I had to take a break from working on the Beauty Brains book to comment on this story. We’ve written about and debated whether eyelash growth products like Jan Marini actually work. Some say yes, some say no. The Beauty Brains have always said we were
skeptical unless they are using an unapproved drug. Well, that looks like it’s true.
$2 million worth of product
According to news reports, 12,682 tubes of the Jan Marini Age Intervention Eyelash product (purported to make your eyelashes grow longer) have been seized by US Marshals on directives from the FDA.
In a press release, the FDA says that it “takes seriously its responsibility to protect Americans from unapproved drugs”. They say the product contains bimatoprost an active ingredient found in an FDA-approved drug. They say use of the Jan Marini product could result in optic nerve damage which could ultimately cause blindness. Other side effects could be swelling of the retina and inflammation in the eye. YIKES!
The FDA recommends consumers who have bought the product should DISCONTINUE USING IT.
According to the Fresno Bee, Jan Marini, the company’s president and CEO, the company stopped selling the product in September of last year.
They should have known better not to sell it in the first place!
The Beauty Brains bottom line
We’ve said this before. If a cosmetic product claims to affect hair growth and they are not using an approved OTC drug, then it’s either an illegal drug or the people selling it are liars. In the case of the Jan Marini Age Intervention Eyelash
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
Will Revitalash be next?
If I was a gambler, I’d bet they were next.
wow! I’m glad I never really wanted to try the Revitalash experiment…
Although Jan Marini has stopped using the offending ingredient, bimatoprost, she is now using something called prostaglandin. This is also used for treating glaucoma and can have nasty side effects including changing the color of your eyes. For more:
http://www.truthinaging.com/2007/11/jan-marini-fda.html
Ironic that you would “lash” out at Jan Marini and then sell ad space to a company selling the exact same prostaglandin analogue product: Enormous Lash contains the same active and claims as all the others. Hmmm…
Susan: yes the irony is not lost on us either but we’re not being hypocritical. Here’s how we see it:
We try our best to share the scientific truth about products with our Beauty Brains community. Frequently that means we’re telling you that a product doesn’t really do what the company says it does.
If an advertiser wants to sign up for an ad on our site even though we may blatantly say we don’t believe their hype, then that’s their call. We’ve done our job by telling our community the straight up truth. That’s how we roll – I hope it makes sense to everyone.
Susan,
I would add that we here at the Beauty Brains aren’t telling you what to think. You have to think for yourself. That’s what this site is all about, getting people to think for themselves and make educated decisions.
If you see a product advertised on here that doesn’t mean we ar recommending you buy it. You decide for yourself.
Remember you are either the chess player or the chess piece. We recommend the former.
Hey Lefty: I’m not sure what all that “chess piece” mumbo-jumbo means, but I agree with you and the Right Brain that people should think for themselves!
I am shocked at the lack of the FDA’s regard to mention that it was the “former” product that was seized. Key word “seized” not recalled. As myself and over 10 friends have used this product “age intervention eyelash conditioner” the NEW formula, we have never experienced any side effects other then amazing lashes. In addition to my friends, my mother, sisters, cousins and grandmother now use it! They were all amazed at my eyelashes and I no longer wear mascara. I tried Revitalash after Jan Marini’s orig. formula was pulled off the market and it truly worked as well. Both products are amazing. We prefer Jan Marini because our local facialist uses all Jan Marini Skin Care products and we love how our skin has looked and felt since. If by chance this product were harmful, I would think there would be many claims of such. The side effects of the actual “drug” that many claim are in this product are minimal. A local eye specialist did a report on the safety of the actual drug and said he is not surprised cosmetic manufacturers have brought it to market as reaction to the “drug” is rare. However, Jan Marini claims there is no “drug” in her product and Revitalash is apparently reformulating theirs now.
I buy mine for the best pricing from my skin care studio, just $125 and they are fabulous skin specialists. If I should hear this product is being taken off the market I will personally by a case of them, as this is one product I can never live without. I am fortunate that my spa sells at such fair pricing, and they now have a website with free shipping. Thanks Beauty Brains for a great website and the ability to learn and share so much!
