Today I received a very important email request. I want to share it with you.
I see you have an impressive line of lip balm tubes.
Would you consider adding MASCARA containers to your line?
With the prices they’re charging, it is becoming a thing to make.
Dear TheSage customer and all blog readers,
I know you want me to say yes, but I can’t. MMS will not ever carry mascara tubes and brushes.
Let me explain. Mascara is not just a cosmetic, it is a VERY regulated cosmetic. In order to be sold – mascara must be made in a very sanitary environment, use only materials that are tested, approved and retested to be OK for the eye area. The preservatives used must be OK for use in the eye area and the whole product must be tested on a formulation level as well as a batch level. Mascara is the closest one can get to a drug and still remain a cosmetic. The potential problems for mascara are HUGE! And the cost is not even in this galaxy. A tube of mascara, being 12 to 25 USD is a true bargain when considering all the testing that must be done AND the cost of liability, because the risk is not just an eye infection but loss of sight. Each tube should be replaced every 3 months, if not sooner.
Your vision, whether you have baby blues, pooling greens or rich browns, is so important to your enjoyment of life it is not worth risking for a tube of mascara. Please reconsider this choice. Your sight is never something I want to gamble with, and I hope you feel the same. Knowing someone is offering supplies to make mascara in an uncontrolled environment makes me cry. It also makes me angry because I want everyone in this industry of self-sufficient, make-it-yourself to be as passionate about safety as I am. I know they aren’t and this makes me very sad.
Just because we CAN do something, does not mean we SHOULD.
Hi Tina,
Great information! I would like to restate the mascara should be replaced every 3 months. Most women don’t know this. The chances for contamination are very high. Many eye irritations can be avoided just by keeping mascara fresh.
I wonder though about all the chemicals that are used in the “store” products, and the harm they can do, compared with using natural products like beeswax and activated charcoal?
Beeswax and activated charcoal are chemicals. Carnauba wax is a common wax for mascara. If you are worried about the harm a mascara can do to the eyes it is best to forgo the product completely.
I think dropping this product from a beauty routine is ideal. A simple face powder to absorb excess oil and sweat, or a foundation color to even out the facial skin tone is enough. Beauty is not superficial.
I personally do not like using mascara at all, even though I have skimpy eye lashes. I don’t like the way it clumps, the way it feels when lashes fall off and get in the eyes, and even if you remove it at night time, traces of it are still there by morning, leaving my eyes itchy and red. So I have pretty much given up on mascara altogether.
If I really want to go all out on make-up and do something to my lashes, I take a single use mascara brush and use it to apply a bit of jojoba oil. It conditions the lashes and gives them a bit of shine. However, that is for personal use only. You might be able to find a local Mary Kay or Artistry cosmetics consultant that can get you a pack of those single use brushes.