It is easy to assume that the products we put on our face and around our eyes are all safe and will cause no problems but research has proven otherwise.
In this blog we look at the top 10 makeup nasties* which can cause irritation to the ocular surface of your eye and what you may find them in…
- Argireline: Anti-aging skincare products, like serums and creams.
- Benzalkonium chloride (BAK): Disinfectants, sanitisers, and preservatives in personal care products.
- Formaldehyde-releasing compounds: Hair straightening products, nail polish, and certain cosmetics.
- Fragrance: Across a broad range of beauty and personal care products, including perfumes, lotions, and shampoos.
- Isopropyl cloprostenate: Eyelash growth serums.
- Parabens: Widely used as preservatives in cosmetics, such as makeup, moisturisers, and shampoos.
- Phenoxyethanol: Preservative in many cosmetics and personal care products.
- Retinols: Anti-aging products, like night creams and serums.
- Salicylic acid: Acne treatments, cleansers, and exfoliant.
- Tea tree oil (Terpinen-4-ol): Acne treatments, shampoos, and skincare products for its antimicrobial properties.
Cosmetics include anything that you apply, rub, pour, sprinkle, smear, or spray onto your face and around/on your eyes, inclusive of colours and skincare products.
*This is not an exhaustive list of ocular surface offending ingredients. Please ask at your next appointment if you have questions about how use of cosmetics may impact your personal eye health.
ÈYES ARE THE STORY
At Earlam and Christophers we stock a very special makeup range – ÈYES ARE THE STORY.
This makeup range fuses safe beauty, hormonal health, eye nutrition, ocular hygiene and digital eye awareness and is particularly suitable for those suffering from Dry Eye.
- Science based formulations
- Free of endocrine disrupters and neurotoxins
- Free of endocrine disrupters and neurotoxins
REFERENCES
- Ozgur O, Murariu D, Parsa AA, Parsa FD. Dry eye syndrome due to botulinum toxin type-A injection: guideline for prevention. Hawaii J Med Pub Health 2012;71(5):120-1237
- Chen X, Liu Y, Kam WR, Sullivan AG, Sullivan DA. Toxicity of cosmetic preservatives on human ocular surface and adnexal cells. Exp Eye Res 2018;59:193-205.
- IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans. Carbon Black evaluation and rationale. 2010;93:43-190.
- Wang J, Liu Y, Kam WR, Li Y, Sullivan DA. Toxicity of the cosmetic preservatives parabens, phenoxyethanol and chlorphenesin on human meibomian gland epithelial cells. Exp Eye Res 2020; 196:108057.
- https://www.cosmeticsandtoiletries.com/regulatory/claims/120476614.html
- NHorváth O, Letulé V, Ruzicka T, Herzinger T, Goldscheider I, von Braunmühl T. Periocular discoloration after using a prostaglandin analog for eyelash enhancement: evaluation with refl ectance confocal microscopy. J Cosmet Dermatol 2017;16(1):18-20.
- Kam WR, Liu Y, Ding J, Sullivan DA. Do cyclosporine A, an IL-1 receptor antagonist, uridine triphosphate, rebamipide or bimatoprost regulate
human meibomian gland epithelial cells? Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2016;57:4287-4294. - Ding J, Kam WR, Dieckow J, Sullivan DA. The influence of 13-cis retinoic acid on human meibomian gland epithelial cells. Invest Ophthalmol
Vis Sci. 2013;54:4341-4350 - Chen D, Wang J, Sullivan DA, Kam WR, Liu Y. Effects of terpinen-4-ol on meibomian gland epithelial cells in vitro. Cornea 2020; 39:1541-1546.