Jan Marini Age Intervention Eyelash Seizure Explained. Now that’s a headline those in the cosmetic industry pay attention to! Several concerned people wrote to me after seeing news reports that Jan Marini’s Age Intervention Eyelash had been seized by FDA-sanctioned U.S. Marshals. The FDA press release on this seizure stated that the product was seized due to the risk of reduced vision for persons who use this product at the same time as the glaucoma drug bimatoprost, and that other side effects, including blindness, are possible. Scary stuff. However, what was played down, much to the dismay of the folks at Jan Marini Skin Research, was that the Age Intervention Eyelash product seized was the original formula, which did contain bimatoprost. This product has not been sold since September 2006. In February 2007, the company launched the successor to Age Intervention Eyelash, which is Age Intervention Eyelash Conditioner. This version was NOT seized by the FDA, and is still for sale. Interestingly, neither Jan Marini Skin Research or the FDA has logged a single complaint about this product causing any of the symptoms the FDA used as the basis for the seizure. And, as Marini expressed in an open letter to her customers, she is frustrated that the FDA has seemingly ignored other companies selling eyelash growth products that contain bimatoprost, as her original version did. The bottom line is that the current version of Age Intervention Eyelash Conditioner is safe to use and does not contain a drug ingredient being used off-label. I stand by my review of this product, and in fact continue to use it daily. Paula Begoun
Paula,
So good to hear from you. We here at the Beauty Brains are big fans of the Cosmetic Cop. Keep up the great work.
We had heard that you endorsed the latest rendition of the Jan Marini Age Intervention Eyelash Conditioner.
Unfortunately, we’re still not convinced that Jan Marini is being a good corporate citizen and can’t recommend that people use any of their products.
1. They shouldn’t have sold the product in the first place. A quick review of FDA and cosmetic regulations would’ve revealed that doing so would be illegal.
2. They should’ve recalled the product themselves. They knew the product they previously produced was illegal and yet they let it remain on the market. Reformulating their original product is akin to admitting that there was something wrong with it. Conscientious companies would’ve recalled the product themselves instead of waiting for the government to do it. The claim that the FDA made them hold onto the product seems fishy to me.
The bottom line is that even if they did change their formula, they are still implying that you will get hair growth from the new product. If that is the case, then they are again encouraging people to apply unapproved drugs to their bodies. If they want them to be approved there are specific tests that they need to conduct. The fact that they haven’t done the appropriate tests means that people can’t safely use the products.
It’s not up to the FDA to prove the product is safe. It is up to Jan Marini. So far, they haven’t.
Thanks for your insight.
Question, if in fact this ingredient is “illegal” that currently remains in the product how come there has been no action taken against it? You claim it is unsafe? If the case how come not one substantiated claim against the product?
Frankly, as Paula stated I would not be without the product and I think that more women are grateful for it then concerned, as those of us who use the new or old formula or suffered from sparse lashes are thankful someone brought this to market.
Also, if Jan Marini did not “recall” the product, maybe just maybe they felt it was safe enough to market. Do you really think they would put themselves at such risk to offer something “illegal” knowingly? I give them more credit than that personally.
Revitalash, Massive Lash and the others have all apparently begun reformulation.
I believe she was unjustly targeted given the # of companies offering products almost identical, and some still containing the ingredient.
Again, an EYE DR. stated the product, even in PRESCRIPTION FORM were safe and he is not surprised it is being brought to market by cosmetic companies.
It is just a matter of time before Revlon, Loreal etc. will have a similar product I am sure.
As i read in the Wall Street Journal, Allergan whom makes the prescription “Lumigan” is suing all of the companies because they had intended to bring this to market. An inside source at the FDA said that they brought this to the FDA’s attention. Competition…..that is what this is all about in many opinions.
Again, my friends/family and colleagues will not forfeit this product unless it can be substantiated that in fact it is “illegal” or “harmful”. So far the FDA has not made mention of either. Maybe in the future, but our local news contacted the FDA and i trust when they report such information it is good enough for us!
