Are lash growth serums safe during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about lash growth serums during pregnancy?

1. The FDA label for the prescription lash product states there are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women, and that it should be used in pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus. 1
2. In animal studies, bimatoprost given during organogenesis caused abortion and early delivery at oral doses at least 33 times human exposure in mice and 94 times in rats, and rat pre-birth and post-birth studies showed shorter gestation, lower fetal body weight, and higher fetal and pup mortality. 1
3. The same label notes that postmarketing experience with bimatoprost has not shown an increase in the risk of major birth defects or miscarriages, which is the reassuring half of the picture for anyone who used it before finding out. 1
4. Under US law, a product intended to affect the structure or function of the body is a drug rather than a cosmetic, and cosmetics themselves need no FDA approval before they go on sale. 2
5. Eye-area cosmetics can grow bacteria or fungi when misused, and FDA notes rare cases in which an infection from an eye cosmetic caused temporary or permanent vision loss. 3

Is lash growth serums safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. The clearest point to stop. Organ development is underway, and the animal findings behind the label caution involved pregnancy loss and early delivery.
• Second trimester. No reason to restart. Lash volume is purely cosmetic, and pausing costs a few months of shorter lashes that grow back on their own.
• Third trimester. Still on hold. The animal data that prompted the label language included shorter gestation and lower birth weight, which are third-trimester questions.