Growing around the eyelid, eyelashes represent the shortest hair on the body. However, they play a crucial role in protecting the eye from particles and humidity, a role for which they’ve developed unique capacities.
Interests on eyelash serum ingredients reflects a major shift in perspective on what lashes are and how they can be best taken care of.
At the center of demands for eyelash serum ingredients is a desire for eyelashes that are thick and elongated. Additionally, from an increased awareness of what eyelashes truly require emerges a new perspective, one that is further punctuated by consumers demanding natural ingredients that promote both health and beauty.
In fact, cosmetic innovation around eyelash formulations has experienced growth since the COVID-19 pandemic (related to the renovated focus on the gaze and the eyes), a growth that continues to this day. It’s in a context where initiatives such as follicle boosters for eyelashes must be understood, it is precisely where an assortment of natural ingredients has the capacity to set new standards for a new era of eyelash serum ingredients.
What eyelash serum ingredients should do
Although often overlooked in favor of more popular cosmetic segments, eyelashes represent a true token of beauty, as they have been conventionally associated with big eyes and an attractive gaze.
But lashes are more than just a marker of beauty: they also serve a multitude of practical functions: from protecting eyes from airborne particles to facilitating the evaporation of moisture. Eyelashes are also part of the sophisticated mechanism that triggers reflex blinking when external objects approach the eyes, through a connection from lashes to the brain that activates this protective mechanism.
From this point of view, the right eyelash serum ingredients should be able to both act on the cosmetic and functional health of this facial feature. From promoting growth, thickness and volume, to nourishing and hydrating them in order to boost follicle health and prevent loss.
Best eyelash serum ingredients: an overview
The contemporary focus on natural ingredients dictates that successful eyelash serum ingredients and formulations should not only promote eyelash hair, but do so from a plant-based, sustainable perspective.
As consumers show an increased preference for ingredients that are familiar and perceived as safe and trustworthy, successful eyelash serum ingredients should provide an alternative to synthetic options while not renouncing any of the cosmetic efficacy.
This is precisely where a number of plant-based ingredients stand out for their capacity to improve eyelash aesthetics and health as part of serum formulations:
Coconut oil for eyelashes: before and after
Coconut oil is well known for its activity as a hair protector and repairing agent, and thus represents a strong candidate for eyelash serum ingredients.
High quality coconut oil is produced by expression and subsequent refining of Cocos nucifera L. fruits pulp. Its chemical profile shows a 35-40% oil content, 10% carbohydrates, 3% proteins and approximately 50% water.
The key potential for this oil’s advantages for eyelashes lies in its fatty acid content, as coconut oil presents a high content of saturated short and medium-sized chain fatty acids, with the 45-53% lauric acid content standing out.
This unique composition has been shown to be extremely beneficial for hair protection and repair, and thus for eyelash care that translates into stronger, fuller lashes. As such, this suggests that the answer to “can coconut oil help your eyelashes grow?” contains more nuance than it appears and builds on this oil’s extraordinary capacity for boosting hair health.
The positive effect of coconut oil on eyelashes comes down to coconut oil being a triglyceride of lauric acid, thus having a high affinity for hair proteins, and additionally presenting a low molecular weight and straight linear chain. The result is it is able to penetrate into the deepest layers of the hair shaft when compared to other types of oils, thus offering long-lasting protection and eyelash care.
In fact, Rele, AS & Mohile, RB (2003) carried out a study to evaluate the activity of coconut oil on prevention of hair damage as compared with mineral oil and sunflower oil.
Previously published results had shown that coconut oil treatments prevented combing damages in various hair types. The results clearly indicated a strong beneficial impact of coconut oil application to hair as compared to the other tested oils. From these three,
coconut oil was the only oil found to remarkably reduce protein loss from both undamaged and damaged hair, when used as a pre-wash and a post-wash product. On the contrary, sunflower oil and mineral oil did not help to reduce hair protein loss.
All in all, coconut oil has shown an outstanding penetration ability on hair fibers, and a capacity to reduce capillary adhesion and protein loss from both undamaged and damaged hair.
As such, coconut oil on eyelashes goes beyond a mere “make-up effect”: it acts from within, boosting the mechanisms that promote hair health and hair protection while also presenting a unique repair activity thanks to its fatty acid content.
In this context, high-quality coconut oil represents a winning combination for formulations looking to target coconut oil on eyelashes before and after trends.
Almond oil for eyelashes
Sweet almond oil is obtained by cold pressing of the fruits of Prunus amygdalus Stokes var. dulcis DC. A deciduous tree native to temperate and desert areas in the West of Asia which then spread to the Mediterranean, it has been a fundamental in the Mediterranean diet, from food to beverages, while also employed in both pharmaceutical and cosmetic preparations. Traditionally, almonds have been used to treat skin infections under the form of nutritious revitalizing face masks, but also heal superficial skin burns, dermatosis and dry skin.
The potential for almond oil for eyelashes lies primarily on its strong presence of linoleic acid and vitamin E. From the point of view of chemistry, the lipid profile of almond oil reveals more than 90% of the fatty acids being unsaturated (oleic and linoleic). This is particularly important considering the deficit in essential fatty acids has important effects on hair metabolism, potentially leading to issues such as hair loss and depigmentation. As these symptoms can be reversed with the topical application of linoleic acid-rich oils, almond oil for eyelashes stands out as a key mechanism for elevating eyelash care.
Additionally, the vitamin E content in almond oil plays an essential role in preventing hair loss and promoting thicker lashes, thanks to its protective activity on membrane lipids at a vessel level, which promotes an improvement in cutaneous microcirculation.
The combined action of these two compounds ensures almond oil for eyelashes represents a winning formula in this new era of eyelash care, promoting their elongation and thickness through the development of specific products.
Argan oil
Argan oil is rich in vitamin E, antioxidants and fatty acids. A combination that supplies the necessary essential fatty acids in loss scenarios and promotes thorough hydration. As such, argan oil for eyelash formulations represents an extraordinary ally for moisturizing and conditioning eyelashes and, ultimately, promoting their growth into thicker and longer lashes.
Why eyelash care is trending and how can brands align with consumer interests
When it comes to aesthetics, elongated, thick eyelashes have long been understood as a hallmark of beauty, for their capacity to draw attention to the eyes and make them seem bigger. A preoccupation that has existed for centuries, the COVID-19 pandemic and the new focus on eyes due to masks brought renovated attention to eyelashes.
Since then, eyelash innovation has continued growing, suggesting that the focus on eye cosmetics persists in 2024 despite the softening of mask-wearing rules, according to specialized research by Mintel.
There are a number of ways eyelash serum ingredients have been evolving, including makeup products like mascaras and curlers that lift the lashes and make the eyes look bigger.
However, the trend for lash care and the interest on eyelash serum ingredients can only be understood when intersected with further shifts in the cosmetic and beauty industry. On the one hand, the focus on natural ingredients; on the other, the preference for beauty that emphasizes overall health. Both of these movements have had a distinct impact on eyelash care trends and, consequently, are the key drivers in successful innovation in the segment.
In this context, the three well-known plant-based oils we’ve mentioned above present an unmatched potential as eyelash serum ingredients, building from current consumer preferences while effectively promoting thick, long eyelashes that are also healthy.
Looking for the next-generation eyelash serum ingredients that will play a leading role in shaping what eyelash care looks like in the future? Browse through our vegetable oils catalog to gain inspiration and elevate your initiatives.
