120 JOURNAL OF COSMETIC SCIENCE lated from Farsi for sample "Surma Farid Ara") and "rose water" and "Greek herbs and rose water" (both translated from Urdu for samples "Lateef Surma 'surma sada mix'" and "Lateef Surma 'sukh chen sada,' " respectively). The other three with qualitative "con- tents data" are more specific about their contents (but give no amounts/percentages). Extra information/translation/interpretation is given in italics (in parentheses) after the (below) "contents data" of these three samples. For the sample "Al Haramain Ethmed": "It is the natural Ithmed stone powder, sulphur of Antinion (black and red)" (this is referring to the often-quoted, but never yet seen by us, idea that antimony sulphide-the mineral stibnite-is the main component of the sample: none was found in this sample, the major phase found being lead sulphide). For the sample "Hashmi ® Kajal" (in tube form, with a cardboard holder on which is printed its "contents data"): "Ingredients: Zinc oxide (B.P.) (zincite, none found), waxes (B.P .) (paraffin wax was found), processed carbon black (amor- phous carbon was found), herbs, clarified butter, cinnamomun, camphora (camphor, none found)." For the sample "Hashmi Surma Sunef' (translated from very fine-print Urdu on its box lid): "Surma Black" (often meaning galena, which was the major phase found here), "Kushta-just" (probably a zinc compound, zincite was found), "Kafoor" (camphor, none found), "Warq Naqra" (coconut, possibly the ground husk), "Arq Badyan" (currently of unknown meaning) and "Mameera-o-deger Jary Bootiyam" (mixture of herbs). As regards data on the medicinal effects from using a particular kohl sample, it was found that a total of fifteen samples (nine in Table I and six in Table II) had this written information (usually on an enclosed leaflet). Five of the six samples from Table II have had their medicinal effects of usage data discussed in a previous publication (1) and, with one exception (the sample "Surma Al-Sherifain," see below), will not be repeated here. The sixth sample from Table II, "Hind Ka Noor Eye Liner," had a leaflet inside its box that gave some medicinal effects of usage data in (colloquial) Arabic. On translation it was found to say: (this kohl is extremely useful for/against) "reducing cold," "eye ache," "all diseases of the eye," "heat in the eye," "improves eye-sight and strengthens vision," and also "can be used by adults and children. " As this sample consists of amorphous carbon (the major phase), talc, and quartz (minor phases)-none of which are likely to give toxicity-the use of this kohl would be unlikely to make matters worse if used (externally) for the above "conditions. " This kohl sample has been seen by us in many Middle Eastern souks, and only in two cases were enclosed leaflets found (in this study and in our Cairo study (3)). Three of the nine such samples in Table I gave only limited information on their medicinal effects of usage. Such phrases occur as: "It glazes the vision and helps the eyelashes to grow better, treats and removes redness" (sample "Zikra Al Haramain," which has galena as its major phase) "Extremely soothing to the eyes ........It also works as an antidote to eye irritation due to pollution and dust particles .........It is an extremely beneficial tonic for weak eyes" (sample "Khojati® Toop Anjan®," which has amorphous carbon as its major phase) and "Most useful for the diseases of the eye" (translated from Urdu for sample "Shabnami Surma tark Chashma," a white sample with sassolite as its major phase). Commenting on the above it must be said that neither (matte) galena or amorphous carbon (or their associated minor phases) will give the above-stated medicinal effects of usage for the first two of the above samples, and while sassolite is both a mild antiseptic and a bacteriostatic material, its ability to be "useful" for all diseases of the eyes is questionable. A fourth sample from Table I, "Al Haramen Ethmed," has on an enclosed leaflet (in English and Arabic) a lot of information on

AVAILABILITY AND COMPOSITION OF "KOHLS" 121 the positive (and mostly correct) medicinal effects of antimony. However, as already stated, this sample has no antimony (sulphide) present, only lead sulphide-which most certainly does not have the stated positive medicinal effects mentioned (i.e., acting as an anti-parasitic/bacterial material). The remaining five such samples from Table I (i.e., "Nimco No. 96. Neem Ka Tez Surma (Special)" and two each of the "Surma Harmain Al Sherfain" and "Surma Noor- Ul-Ain" samples), plus the sample "Surma Al-Sherifain" from Table II, were all found to have the same statement of medicinal effects on usage: "Most helpful in the treatment of all kinds of eye troubles such as: eye weakness, haziness, tears, eye dirt, burning eyes, scratching and redishness etc. Strengthens the vision and gives a cooling effect to the eyes while it fights disease. Used daily or once a week, helps keep eye ailments away in both young and old alike." Four of these six samples are made in India (by three apparently different companies) and two are made in Pakistan (by the same company). Having identical medicinal effects of usage "statements" implies either common own- ership of the various companies and/or common employment of the same "copywriter." Also, three of these six samples have galena present as the major phase and another two have it present as a minor phase. Thus for the three samples with galena as the major phase, the above-listed medicinal effects are highly suspect, and for the other three samples (having talc, calcium carbonate, or zincite as their major phases), they are merely very questionable. Additionally, the sample named "Surma" in Table I was said (by the Fujairah city souk shopkeeper) to be "very good for sore eyes." It was a white powder whose major and minor phases were calcite and quartz, respectively. Even given the general non-toxicity of these compounds, we would question this therapeutic claim. Four samples had the words "hot" or "cold" on their labels, and another, while not so labelled, was said by the shopkeeper to be "hot" (one of two "Surma Noor-Ul-Ain" samples purchased). A "hot" symbol (in Arabic) or word (in English and/or Arabic) on the sample's container/box is often used to indicate that the kohl can be used as an eye medicine and so will sometimes be placed inside the eye, while a "cold" symbol/word indicates that it is to be used solely for beautification and so is usually placed on the outside of the eye. The "hot" kohl often contains, or is thought to contain, a special "active ingredient" that acts as the eye medicine. This "active ingredient" is often stated (verbally by the shopkeeper or in writing on an enclosed leaflet) to be antimony sulphide (stibnite), but is nearly always found to be lead sulphide (galena) when the sample is chemically analyzed. The sample "Al Athmad" ("Eyes Kuhl." "Cold") contains no galena as expected, but "Kohl Original Stone. With Zam Zem water. Cold" does contain galena as its main phase. Also, for our only clearly labelled pair (i.e., one labelled "hot" and one "cold" on their container boxes) of samples ("Surma Harmain Al-Sherfain"), both were found to contain galena as their major phases and to have identical minor phases (anglesite and cerussite, both lead compounds). Also, these two samples had identical quantitative "contents data" on enclosed leaflets (see Table III). However, the two samples of "Surma Noor-Ul-Ain," which had containers that were almost identical and were labelled neither "hot" nor "cold," were found to have different chemical composi- tions. The sample stated to be "hot" by the shopkeeper was found to contain galena as a minor phase (zincite being the main phase), and the other sample (by implication "cold") had no galena present (calcium carbonate being the main phase). On the basis of these findings, it should be clear that such labelling is not to be trusted when trying to determine if an "active ingredient" is actually present in a sample purchased