Question of the month December 2011: Eyelashes

Dear Paula,

My eyelashes have always been sparse and wimpy. After reading some very encouraging customer reviews of an eyelash serum that claims to help grow and thicken lashes, I decided to give a product called Double Lash a try. To my surprise, after about a month, my eyelashes are noticeably longer. I'm really happy with the results. However, I wonder if the ingredients that make this product work are safe especially since I apply it so close to my eye. If it weren't for such good customer reviews and my own results, I never would have believed that something short of Latisse would be effective.

Wendi. via email

 

Dear Wendi,

I am guessing the product you bought is Mavala Double Lash. It retails online for around $18, so between the price and the claims of lash growth, no wonder you were intrigued! After all, a 2-month supply of Latisse (a prescription lash-growth product from Allergan, the company behind Botox Cosmetic) costs $130.

After analyzing the ingredient list for this product, it doesn't contain anything proven to grow or darken lashes. It's mostly water, mineral-based thickener, slip agents, alcohol, gum-based thickener, a bacterial ferment, water-binding agents, and preservatives, one of which doesn't have the best reputation in terms of being gentle. The formula is likely to feel a bit tacky, especially if it gets on lashes. And using alcohol this close to the eye itself isn't the best idea.

Of course, the fact that this product doesn't contain any ingredients known to stimulate lash growth cannot explain why you and others have experienced great results. It could be coincidental (lashes, like hairs on our head, have their own growth and shedding cycle, so perhaps you began using this just as your lashes were entering their next growth phase) or it could be that the company isn't revealing the active ingredient in this product. I don't know if that's the case and certainly will give them the benefit of the doubt, but based on your results, if it's not coincidence then something isn't adding up here.

The bottom line is that despite an attractive price point, Mavala Double Lash isn't a product I can recommend as an inexpensive alternative to Latisse

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