As we welcome 2025, many are revamping their beauty regimes, with false eyelashes emerging as a top trend. However, an eye health specialist has issued a warning about this beauty must-have, suggesting it could be more damaging than people think.
False lashes have always been a hit, but in recent years there’s been a surge in the number of individuals either getting extensions at salons or purchasing store-bought lashes for home application. The most startling shift is in the age of consumers, with younger generations now frequently buying and wearing falsies.
Recent studies show that 33% of Gen Z women (born between 1997 and 2012) use false lashes, compared to just 17% of women overall. Some suggest that the resurgence of false lashes is due to innovative products from Korea and Japan – a trend that’s now going global.
With increased exposure to beauty gurus, many Gen Z women are keen to replicate makeup looks, making false lashes a beauty essential.
However, the pursuit of beauty may come with a hefty price tag. Misapplication, using eyelash glue near the eye, wearing false lashes for extended periods without proper eye hygiene could all lead to eye infections, warns Francesca Marchetti, an optometrist and adviser to GoldenEye. She emphasises the need for caution to ensure our fondness for falsies doesn’t result in a surge of eye infections.
Francesca said: “Recent research has looked at the effect of eyelash extensions on the ocular surface and concluded that eyelash extensions can lead to an imbalance in ocular surface homeostasis, resulting in corneal epithelial defects – corneal epithelial defects are focal areas of epithelial (outermost corneal layer, loss) and short-term decreased tear film stability. These changes are, as a result, bad news for our eye health and could impact our vision.
“A further study in Cornea: the Journal of Cornea and External Disease – looked at ocular disorders due to eyelash extensions. This research data found that this included keratoconjunctivitis due to invasion of glue or removing agents in 64 patients, allergic blepharitis due to glues in 42 patients (four of these patients developed both keratoconjunctivitis and allergic blepharitis), conjunctival erosion due to eyelid-fixing tapes in three patients, allergic blepharitis due to eyelid-fixing tapes in one patient, and subconjunctival haemorrhage due to compression during removal of extensions in one patient. It concluded that eyelash extension procedures may cause ocular disorders, such as keratoconjunctivitis and allergic blepharitis – all bad news for our eye health.”
Common beauty eye infections
Francesca has explained the common eye infections false eyelashes can lead to. This also applies to everyday eye makeup like mascara or eyeshadow, for instance if they are out of date, as bacteria can start to grow on them, or if they are not removed properly from the eyelid.
Styes
A stye is a bacterial infection of either an eyelash follicle or a gland near the eyelashes that presents itself as a small swollen red lump on the eyelid and may also be filled with yellow pus. Styes can cause the eye to become itchy and watery.
Francesca said: “Typically, only one eye will be affected, and it’s important not to try to burst the stye yourself and refrain from rubbing the eyes. If infected with a stye you must not share towels with others.”
Conjunctivitis
Sometimes known as pink eye or red eye, conjunctivitis is inflammation of the conjunctiva, which is the membrane (or thin skin) on the inside of the eyelid.
Francesca said: “Conjunctivitis is often an infection caused by a virus or bacteria, though an allergy may also cause it. It happens when the blood vessels of the sclera (the white of the eye) become dilated, giving that red-eyed appearance.
“With conjunctivitis eyes will be red, feel warm, a little gritty, itchy and watery – and will produce pus, where some may find their eyelashes stick together, especially after sleeping. Conjunctivitis is contagious when the eyes are red and feel gritty, but if caused by allergies where the eyes are red and watery, it won’t be contagious.”
Blepharitis
Blepharitis is the inflammation of the eyelids. This can either be anterior blepharitis, inflammation at the base of the eyelid which can be caused by bacteria like staphylococci, or seborrhoeic dermatitis, a condition that causes a red, flaky and itchy rash on your skin.
It affects areas of your skin that tend to be greasier, like your face, scalp and chest), or posterior blepharitis, an inflammation of the meibomian glands, which help to produce tears.
“Eye symptoms to look out for here are itchy, gritty eyes, sore eyelids and on waking eyelids stuck together because of crusty of flakiness of the skins that stick to the eyelashes. Always avoid wearing make-up and contact lenses while you have blepharitis,” said Francesca.
False eyelashes and eye makeup
Reputable, trusted beauty salon: Francesca said: “Use a reputable, trusted beauty salon that has the right accreditation and training to apply false eyelashes and eyelash extensions. They are more likely to follow regulations and know how to apply false eyelash so there is minimal risk of an eye infection.”
Wash makeup off: Francesca said: Don’t hop into bed with eye makeup still on. Wash it off. Otherwise, it can encourage bacteria to grow while we sleep, or when tired we tend to touch our eyes which may result in an eye infection if we are also rubbing mascara or eyeliner.”
Learn application: Francesca said: “If applying false eyelashes at home read and follow the application instructions. Additional research or watching how-to-apply videos could also help.”
Don’t rub: Francesca said: “When eyes are feeling itchy or gritty, the temptation is to rub them – but this actually makes things worse. Our hands are in contact with most things making it easy to transfer bacteria and germs to our faces, making eyes more at risk of infections such as styes, conjunctivitis or blepharitis.”
Act immediately: Francesca said: “If you have an eye infection, remove all false eyelashes and treat the eye infection immediately. If you have a minor eye health problem, the pharmacy should be your first port of call. The pharmacist can use their clinical expertise and practical knowledge to provide advice and treatment recommendations such as GoldenEye Eye Ointment or GoldenEye Eye Drops, which contain antiseptics which help to prevent bacteria from multiplying on the surface of the eye and causing an infection. Always read the label.”
If it’s old, throw it out: Francesca said: “Mascara, eyeliner, eyeshadow and false eyelashes all have a shelf life. If makeup has been open for longer than the recommended product life shelf there is increased risk of bacteria forming, which could result in skin sensitivities and eye conditions. The same with false eyelashes, if they are only meant to be worn once, or for a certain amount of time, once that is up they should be discarded.”