As far as we are concerned Jan Marini “has” in fact proven it is safe. I continue to recommend it to everyone I know! Having used the old formula for 6 months and the current 1 year as well as everyone I know, i trust it is a safe and very effective product! Thanks Jan!
Thanks for your comments Cher. The fans of this product are certainly loyal. Here are a few things to consider.
1. Why hasn’t the new product been confiscated? I don’t know. Most likely because Jan Marini no longer claims that the product will make your eyelashes grow thicker. The regulations are more about what a company claims a product will do and less about what’s in the product. Once they made drug claims they opened themselves up to this kind of action by the FDA. Don’t make the claim, and nothing will happen unless there is a significant amount of complaints filed.
2. We don’t claim it’s unsafe. We claim that the safety of the product hasn’t been established. The product could be perfectly safe. If Jan Marini followed the rules (like the big companies will do when or if they ever launch a product like this) then there wouldn’t be any question. They didn’t want to or couldn’t afford proper testing so they just did whatever they thought was adequate and launched their product. Are you saying companies should just be able to sell whatever they want and it’s up to the FDA to prove the thing is unsafe? That’s not how our country works. If you want to sell a product, you have to prove it’s safe to the satisfaction of the FDA.
3. Feel free to use the product if you like. It’s your eyesight that you’re risking. It’ll probably be fine as it would be rare that the product could lead to permanent damage. But what do you say to those rare individuals who’s eye color changes or vision gets blurred? Just because you don’t have any side effects doesn’t mean it’s safe for everyone. Our regulatory system is probably overly cautious but that’s better than allowing unsafe products on the market.
4. Yes, I think they would be willing to put themselves at risk because they did. What Jan Marini thinks about their product and it’s safety profile is irrelevant. There are clear guidelines and tests that can be done to prove a product like this is safe. Why didn’t they conduct the proper testing? If they thought they were doing nothing wrong, why did they reformulate the product without anyone telling them?
5. I don’t know why you would give a company “credit” for being honest when they launched and sold a dishonest product. Anyone would be justified in doubting everything that is produced by Jan Marini.
6. Jan Marini may have been singled out by the FDA but if the company wasn’t doing anything wrong then they wouldn’t have had any problems. It reminds me of the time I got a speeding ticket when 5 other cars around me were going the same speed. The FDA can only catch so many law breakers.
It’s great to hear that all the other rouge companies like Revitalash are being scared into changing their formulas. This can only lead to safer cosmetics.
7. So an EYE DR. said the product was safe? I’m sure you can find another eye dr. that says the product isn’t safe. Safety testing will prove what’s true, not the words of an “authority”.
8. The product is “illegal” (or mislabeled), that’s why the FDA seized it. And you must not have read the press release because at the end the FDA says…”The FDA recommends that consumers, dermatologists, and estheticians who may still have Age Intervention Eyelash discontinue using it and discard any remaining product.” I guess you don’t think that means the product is harmful, but that’s my take on it.
9. Feel free to continue to use the product. Maybe nothing will happen to you. There are many drugs that have been pulled off the market because they had serious health effects on only a small percentage of the population. You’re probably just lucky. Others may not be so blessed.
Good luck. Clearly, long eyelashes are worth the risk you’re taking.
wow,
“They didn’t want to or couldn’t afford proper testing so they just did whatever they thought was adequate and launched their product.”
I think that is unfair to say they didn’t/couldnt do proper testing unless of course you can substantiate that?
See that is where rumors come from. It is my understanding there are no regulations but despite your accusations I personally think they/revitalash/massive lash etc would protect themselves more then that. How could they launch a product with a claim and never have tested it for efficacy or side effects? Maybe it was years in teh making, I will stick to facts vs. opinion rather then make accusations I cannot back up. Why don’t you contact Jan Marini and let them speak for themselves, do you have manuf. join the boards? It’s just a call or email away? I will send this to them if you want they have a website? Be fun to see the response don’t you think?
