In recent years, eyelash serums have become one of the most popular beauty products, thanks to their ability to give longer and thicker eyelashes.
However, this result did not come from cosmetic laboratories, but was originally a side effect of a medication used to treat glaucoma, which prompted doctors and regulatory authorities to raise questions about the safety of using these materials for cosmetic purposes.
In the early 2000s, doctors noticed that some patients using prostaglandin-containing medications to treat glaucoma experienced significant growth in their eyelashes in length and density.
Professor of Ophthalmology, Jan Tode, said in statements reported by the German “Tageschau” website, that this phenomenon is related to prostaglandins or their analogues, which are compounds similar to the original substance in composition and effect. Noticing this effect, these materials began to be used in eyelash serums for cosmetic purposes.
Jan Tude explains that prostaglandins or their analogues are responsible for the effect that makes the eyelashes longer and thicker. This is why these materials are used in the composition of a number of eyelash serums in the market.
Despite the cosmetic results achieved by these products, doctors confirm that prostaglandin is an active substance that affects the eye. According to Jan Tude, this compound reduces intraocular pressure, an effect that is primarily used in the treatment of glaucoma.
Tudeh warns that long-term use of eyelash serums containing prostaglandins may disturb the delicate balance inside the eye, which, he says, may contribute to increasing the risk of glaucoma. Other possible side effects include red or sunken eyes, as well as a change in iris color.
Concerns are not limited to eye health only. According to Birgit Götsche, head of the Department of Medicines and Cosmetics at the Health Consumer Protection Office in Karlsruhe, some types of prostaglandins are found naturally in the body as tissue hormones.
Götsche explains that these substances play an essential role in the menstrual cycle and stimulate labor, so their presence among cosmetics ingredients arouses the interest of those concerned with consumer protection and public health.
There is not yet enough scientific data to prove that cosmetics containing prostaglandins may cause miscarriage in humans. But animal studies have provided indications that have prompted some experts to treat this issue with caution.
This compound is also used in veterinary medicine to stimulate birth or to terminate it in some cases, which explains the continued scientific interest in studying its potential effects outside of traditional therapeutic uses.
The European Union Scientific Committee considers that none of the eyelash serums containing commonly used prostaglandin analogues can be considered with certainty to be safe on the basis of currently available data.
In this context, the European Union continues to study the possibility of banning the use of these substances in cosmetics at the level of its member states.
