In the booming world of beauty trends, the promise of fuller, darker lashes has never been more alluring. Scroll through social media and you’ll see it everywhere, serums marketed as a hassle-free alternative to eyelash extensions, promising dramatic results without the salon price tag.
But health experts are sounding the alarm. Behind the glossy marketing lies a risk few consumers realize: many lash serums contain potent pharmaceutical ingredients that can burn, irritate, and in some cases, permanently change the color of the eye itself — blue eyes, for instance, may gradually shift to brown.
The roots of this beauty trend trace back more than two decades. In the early 2000s, ophthalmologists prescribing bimatoprost — a drug from a class known as prostaglandin analogues (PGAs) — noticed an unusual side effect. Originally approved to treat glaucoma and ocular hypertension, conditions caused by rising pressure inside the eye, the medication did more than protect patients’ vision. It made their lashes grow longer, thicker, and darker.
Researchers still do not fully understand why. The most accepted theory is that PGAs extend the lashes’ natural growth phase, allowing each hair to reach its maximum length before falling out. What was once a quirk of medical treatment soon became a commodity. By 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had formally approved Latisse, a version of bimatoprost designed to treat inadequate lashes.
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Its success sparked a wave of copycat products. In the United States, bimatoprost remains regulated and available only by prescription. In Britain, however, manufacturers began experimenting with other PGAs to mimic its effects, incorporating them into cosmetic serums marketed directly to consumers.
The risks, though, can be far from cosmetic. Alongside redness and irritation, doctors warn of fat loss around the eyes, which creates a hollow, prematurely aged look; stray hair growth in areas where the serum drips; drooping eyelids that sometimes require surgical correction; and perhaps most permanent of all, the darkening of the iris itself.
A government investigation underscored just how widespread the issue has become: nearly one in four lash serums sold in the U.K. contained PGAs at levels capable of causing noticeable side effects within weeks.
For many women, the allure of longer lashes remains powerful. But experts stress that beauty seekers weigh the risks with the same seriousness they would any medical decision. After all, the eyes are not just another canvas for cosmetics — they are delicate, complex organs. And once their color changes, there is no turning back.
