Tripathi explained that eyelash serums were first discovered because of bimatoprost, a medication used to treat glaucoma. “When patients were treated for glaucoma, they realized that their eyelashes were growing,” he told BuzzFeed News.
Allergan, which makes Latisse, a lash serum that is only available by prescription, saw the cosmetic potential in it and patented the lash serum format.
Other companies have found different chemicals with similar effects — GrandeLash-MD, for example, contains isopropyl cloprostenate, often known as ICP.
A spokesperson for the FDA told BuzzFeed News that ICP has not been FDA tested or approved and warned against people using eyelash regrowth products that hadn’t received approval.
“Because these over-the-counter products have not been FDA tested, their safety and effects are not known,” the FDA spokesperson said. “Lastisse is the only eyelash growth product currently approved by the FDA.”
Grande Cosmetics is currently facing a lawsuit from customer Alexandra Mandel, who first purchased the eyelash serum in 2015 and says she was unaware that the company’s product contained ICP and also hadn’t known about the serum’s possible side effects.
The lawsuit filed in a California federal court in January 2022 states: “Ms. Mandel stopped using GrandeLASH-MD when she developed a growth in her eye that baffled her doctors who did not know she was using the GrandeLASH-MD and that had to be surgically removed.
“Ms. Mandel believes that she developed the growth in her eye due to her use of GrandeLASH-MD,” reads the complaint. Grande Cosmetics has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit; a hearing will be held in July.
Mandel declined to speak with BuzzFeed News, but her lawyer, Annick Persinger, noted that Canadian law already prohibits the sale of ICP-containing products.
“Because ICP is associated with serious side effects such as iris color change, hair falling out in clumps, and sunken eye, Ms. Mandel seeks an injunction under California law banning the sale of the product in California,” Persinger said in a statement.
Oh, who found the popular lash product on TikTok, said she used it every night for around four months. “I stopped after I noticed that my eyelids got thinner,” she said. “I started to notice that my eyelids were getting super dry and inflamed.”
At first, she thought the discoloration was eczema caused by the dry winter air, but after seeing other people post about experiencing similar side effects following the use of GrandeLash-MD, she said she now believes it was a reaction to the product.
Oh noticed that a lot of the women posting videos about their eyelids changing appeared to also be of East Asian descent. “To my surprise, a lot of girls with monolids like mine shared that they’ve had similar experiences,” Oh said.
Tripathi, the plastic surgeon, noted that a multitude of side effects can occur from using lash growth products, such as changes to a person’s eye color and reduction in fat around the eyes.
The doctor went on to explain that although the loss of monolids may be appealing to some women, the use of the eyelash serums can often lead to asymmetrical loss of fat around their eyelids.
Oh noted that in recent years, people told her they were sure she was partly white, and she thinks the changes to her eyes that she believes came from using the lash serum may have made her look mixed race.
Source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/ikrd/grande-lash-went-viral-on-tiktok-but-beware-side-effects