Kajal or Kohl, the quitessential South Asian makeup product, is so assimilated into daily culture that most don’t even consider it makeup. In some parts of India, people (women mostly) wear Kajal from a very young age, however, where I grew up, it wasn’t the case. In fact, it was very much considered makeup. The first time I wore Kajal after growing up was in class 9 when I started getting into dressing up from being tomboyish. It was quite a big change for me.

Cut to 2011, I was discussing with a friend in college how much we both love Kajals. Then, we started searching online about the best kajals in India and so on. This is when I got introduced to the world of blogging and hooked I was! The earliest of all the blogs I read were beauty blogs. Eventually I started writing my own blog in 2013. 🙂

Now that 10 years have passed, there is a lot that has changed with respect to my preferences and, therefore, this list will be reflective of my choices for best kajals in India.

A word about my preferences – I no longer give a flying f*ck about smudginess, I think smudged Kajal looks good on me and as long as its not a lot, I am fine. I don’t want “super staying” Kajals. I also don’t want a precise line, I go for slightly thicker lines. All I truly want is a super dark, jet black color in my regular Kajal. So, that’s what this list is about.

{Disclaimer: The images below are affiliate links. If you are thinking to purchase any of these, please click on the image to purchase so that I earn a comission too}.

Now onto the best Kajals in India based on my preferences starting from least preferred to most –

1. Biotique Kajal: Most people won’t like it because it is super smudgy & anyway people are moving away from lipstick shaped Kajals as the pencil shaped feel more comfortable. I love this one to bits though simply because of the color pay off. If a dark, rich black color is what matters to you, this is the one. And its super cheap!

2. Faces Longwear Eye Pencil Solid Black: This would have easily been my most favorite had it not been for one major issue. This one stings. I thought its only me, but I have read reviews of the same online too. Its my favorite color & finish – rich, jet black & matte. It doesn’t smudge even a little bit. Its not cheap for a Kajal but considering it stings & doesn’t budge, it seems it has a lot of chemicals, so I would only recommend it for special occasions.

3. Lakme Eyeconic Kajal: Another favorite largely because of the same reason. Love the color, super rich, jet black. One brownie point – it is kind of a matte finish, not too much though. So, if shiny black lines are not your thing, you will love it. Oh, also, this one doesn’t smudge. 🙂 For the quality, it is extremely cheap! In fact, I have used Lakme Absolute as well, which is their premium range, but that one is not going to make it to this list. 🙂

4. Faces Magnet Eyes Kajal: I may not have put this on the list because there is nothing unique about this, except its very similar to the one above & cheaper too. The only reason I consider it second to the one above is because it doesn’t have that matte finish. If you would rather have a smudge free, jet black, pencil shaped kajal that doesn’t settle into a matte finish, this is the one! I should also mention that #2 and #3 both stay very well on the waterline without getting removed.

5. MAC Technakohl Graph Black: I don’t have a proper affiliate link for the one I loved using the most. If you want to buy it off Amazon, you can do so by clicking on the image below, but I would suggest buying it from an authorized seller. The one I see on Amazon I am not sure of. I recently got this and I had never expected it to be so good. Not only the color pay off is what I love – rich, dark black & matte, but it also glides so smoothly on the waterline, a very buttery finish, which is what sets it apart. I understand its expensive for a Kajal but I am yet to come across a Kajal I loved as much as this. I am on forever the lookout & will update this post then.

To summarize, I usually repurchase the Lakme one and I would definitely consider repurchasing the MAC one as well. Although, I am always experimenting with new Kajal brands ranging everything from Maybelline to Givenchy!

Bonus: Some more recommendations that I like, but I won’t count them as best kajals in India for me. The reason I am mentioning these is because people prefer different things. So, read to know if you would rather buy these:

Plum NaturStudio Kajal: Its color pay off is very similar to the ones I mentioned above as my favorites. The difference is that it needs sharpening. I know some people prefer that as they consider it more hygienic, so if that’s your thing, you will love it! Bonus points for the fact that this is cruelty free!

Lakme Absolute Kajal: I told you already that this doesn’t make it to best Kajals in India for me. A very simple reason for that – I hate sharpening, its too much effort for me when in hurry. However, in one way its even better than the Lakme Eyeconic I mentioned above, it is somewhat buttery, not as buttery smooth as the MAC one I mentioned but smoother than all others.

This is it for today and if you read it till the end, I am so, so grateful. 🙂 Do leave your thoughts and recommendations in the comments.