As for your other comments, it is simply unfair of you to say “clearly long eyelashes are worth the risk you are taking”…what risk? There is not ONE substantiated claim whatsoever??? Labeling was the “main” issue and if the products competitors have not been targeted I am not so sure there is any risk, or isn’t the FDA then to blame for not taking action ESPECIALLY since Revitalash, Massive Lash, Md Lash and the list goes on and many STILL contained the “supposedly” harmful ingredient? Let’s be realistic here, show me proof it can harm….but frankly there are far more cosmetics on the market that we “may” find out cause more harm in the future. Anything is possible but let’s give the FDA some responsibility to act uniformly or arent “THEY” putting consumers at risk?
I blame them waiting a year after pulling the first product to release a report and then NOT doing anything about the others. Frankly THAT concerns me and my friends more and should you….you cannot deny that.
Bottom line, certainly there are many corrupt cosmetic manufacturers and clearly everyone is now trying to profit on an eyelash product. I see another new company popping up every week.
Most of what i read in negative terms is often by people that do not use/tried/or can afford a product. I found my info on a forum and researched it prior to purchase so clearly there are hundreds of satisfied customers.
For many women self esteem is an issue and they are grateful to anyone that can safely bring effective products to market. The claim “ANTI AGING” is on everything today. Is it “safe” is it “anti aging” C’MON. When a product truly works and has been on the market over a year with no reports of adverse reaction, frankly I say “kudos to the manufacturer”. Never have I tried or seen a wrinkle cream that “truly” works and if you do and people have used it for some time I am willing to try it no matter what the ingredients!
Call it illegal, irresponsible of jan marini and others but you can put 1% orange rind in a product and call it NATURAL, it can be 99% synthetic and still the FDA, yes that good old reliable FDA has no say? Does that protect the average consumer? It is all about the advertising/marketing today and frankly it works.
I am certainly not saying “go buy this product” or advocating for this company but in all fairness, you cannot “prove” they did anything wrong other then use a few words on a package that are considered a “claim” but anti aging is not??….Firmer tighter skin is not? all the “thicker” claims by Mavala, lipocils is not?
I can go on and on but I have more important things to do. I am a fair person and I like both Revitalash and Jan Marini and have used both (when Jan’s orig formula was originally taken off market) but i trust other products out there even less given the lack of research most companies do.
Yes, my longer eyelashes are worth the “supposed” risk. Maybe we will learn more about those parabens, lash products, rogaine, etc etc but I trust my judgment on this one, and that is what the US is all about….you are welcome to trust yours!
Love ya!
By the way, who made the name “massive lash” an link to a sell the product in my earlier response? I certainly did not, never used and would not try the product but they are advertising right on your website despite your opinion on Jan Marini? I find that suspicious, are we promoting massive lash here? Never in any of my typing did I create a link to a website but maybe you can explain since I am confused by the link advocating products you dont believe in and how it appeared?
Thanks
Cher, it’s so good to hear from you again. There really isn’t one right or wrong answer here and we respect your opinion. We just see things a bit differently.
While you may think it is unfair that we don’t think they’ve tested their product enough, the proof is that the FDA seized $2 million worth of their product. They don’t do that without just cause. If Jan Marini had provided proof that proper testing was done, this wouldn’t have happened. I have no further substantiation beyond that. What is your proof that they did do the proper testing?
Your understanding is incorrect. The FDA has clear regulations regarding drugs and the testing involved prior to selling them. Jan Marini wanted to make drug claims but didn’t want to jump through the hoops set up by the FDA to make those claims.
You can believe they would protect themselves better than that but their product was seized by the government. How often do you hear of that happening? I can’t think of an instance in the last 10 years in which a cosmetic was seized like this. Clearly, they violated the rules. What is your explanation for the confiscation of the product?
If you were sticking to the facts, you wouldn’t claim that there are no regulations because there are. The only drugs approved for sale to regrow hair are Minoxidil and Propecia. No other chemicals, including bimatoprost, are approved so from a regulatory standpoint, they are illegal.
