The
volunteer organization Prevent Blindness America has designated April
as Women's Eye Health and Safety Month—a good time to brush up on safe
and hygienic ways to store, apply, wear, and remove eye cosmetics.
The
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)regulates all cosmetics marketed in
the United States, including mascara, eye shadows, eye liner,
concealers, and eyebrow pencils.
Safety experts
within the Office of Cosmetics and Colors in FDA's Center for Food
Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) offer consumers the following
advice:
Keep everything clean.
Dangerous bacteria or fungi can grow in some cosmetic products, as well
as their containers. Cleanliness can help prevent eye infections.
Always
wash your hands before applying eye cosmetics, and be sure that any
instrument you place near your eyes is clean. Be especially careful not
to contaminate cosmetics by introducing microorganisms. For example,
don't lay an eyelash wand on a countertop where it can pick up
bacteria. Keep containers clean, since these may also be a source of
contamination.
Don't moisten cosmetic products.
Don't add saliva or water to moisten eye cosmetics. Doing so can
introduce bacteria. Problems can arise if you overpower a product's
preservative capability.
Don't share or swap.
People can be harmed by others' germs when they share eye makeup. Keep
this in mind when you come across "testers" at retail stores. If you do
sample cosmetics at a store, be sure to use single-use applicators,
such as clean cotton swabs.
Don't apply or remove eye makeup in a moving vehicle. Any bump or sudden stop can cause injury to your eye with a mascara wand or other applicator.
Check ingredients, including color additives.
As with any cosmetic product sold to consumers, eye cosmetics are
required to have an ingredient declaration on the label. If they don't,
they are considered misbranded and illegal.
In the
United States, the use of color additives is strictly regulated. Some
color additives approved for cosmetic use in general are not approved
for areas near the eyes.
If the product is properly
labeled, you can check to see whether the color additives declared on
the label are in FDA's List of Color Additives Approved for Use in
Cosmetics. (Under "For More Information" below, see "Color Additives
Approved for Use in Cosmetics" and "FDA's Import Alert for Cosmetics
Containing Illegal Colors.")
Use only cosmetics intended for the eyes on the eyes.
Don't use a lip liner as an eye liner, for example. You may expose eyes
either to contamination from your mouth or to color additives that are
not approved for use near the eyes.
Say "no" to kohl!
Also known as al-kahl, kajal, or surma, kohl is used in some parts of
the world for enhancing the appearance of the eyes. But kohl is
unapproved for cosmetic use in the United States.
Kohl
contains salts of heavy metals such as antimony and lead. Reports have
linked the use of kohl to lead poisoning in children.
Some eye cosmetics may be labeled with the word "kohl" only to indicate the shade, not because they contain true kohl.
A
product's "ingredient statement" should not list kohl—this is not an
FDA-approved color additive. Check the ingredient statement to make
sure that kohl is not present.
Don't dye eyelashes and eyebrows.
No color additives are approved by FDA for permanent dyeing or tinting
of eyelashes and eyebrows. Permanent eyelash and eyebrow tints and dyes
have been known to cause serious eye injuries.
Use care with false eyelashes or extensions.
False eyelashes and extensions, as well as their adhesives, must meet
the safety and labeling requirements for cosmetics. Since the eyelids
are delicate, an allergic reaction, irritation, or injury in the eye
area can occur. Check the ingredients to make sure you are not allergic
to the adhesives.
Don't use eye cosmetics that cause irritation. Stop using a product immediately if irritation occurs. See a doctor if irritation persists.
Avoid using eye cosmetics if you have an eye infection.
Discard any eye cosmetics you were using when you got the infection.
Also, don't use eye cosmetics if the skin around the eye is inflamed.
Don't use old eye cosmetics. Manufacturers usually recommend discarding mascara two to four months after purchase. Discard dried-up mascara.
Don't store cosmetics at temperatures above 85° F.
Preservatives that keep bacteria or fungi from growing can lose their
effectiveness, for example, in cosmetics kept for long periods in hot
cars.
Report Problems
If
you need to contact FDA concerning an eye cosmetic product problem, go
to the "How to Report" page on FDA's MedWatch Web site at www.fda.gov/medwatch and use form FDA 3500. You can also find contact information for an FDA office near you at www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/district.html
For More Information
CFSAN: Eye Cosmetic Safety
www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/coseye2.html
Color Additives Approved for Use in Cosmetics
www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/opa-col2.html#table3A
FDA's Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA): Import Alert for Cosmetics Containing Illegal Colors
www.fda.gov/ora/fiars/ora_import_ia5306.html
ORA: Import Alert for Eyelash and Eyebrow Dyes Containing Coal Tar
www.fda.gov/ora/fiars/ora_import_ia5304.html
Date Posted: April 17, 2008
