The Ordinary sells one of the most popular lash and brow serums, and the brand claims that their products can give lashes and eyebrows “a thicker, fuller and healthier look.”
But can lash and brow serums actually increase hair thickness or are these just marketing claims? Does this product contain any research-backed ingredients? Does it contain any potentially harmful ingredients? And how do real users rate it?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we review every ingredient in The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Lash and Brow Serum based on published medical research. We’ll give our take on whether this product is likely to be effective or not, and also share real, unsponsored user reviews that explain whether it increased lash and brow thickness.
Ingredient Review
This serum contains a number of peptides from which it gets its name. One of these, myristoyl pentapeptide-17, was shown in a clinical trial published in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology to have the potential to stimulate eyelash growth.
Trifolium pratense flower extract was shown in a 2020 medical review to potentially mitigate hair loss.
Arginine was shown to protect hair from damage in a 2004 clinical trial.
Camellia sinensis leaf extract was shown to “stimulate hair roots and extend the hair growth phase” when applied topically, as documented in a meta-study published in the Molecules journal.
While this serum contains a number of research-backed ingredients, it also contains several questionable additive ingredients that we recommend avoiding.
Phenoxyethanol is a synthetic preservative that was found toxic to human cells in a clinical study, as we documented in our Better Not Younger reviews article on another cosmetics brand that uses this ingredient.
Chlorphenesin is another preservative that’s even harsher in our opinion, and has been shown in clinical research to be toxic to human cells, to irritate the eye and to be toxic to cells in the eye.
This formulation contains four other preservatives: sodium metabisulfite, sodium benzoate, benzoic acid and ethylhexylglycerin.
Preservatives may be necessary in some cosmetic formulations to ensure the quality of the ingredients, but we have never reviewed a lash or brow product containing six different preservatives, and would be curious to hear from the brand about why so many are needed.
Overall, we do find that this serum is likely to increase lash and brow thickness and improve hair quality generally because it contains multiple research-backed ingredients. We do not recommend the product due to the inclusion of six different preservatives, some of which have questionable health effects based on clinical research.
Real, Unsponsored User Review of The Ordinary Lash and Brow Serum
A popular beauty blogger with a YouTube channel called “Sincerely Miss Ash” published a review of The Ordinary's lash and brow serum. The video includes before-and-after images, and focuses more on the aesthetic effects of the serum than the health effects:
Product Demo
One of the most popular YouTube videos on The Ordinary’s lash and brow serum is published by a creator named Gothamista who published a four-minute video that includes a product demo. The video is sponsored so we recommend disregarding her claims about a lack of side effects, but the product demo can be useful for potential consumers:
Our Clean Lash Boost Pick
We recommend a product called Organic Eyelash and Eyebrow Growth Serum from a brand called Live Fraiche.
This product has one single ingredient: organic castor oil, and most importantly it's entirely free of questionable filler ingredients like preservatives.
A medical review published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology described castor oil as having the potential to improve hair quality, and while we don't believe the medical evidence on castor oil for hair growth is particularly convincing, we definitely consider this to be a healthier option than commercial eyelash and eyebrow serums, and may be worth trying.
Interested consumers can check out Live Fraiche Organic Eyelash and Eyebrow Growth Serum at this link to its Amazon product page.
