It’s time to set the record straight about eyelash tinting in the Golden State. Many beauty journalists have recirculated bad information without batting an eye, leaving consumers and cosmetology students confused about the rules. So we wanted to take a moment to break it down for you.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hasn’t approved any color additives for the purposes of eyelash tinting. Why i
s this important? The FDA is the federal agency responsible for making certain the cosmetics (among other things) we use don’t have hazardous ingredients. And seeing as though eyelash tint is applied so close to the eye, and can so easily get in the eye, it is especially important to follow the FDA’s guidance on this.
“Permanent eyelash and eyebrow tints and dyes have been known to cause serious eye injuries,” according the FDA’s webpage on the subject.
That’s the reason eyelash tinting isn’t allowed in California salons. And eyelash tint isn’t allowed in schools of cosmetology either. But students can still learn the practice.
Students in California cosmetology schools can use substitute products that don’t pose a threat to eye health, but that do give them hands on experience with how tinting works. And in fact, that is exactly what happens in a lot of California schools of cosmetology.
The Board of Barbering and Cosmetology works hard to oversee salons in California, and the schools training new generations of salon workers. The goal of both the board and the schools is to make certain future salon workers are prepared for safe, successful careers. And on the day some enterprising company starts producing eyelash tint that’s safe to use, they’ll be ready for that too.