As for the risks you are taking, the FDA has listed all the possible, verified side effects of the drug including…”Damage to the optic nerve may lead to decreased vision and possibly blindness. In addition, use of Age Intervention Eyelash may cause other adverse effects in certain people due to the bimatoprost, including macular edema (swelling of the retina) and uveitis (inflammation in the eye), which may lead to decreased vision.”
These are effects that were found by the drug companies that properly tested bimatoprost before selling it as a drug. The fact that they didn’t happen to you doesn’t mean the product is safe.
Fortunately, our system of regulations doesn’t require the government to PROVE that every cosmetic on the market is safe. Instead, the manufacturers have to prove that they are safe before they sell them. The government only steps in when someone is violating the law as in the case of this Jan Marini product.
What concerns me most is that a company like Jan Marini would launch a product they knew was potentially illegal (otherwise they wouldn’t have reformulated) and then complain that the FDA was singling them out. That it took the FDA a year to release a report is not surprising. There are numerous, unscrupulous companies that ignore regulations and sell illegal products. The FDA only has so many scientists and can only do so much testing. They rely on the cosmetic industry to police themselves and unfortunately, there are rogue companies who make illegal drug claims and sell questionable products that prompts the FDA to seize their products. Fortunately, this is a small minority of cosmetic companies but the industry would be better without them in it.
This whole issue simply boils down to the following.
1. Jan Marini’s product was confiscated because it made illegal claims and was not proven to be safe by the standards set by the FDA.
2. It is not up to the FDA, the Beauty Brains or anyone else to prove the product is not safe. You can’t prove a negative. The assumption is that Nothing is Safe. It is up to Jan Marini and companies like them to prove their products are safe. This has not been done (otherwise the product wouldn’t have been seized!)
Incidentally, we have an automated script that turns key words into Amazon links. This does not mean that we endorse the products as we have no control over what words are affected.
For the record, The Beauty Brains do not endorse ANY product that says it will make your eyelashes grow longer. The manufacturers who sell such products are either breaking the law or lying.
Cheers!
“If” in fact this product was harmful and the FDA notified Jan Marini of their concerns one year ago, and she complied with them yet other products were on the market at the time and/or soon to follow, you are saying the FDA has no fault here seizing them and making this claim ONE YEAR LATER???????? That the FDA supposedly “knowing” the product could cause harm only asked her to remove the ingredient and change the language on the package but never announced to the public or notified one single other company to do the same??? ANd a year later?
My argument is that “if” in fact it is so dangerous and you claim jan marini did something terribly illegal…well the supposed “Eye DR” that formulated Revitalash and the owners of Massive Lash, Lilash, etc etc. should have all been posted by name by the FDA as “they” still continued to use the “potentially” harmful ingredient that even the FDA admitted could not be substantiated to cause harm. Yes, their original statement said so but when followed up they could not comment or show “proof”. AND if they could prove it, why are so many others on the market? The proof comes from the pharmaceutical company angry they did not bring it to market first.
Sure, Jan Marini made a mistake, not denying it but was willing to comply apparently to work with the FDA. Revitalash admits on their website just last week they are removing that ingredient. AFTER the FDA, I called a massive lash distributor online last night, they said “been reformulated” and it has a new name?
Clearly from every post, prior to the FDA allogations, which originated from the pharmaceutical company that wanted their own lash growth product (so the wall street journal specifies) there is not one substantiated claim of harm or use of a prescription drug in Jan Marini’s current product.
As for Rogaine and Propecia, one is OTC due to proven safety of it topically so despite something ORIGINATING as a prescription after years of testing and “possible” side effect it has been over the counter for years given it was not proven harmful as a result of no reports of adverse reaction. I use it, i researched it and frankly it does not WORK for most women anyway but read the side effects. Everything has risk we may find out 10 years later. Propecia is oral, not comparable. I was referring to the claims of OVER THE COUNTER products that make claims of things that cannot be substantiated.
Now “IF” your website can turn selected words into links for sales on amazon, after a quick search i see the other products listed are all sold on Amazon. If this is not your preferred product why/how is it selected to be listed over the others? Doe your automated script change the products selected daily?
