Eye makeup is often formulated with ingredients that can damage the eyes.
So an eye doctor launched Twenty/Twenty Beauty.
While they can be due to things like allergies and contacts, eye makeup is another major culprit.
The number tripled between 2005 and 2012, and continues to rise dramatically every year.
And at least two-thirds of them are women.
But Dr. Hilal-Campo says its all too common.
board-certified ophthalmologist and founder oftwenty/twenty beauty
There are three tear layers.
Theres the outer oil layer thats made by meibomian glands.
Theres an aqueous layer thats made by the lacrimal glands.
And then the goblet cells, which are the mucus layer.
All these structures make the tears to hydrate your eyes, she says.
Youre only born with a certain number of them, and theyre very delicate.
Once these glands are dead, they dont regenerate.
If you have allergies or wear contacts, youre more likely to feel dry eye brought on by cosmetics.
But anyone can experience these irritations if theyre using cosmetics that contain known ocular irritants.
board-certified ophthalmologist and founder oftwenty/twenty beauty
One example is benzalkonium chloride, a preservative used in cosmetics as well as many eye drops.
A 2022 review article compiled many studies that proved thatthis common preservative is toxic to the ocular surface.
As well as being toxins, they cause inflammation, says Dr. Hilal-Campo.
Inflammation also interrupts the homeostasis of the eye and pushes people into dry eye.
The challenge is to, number one, make products that are less damaging to the eyes.
Number two, use ingredients that are not toxic to any of the ocular structures.
Less well-known is a carnauba wax allergy.
Twenty/Twentys mascara employs synthetic beeswax as its conditioning agent to help you avoid an allergic reaction.
The fall out from the powders leeches into the tear film of the eye.
We see this on exams all the time.
My shadows are cream shadows.
They dont have any fallout.
It also includes castor oil to promote lash growth.
Its an ingredient thats not regulated by the FDA and is often not mentioned on ingredient lists.
It hasbeen linked towatery, red, itchy eyes, changes in skin/iris pigmentation, and lash loss.
Dr. Hilal-Campos lash and brow serum uses a combination of oils that she began using to treat dry-eye patients.
If youre using this twice a day, its preventative for blepharitis, she says.
you’re free to put some on a cotton round and scrub your eyelashes.
It kills 99.9 percent of bacteria within a minute.
Her goal is to make irritation from eye makeup a thing of the past.
Eye doctors know the potential these ingredients have to cause discomfort and even harm.
And for their long-term eye health, they shouldnt.
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