To be clear, not all lash serums exacerbate under-eye woes. It’s the ones that contain prostaglandin analogues (PGAs) you might want to steer clear of, Youn shares in a recent TikTok video.
These ingredients were initially used to treat glaucoma patients (with a drug called Bimatoprost), before researchers realized those patients had grown much thicker, fuller lashes. They discovered that the actives could actually extend the growth phase of hair; as a result, PGAs became the hero ingredients in more than a few clinical lash serums on the market.
But here’s the issue with those PGAs: They have also been associated with periorbital volume loss, or as Youn puts it, “melting” the fat around your eyes. “There was a recent study published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal that found that this is true,” he shares.
And fat loss in this area can make the blood vessels under the eyes more visible, as there’s no longer a buffering layer of tissue—so you wind up with darker circles.