Obviously you do have control over it and there must be some benefit to your website/business if you allow amazon to insert this automated script and have access to your website to promote products, no?
In reading back to earlier comments you denied Jan Marini worked even with customers comments that liked it prior to the FDA. I am sure you are pleased with the seizure as a result. However “seized” and “recalled” are not the same and I still fault the FDA for waiting so long to bring this to consumers attention having KNOWN and not investigating the others. You cannot DENY that and that is scary that the FDA who “has” control allowed consumers to “supposedly” be at risk? Maybe they waited so long because they cannot prove it, they don’t have the ability to and a statement stating it “may” cause harm. Did you conveniently forget to read where they say that users of the actual prescription containing the ingredient “may” get a double does which MAY lead to all of the side effects listed…….yes, USERS OF THE PRESCRIPTION, i notice you do not have the full statement posted…..
good luck to you and I hope you profit from the sales of the products amazon links to, or from amazon direct.
Cher,
Thanks so much for your response. We here at the Beauty Brains enjoy a good debate. The passionate defense you are putting up for Jan Marini goes beyond that of a typical consumer. With all the inside information you seem to have it wouldn’t be surprising to learn you somehow work for Jan Marini.
Unfortunately, the tone of your last comment seems to have changed from one of debate to attack. It’s a classic logical fallacy called “ad hominem” in which you try to make your point by attacking the person you’re disagreeing with instead of the argument.
For example when you state…”Now “IF” your website can turn selected words into links for sales on amazon…” you seem to be implying that there is a possibility that we are somehow lying to you about how the Amazon script works. We are not and do not appreciate the implication. We do not have control over what words the automated Amazon script turns into Amazon links. The benefit to us is that we do not have to manually go in and create links which is incredibly time consuming. To save time, we give up a certain level of control and products that we don’t necessarily believe in get links. We’re not telling people to go buy these things. People have to make up their own minds. Maybe you haven’t noticed the Google Ads on our site for Jan Marini? Obviously, you don’t know what you are talking about when it comes to how this website works.
Another logical fallacy you engage in is the Straw Man in which you suggest things that I never said just to make a point. For example, you say that …”you are saying the FDA has no fault here seizing them and making this claim ONE YEAR LATER????????” I never said the FDA has no fault. I never made any comment about how well I thought the FDA handled things.
You also wrongly state that in “…earlier comments you denied Jan Marini worked even with customers comments that liked it…” What I said was that I was skeptical that it worked and am still skeptical because I have seen no peer reviewed data showing that it does work. Anecdotal stories from users are not proof. Double blind, clinical, peer reviewed studies are proof. That doesn’t mean I think it doesn’t work, it just hasn’t been proven to work, just as it hasn’t been proven to be safe. Until I see some peer reviewed, published data the claims of hair growth are dubious at best.
Good luck to you and I hope you profit from the sales of your Jan Marini products. Hopefully, they’ll stop producing products that get seized by the FDA due to safety concerns.
Now THAT is funny, and thank you for the good laugh.
No, I do not “work” for Jan Marini, and I like you, like a good debate. However, I will consider a job there if you think I will be good for them?
Frankly, I do not think they would be pleased to see many of the comments I made of other products or simply “opinions” vs. fact. I am sure they are far more professional then to have me. As for inside information, go to http://www.cbs3.com and look up “eyelash growth” under stephanie stahls report, if you call that “inside information” then watching the news makes me an “insider”, whatever.
The other “inside info” came from the Wall Street Journal last Monday when my sister called from NY and faxed it to me worried she may go blind! She called Jan Marini and was directed to her website and i followed up with online research…..and my cousins in law in Ca works for FDA but I do not know her personally. She told us (since she uses product as well) that seizing and recalling are not the same. Yes, everyone was a bit alarmed but relieved at this time.
Did you say “attacking the person you’re disagreeing with instead of the argument”. We are all to blame a bit, human nature, sorry but I do believe it works both ways with that one.
Sorry I am not in the business of debates/discussions/forums, but I am happy to converse to the best of my ability if I have the opportunity.
