The 3 Worst Makeup Removers

One of the questions I am asked most often in my clinic is, "What is the best makeup remover to use for dry, or sensitive eyes?"  After I give my list to patients (get your own list here), I follow it with a couple of things I don't recommend. 

 

Then, I often get the same follow-up comment.   It usually goes something like this, “But, I have used product X since I was a teenager.  How can it be bad for my eyes?“  I would like to point out here that these patients are in my clinic complaining of dry eye symptoms. So, maybe they’re brand of makeup remover hasn’t been working out so well for them.

 

The most common "things" my patients are using to remove their make up are Vaseline, cold cream, baby shampoo.  Notice that I said things here, not makeup removers.  None of these are specifically designed as a makeup remover.

 

 

Vaseline is a byproduct of the process of making gasoline out of petroleum.  called white petroleum.  Yes, it goes through some purification process, but it is still not pure.  The top three reasons not to use a petroleum-based product on your face are contamination, comedogen, not moisturizing. Let me go into these three in a bit more detail. 

 

Contamination:

Vasoline is a byproduct of utilizing petroleum to make gasoline. The process of purification of this byproduct can be wrought with contamination. Depending on the source of white petroleum, there may be many toxins that have gotten into the product before it reaches your jar of Vaseline.

Comedogenic:

That means that it clogs pores. Maybe you are a bit more familiar with the term non-comedogenic. This is a term that is often used in makeup labels to declare that the product will not cause clogged pores or pimples. Petroleum can clog the pores and trap dirt inside of them, which will eventually lead to pimples.

 

Not Moisturizing:

Finally, white petroleum does not add moisture to your skin. It does, however, prevent evaporation of moisture from your skin. The petroleum can add a barrier to the skin to protect it from the elements and loss of moisture.  Also, Vaseline does do a good job of melting away mascara and thicker eye makeup.  However, there are much safer and better ways to get this effect.

 

 

The most common products of cold creams are Noxzema and Ponds. These products are often used to remove makeup and moisturize the face at night. Again, the first ingredient in these products is mineral oil.

 

Mineral oil is just a fancy term for petroleum. So, this product is also a byproduct of making gasoline.  Please refer to the comments above as to why using mineral oil on your face is not a good idea.  In case you missed it earlier, it is filled with toxins, is comedogenic, and it does not add moisture to your skin.

 

In addition, these cold creams include other ingredients that are toxic to your skin and eyes. In fact, Ponds contained 5 toxic ingredients.  These included beeswax, alcohol, fragrance, EDTA, and methylparaben. 

 

Beeswax is comedogenic and can build up on the edge of the lashes where your own oil glands live.  Alcohol is an irritant.  Fragrance is often found to cause allergy in sensitive patients. EDTA can cause problems with your digestive system including diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.  It can also cause headache, low blood pressure, skin problems, and fever.  Methylparaben is again comedogenic, like beeswax, it can build up on your skin and trap dirt and makeup in your pores.

 

 

Baby shampoo or other soaps should also not be used to remove your eye make up. In fact, soaps and shampoos do not belong on your eyelids at all. Your eyelids, as you well know, contain oil glands which help to bathe the front surface of your eye in moisture.  Each time you blink, some oil is released from the lids and coats the front surface of the eye. When you use soaps, these oils are stripped away from the eyelids.  Thus, both the skin of the lids and eventually our tear film will dry out.

 

Baby shampoo, in particular, used to have a form of formaldehyde in its ingredients as a preservative.  In recent years, that ingredient has been removed from the formulation.  However, it still contains several toxic ingredients in the current formulation.  These are PEG compounds (Poly Etheline Glycol) and EDTA (Ethylene Diamine Tetra-acetic Acid).

 

PEGs are petroleum-based compounds.  Remember what I said about petroleum products above?  These PEGs are widely used in cosmetics and personal care products.  They are used as thickeners, solvents, softeners, and moisture-carriers.  The danger is that PEG compounds may be contaminated with ethylene oxide, which is a known human carcinogen. 

 

So, by now you are probably wondering what you can use to remove makeup from your eyes.  I am so glad you asked.  I put together a guide to help you determine the best eye makeup remover for your lifestyle.

The products that we put in, on and around our eyes matter.  Allowing toxic chemicals to coat these delicate structures will lead to damage over the years.  I hope I reached my goal of educating you about the dangers of using toxic products to remove your eye makeup.  Please download the guide to makeup removers here to find the best non-toxic eye makeup remover for your lifestyle.

 

Pamela Theriot, OD, FAAO