I was recently asked about RapidLash Eyelash Renewal Serum. The person wanted to know if it worked and was safe. It is marketed as a product designed to enhance the appearance of eyelashes and eyebrows. Rapid Lash is manufactured by International Research Laboratories and distributed by ROCASUBA.
The insert sheet for Rapid Lash says the active ingredients are “potent polypeptides, vital proteins and vitamins, and moisturizing and rejuvenating agents. The serum is suppose to produce results within 4 weeks.
As with Latisse (an FDA approved product) the serum is applied once a day. Latisse is available by prescription only, Rapid Lash requires no prescription. Recently there have been reports of skin irritation and pigmentation concerns. In fairness, these have been reported in Latisse users also, but it is known to occur in 4% of Latisse users. It is not known how often they occur in Rapid Lash users.
With either, it is important to take care to apply the serum only to the eyelash and not allow it to get in the eye itself. Either can cause eye irritation.
If you develop a new eye condition (e.g., trauma or infection), change in vision, have eye surgery, or develop any eye reactions (e.g. conjunctivitis and eyelid reactions), you should immediately seek your doctor's advice and discontinue the use of Rapid Lash Eyelash Serum.
Update: The company has provided their scientific studies for me to review. There were two studies done using human subjects. Both were well designed but in my opinion had too few subjects. The first had 28 enrolled with only 27 completing the study (one was lost to follow up). These subjects used the serum as directed on their lash lines, half were contact wearers. None reported any adverse reactions. The second study involved 87 test subjects with 80 completing the study (7 dropped out due to personal reasons). This study was a skin patch study. No adverse reactions were reported.
With either Rapid Lash or any other serum/ makeup applied to the eyelid near the eye, I would advise caution. Use only as directed and discontinue its use if you notice any irritation or problems.
Sources
DermStore Product Reviews
Alternative Health Journal
Insert Sheet on Rapid Lash
Comments
#1 RapidLash
I am always concerned when a company does not provide all of the truth about its product. The fact is that RapidLash contains a quasi Prostaglandin Analogue. Whey do they claim it is the petides that are making the product do its thing when it is a drug. In addition present a double bling, multicenter study with more than a handful of clients. I am sure this stuff works, but it is close to the eye, has only been our for 6 months, and has very very little safety data. In addition is seems that they have been less than upfront about what this stuff contains. Hey its your eyes...
#2 Rapidlash Reviews
Really long eyelashes look so attractive it changes the entire complexsion of a woman's appearance. But you would also know that most of the cosmetics we use today are inorganic and carry chemicals thus there is some damage to the eyes when using cosmetics.
John
#3 I would be more than happy to
I would be more than happy to review the safety studies which as I pointed out in the above article I was unable to find.
#4 RapidLash
As the information submitted by Dr. Bates is incorrect and contains false statements - can this posting be either withdrawn or corrected.
#5 RapidLash
Dr. Bates' comments are made without the benefit of review of the RapidLash safey studies, EPI tests and other available data. We would like to make these available for her review so that her comments may be more informed. RapidLash meets all regulatory requirements of the US and EU and is available without perscription. To say that there are no safety studies is incorrect and misleading. We hope her posting will be corrected for accuracy.