Makeup, and specific skin care products, can enhance your beauty, minimize imperfections, make skin appear flawless and eyes appear bigger. But, what happens when the makeup you've used forever...now causes an allergic reaction? Itchy eyes, redness, watery eyes - none of that is fun and can certainly ruin your makeup look of the day - so let's dig into why this happens and what you can do when having an allergic reaction to eye makeup.

Can you suddenly become allergic to eye makeup?

Dermatologists say "Absolutely, you can." The eye makeup you’ve been using for years has suddenly become an allergy catalyst, causing redness, puffiness, and mid-day itchy eyes. So, is it an allergy or an irritation? Yes, there is a difference between an allergy and an irritation.

An eyeshadow allergy, for example, can happen gradually over time due to repeated exposure.  Your skin "fights" off the irritating ingredients without you really noticing or causing those itchy eyes - and then after years of "fighting" your skin just gives up and gives in to the redness and itching - and now "all of a sudden" you are allergic to those ingredients (or ingredient).

A simple skin irritation caused by eye makeup, usually occurs the first time you use the product. Letting you know immediately that an ingredient in this eye makeup is irritating to your skin.  If you've got sensitive skin, you've probably noticed that your are irritated by many brands of makeup. Eye makeup tends to be the most obvious because it contacts the most sensitive part of our face.

So, what is the name of this mystery ailment? It’s called allergic dermatitis or contact dermatitis, and it worsens as the years go by (mainly because the skin has been "fighting" since you first began applying products of any kind to your skin). It can appear as a dry, itchy, and scaly area that’s restricted to the area where the makeup was applied…in this case the eye area.

What is allergic or contact dermatitis & why the itchy eyes?

1. The eyes comes into contact with an allergen (which conventional eye shadows are loaded down with, and some highly irritating). When the eyes first come into contact with the offensive ingredient, specific “memory cells” are sensitized by your body.

2. These sensitized cells stay on standby for the next time whatever it was, hits your skin again. When you apply makeup again, the cells release a molecule, called a cytokine, to go “fight it” out of your skin. THIS is the allergic reaction.

Repeatedly exposing yourself makes the problem worse over time. More and more cytokines, larger battle ground, more and more reaction.  Which is why so many of our customers haven't been able to wear eye makeup for years (until they found us, that is).

Can I be allergic to eyeshadow if my eyes are itchy?

When it comes to eyeshadow, we are talking about one of the most sensitive parts of your body...your eyelids, which are designed to keep toxins out of your body. When your body wages war at the skin level like this, skin cells die in the crossfire. The real culprit is an eyeshadow made with fillers (and known irritants).

In order to cut costs when making eyeshadow, companies will cut it with talc. Yes, talcum powder, hydrous magnesium silicate to be exact. In fact, so much Talc is used that it's usually the first ingredient on the ingredient list.  In addition, other toxic ingredients are added. Parabens, Aluminum (cheap colorant), and Triclosan (similar to paraben), dimethicone are all major skin irritants and are all added to cheaply made eyeshadows - even if they charge you luxury prices.

How do you treat an allergic reaction to eye makeup?

There's a few ways and a phone call to your eye doctor or PCP might be in order if it feels severe. We are not medical professionals so please always use caution and speak to your health care provider before making any decisions.

1. Stop using the makeup. Ugh, I know - you spent good money on that! Always try to return the product - if you explain that you had a strong allergic reaction to this product most stores and companies will give you a refund. If they don't, then you know that's a company you don't want to do business with. Read about our open-container 6 month return/exchange policy here.
2. Give your eyes a break - don't wear any eye makeup until the itchy eyes and the reaction have diminished (that includes night eye creams, foundation, etc. - even makeup you're sure wasn't the culprit) - you want to give your skin a chance to heal
3. While some doctors recommend OTC hydrocortisone creams, using these around the eye area can be dangerous. Definitely check with your doctor before running to the drug store.
4. Many natural remedies exist including calendula and aloe both of which have anti-inflammatory properties. This website has recommendations for specific products made with natural ingredients that can calm itchy eyes and irritation from makeup or general eyelid contact dermatitis.
5. Clean your tools/brushes - this one is probably obvious but after you've returned the product you'll want to clean any tool that was used to apply that makeup so the ingredient doesn't continue to be inadvertently applied.

Why DON'T Red Apple Eyeshadows Give Me Itchy Eyes?

Our truly hypoallergenic eye shadows are a dream come true to many hesitant-at-first customers, who have tried every eyeshadow under the sun without being able to wear them.  Our goal has and will always be to make makeup with the highest quality ingredients so that everyone can enjoy wearing makeup again.

We use very few ingredients that we ensure are non-nano particle minerals. From an itchy eye perspective - we don't use any ingredients that are known to be toxic and irritating to the eyes. Using very few ingredients allows us to not only make a cleaner product but also a product that we are confident will work with 99% of people.

No ingredient contains gluten, talc, mineral oil, petroleum, fragrance, phthalates, wheat, paraben, dairy, dimethicone (or other -cones), and a huge list of ingredients we just don't let into our facility.

From an ethical perspective (which doesn't affect allergies/irritations) we use humanely-mined Mica from the U.S. and high-quality natural Silica. All of our makeup is vegan & cruelty free - which means it doesn't contain ingredients derived from any living creature, is free of palm oil, and was never tested on animals (raw ingredients & finished product), nor are we sold in any country that requires animal testing (like China).  While these core-values don't create irritations to the skin they do affect our conscience and the conscience of our customers - so it's important to mention here.

This process works so well at making a natural mineral eye shadow, there's no need for a filler, like talc.  However, it does cost more to manufacture makeup in this way.  We know that investing in high quality products to put on your face (especially your eyes) is a worthwhile endeavor not only for your current health but for your future self (so no allergies develop over time).

The result is a silky, velvety eyeshadow with beautiful pigment that lasts all day without making your eyes itchy.

Have you ever had an allergic reaction to eye makeup?