I enjoy chatting with you, and am looking forward to the next topic! Wish we could have a drink over it!
I am excited to see the new products and if they are “improved” and curious to see if “Enormous Lash” is making a claim appropriately, as the word enormous sort of implies something no? Guess not enough. May be a fine line there.
I am glad you are in agreement that the FDA is not necessarily as responsible themselves as they could have been. No disrespect to you but I was hoping we would actually have more participants on this topic to learn from. I am curious to know how and why the FDA acts as I primarily knew them to based on reaction (ex. ecoli/spinach) vs. language/ingredient. Or have you seen this previously?
Thank you for your explanation of how your website works, no need to be so defensive. I would actually like a better understanding of how that works, and what/how/who they select where to go? Is it random? I find that fascinating personally. But I am sure you prefer to stick to the debate. If you should be so inclined, can they turn “any word” into a link that may direct to another product for sale? For example the word “spinach”?
Back to topic….
I am anxious to see how all unravels in the next few months as I anxiously await the maybellines and revlon lash conditioners to come to market so as we all have a much more affordable product. Truly this FDA action will lead to all manufacturers taking extra precautions so I will be grateful to Jan for that!
Are you hiring? This is fun!
Til Tomorrow!
how do you know if you have the new or the old product? My expiration date is 2/9. I don’ t think I want to take a chance and probably won’t use it at all, but I am curious if I have the old or reformulated product.
Wow, look at all the heated debate over eyelash conditioners. I’ve used many different eyelash conditioners. From what I understand, Jan Marini’s original product was seized for a couple of reasons. #1 it claimed to be a “growth” serum (which is a medical claim) on the packaging. #2 it containd an ingredient called bimatoprost, which was not approved for use in cosmetics. She reformulated and repackaged and started reselling the new formula over a year ago. I still think $160 for longer eyelashes is a bit much to pay.
Late last year, when the FDA announced the seizure of her product, the press neglected to let the public know that it was her old product, the original formula, which was sitting in a warehouse waiting to be destroyed. The reason she took her current formula off the US market is due to a patent pending by Allergan (makers of Botox) on the prostaglandin used in her new formula. Allergan has pending lawsuits against a bunch of eyelash conditioner companies now… claiming the market on the inventive forumlas. Can’t wait to see how that turs out. Maybe people will have to go to their doctor to get a prescription to buy the formulas in the future?
Revitalash did reformulate in December. I never got the scoop as to why.
Massive Lash changed its name strictly due to a fight put up by Jan Marini who had a trademark on the name “Masses of Lashes”. This forced the makers of Massive Lash (don’t recall their name at the moment) to change the name to Enormous Lash. They never reformulated, because they never had the ingredient in question in their serum.
I’ve heard great things about all three formulas from individuals who (I’ll admit it) now have great lashes. I’ve also heard complaints from people who say none of the products ever impressed them very much, or they were irritating. I suppose we can chok that up to biochemistry and everyone having their own results with any cosmetic or skincare product.
My suspicion is this will go one of two ways:
Either all lash conditioners will be taken off the market and Allergan will monopolize the market…
OR
Everyone is going to eventually come out with a lash serum and (hopefully) prices will drop so low, anybody will be able to afford those dream lashes.
I had a toxic reaction to Jan Marini lash conditioner which resulted in a very painful inflammatory condition in both eyes. After many visits to a specialist and optomatrist, I was finally told that this condition that caused vision problems and caused my eyes to look “sand blasted” was from the Jan Marini I was using. If anyone else has had a similar reaction, please let me know via email. I have been told by my lawyer that there have been similar cases.
Thank you,
Lori
Just wondering, how do you know if you have the new or old formula??? I heard after they reformulated from the very first product it still had the same type of ingredient that was in the original just a different type. Now they are reformulating a third time. Does anybody have information on the ingreients of the first, second and third ingredient listings??? Thanks!!
Also, Revitalash also changed their packaging three times. Has anybody have the three different ingredient listing to their product? What is the ingredient listing to their very last manufactured product?
What about the Lilash?
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