around kajal in 2026 is, for the first time in a while, a genuinely interesting one. The global beauty industry's interest in kohl has created both an opportunity and a risk: the opportunity to see South Asian beauty traditions treated with the seriousness and commercial investment they deserve, and the risk of watching those traditions stripped of context and resold as aesthetic novelty.
The most useful response is to simply wear it — intentionally, knowledgeably, and without apology. Kajal on the waterline is not a trend you are following. It is a tradition you are continuing. The fact that it also happens to be what every major fashion week is currently projecting is incidental. Wear it the way it was always meant to be worn: pulled on with confidence, smudged where you want it smudged, and finished before you have time to second-guess yourself.
The surmedani your family kept on the dresser had the right idea all along.