I have been doing makeup since I was 13. Now I have a full makeup collection in my early 20s, but two years ago all of a sudden my eyelid started to itch and burn. I first experienced it on my right side, but then on my left eye. I changed the makeup remover and it stopped, but six months later it started to itch again. I spoke to a doctor, but she told me I had to use what I was using before. The irritation has not passed since. One day I don’t even feel the irritation after wearing makeup. I want to talk to a dermatologist but unfortunately you have to register 1 month in advance, and I don’t know if my skin will be irritated then or not. My last chance is to throw off all the makeup that can be itchy. I use concealer, eye shadow and mascara. At the end of the day I remove it with Nivea micellar water (with the garnier it itches more frequently). So which ingredient can irritate the skin on my eyelid?
I worked at Sephora, Macy’s, Nordstrom, and some salons for a long time. The most common ingredient that caused eyelid irritation across the board was red dye. Shadows with pink, purple, copper, etc tones are the most likely culprit. Of course, every skin is different so this might not be the problem, but it’s definitely common.
Everyone is going to be different but for me, it’s fragrance and denatured alcohol that flare mine.
Maybe be sure your makeup brushes are clean? My face can get very irritated and tingly when my brushes need a wash!
For me it can be anything, any day, even if they are the tried and tested products I have been using for months. Fragrance is a huge issue for me, but the real culprit was makeup remover. I tried all sorts and then realised one day that while it might be the product itself the real issue was the cotton balls/pads. Again, tried different brands and types but I may as well be wiping my lids with fibreglass insulation! Very mild soap or very mild cream cleanser that I can apply with my fingertips is the only thing that works for me. I don’t use any waterproof eye makeup and tubing mascara changed my life!!! I ALWAYS moisturize my eye area because I find if the skin gets dry the reaction is much worse (I’ve been having success with a LaRoche-Posay eye cream lately…although I am waiting for the day when my eyes decide they hate that too). Sadly, I have had to give up on eyeshadow altogether but it isn’t worth the risk in my experience.
I don’t know about you, but on no other part of my body is my skin anywhere near what I would classify as “sensitive”…which is lucky, I guess.
I’m not sure what might be causing it for you, but I had the same condition. All I can say is definitely book in with the dermatologist! I’ve had very mild eczema all my life on my elbows but all of a sudden one day it came up on my eyelids and it was horrible, way more itchy and painful. I didn’t know it was still eczema at the time, but even if I had, the over-the-counter stuff I already had for my elbows couldn’t be used for skin on the face.
If you’re worried about it not being irritated at the time of your appointment, document it now whenever it’s flared up. Take pictures and videos and describe the symptoms and show them once you get there. I got prescribed an ointment that actually got rid of it permanently. I went from having sore, itchy, irritated red eyelids for months to being completely normal and it’s never flared up since.
From there you can reintroduce products one by one and if it flares up again, you will be able to work out what products or ingredients might be the cause (if one of them is the cause). Good luck!
Bismuth oxychloride (I think that’s the name) is a common allergen in makeup. I couldn’t figure out why my eyelids would get itchy and red and then someone finally told me about this. Unfortunately it’s quite commonly used. It’s in the UD Naked Smoky palette and some Stila shadows I had. Good luck finding your trigger!
Shot in the dark, but do you use a metal eyelash curler? I’m allergic to some metals, and metal curlers always made my eyelids freak out. Now I use a plastic one.
As an adult I suddenly developed eczema on my eyelids during winter time. Figured out it had nothing to do with my makeup. I finally found an eyelid moisturizer that worked perfectly for me: Clinique Moisture Surge Eye 96-Hour Hydro-Filler Concentrate. I tried it and overnight my issue was gone :). I hope it works for you.
Do you use any actives in your skincare? I’m eyelid flairs are caused by acids (BHA especially) in my skincare.
Just a thought, I have bad eczema on my cheeks. It flares up depending on the weather, my stress levels and my diet. It might not be related to your makeup at all. I use prescription Eucrisa but you would want to keep that away from your eyes so I’d recommend aquaphor until you can get in with a dermatologist.
My dermatologist had me start using all liquid products and that’s helped my skin be less sensitive to them. Like liquid concealer/ blush/ etc (only powder I have is eyeshadow and I started using setting powder again lately)
Also I use a makeup eraser cloth. It removes makeup with literally just warm water
There’s also an app that tells you the ‘cleanliness’ of your makeup product and how good the ingredients are. I forgot the name but I’ll go look EDIT: it’s called Think Dirty
I have the same problem with mascaras! I still don’t know exactly what ingredient triggers it but I’m pretty sure it’s beeswax. I now use a mascara that uses bran wax instead and I don’t get reactions from it.
Look into blepharitis too. I have eczema and also get blepharitis and the combo on my eyelids suuuucks. But it’s not caused by makeup, really, at least for me.
Oil cleansing helps.
Sounds like malassezia or sebhorheic dermatitis. I have this,it’s awful. Itchiness is not usually associated with eczema. My advice is to check out the website simpleskincarescience.com it’s a life changer. Another piece of advice- do not use hydrocortisone, it will make it worse. This condition is difficult for a Derm. to diagnose. The website will list thousands of products that will not exacerbate it. I hope this helps.
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