Are lash serums safe for the eyes?

There are generally speaking two types of lash serums which are differentiated by the active ingredients they use to help grow or boost the lashes; ones that use prostaglandin analogues and one's that don't (and instead use for example, peptides, fatty acids or vitamins).

Most reputable lash serums are considered safe enough to use if they're used per the instructions. In general, non-prostaglandin analogue lash serums will be safer for sensitive eyes than prostaglandin analogues. That being said, there are some major caveats to this; First of all, most lash serums are intended for use for only 6-12 weeks (that's how long the little mascara tube-type package should last) at a time, they are not intended for regular daily use for 52 weeks of the year. Second of all, while the focus has always been on how safe the active ingredients are (for example, prostaglandin analogues), we are learning a lot more about the potential long term side effects of the stability ingredients added to make the lash serums shelf-stable - for example, the preservatives used in them can be quite damaging long term if used daily around the eyes and could cause dry eyes. For example, phenoxyethanol is a super common preservative used in most of the lash serums and has been found to be damaging to the cornea (the front window of your eye - see reference below). Finally, the lash serums need to be used hygienically as they can become a hotbed for bacteria and bacterial eye infections are on the rise!