Related

Type	Applied	Worn for	Applied by
Strip lashes	Adhesive along a band, above the natural lash line	One day	Yourself
Cluster / flare	Small groups glued between natural lashes	A few days	Yourself
Individual extensions	One synthetic lash bonded to one natural lash	2–4 weeks, with infills	A technician
Magnetic	Two strips clamping the natural lashes, or magnetic liner	One day	Yourself

Materials: synthetic (PBT plastic — the majority), silk (also synthetic, a trade description), and mink, which is animal hair and raises an obvious welfare question that "ethically brushed" claims do not resolve.

Semi-permanent extensions are bonded to individual natural lashes with cyanoacrylate adhesive and last until the natural lash sheds. The documented risks are worth taking seriously:

• Traction alopecia of the lashes. A heavy extension on a fine natural lash pulls it out prematurely and, with repeated cycles, the follicle can stop producing. The sparse lashes people report after long-term extensions are usually this.
• Allergic contact dermatitis to cyanoacrylate, which builds with exposure and can appear after years of tolerating it.
• Blepharitis and meibomian gland dysfunction from impaired lid hygiene — extensions are hard to clean around, and debris accumulates at the lash root.
• Demodex overgrowth in poorly cleaned lash lines.
• Chemical burns to the cornea from adhesive in the eye, which is a genuine emergency.

None of these makes extensions unreasonable. They make technician competence, proper lash cleansing and rest periods the difference between a good outcome and a bad one. See Eyelash Cleanser.

1. Measure and trim to the eye, from the outer end. A strip wider than the lid lifts at the corner.
2. Bend the band back and forth to soften it so it follows the lid curve.
3. Apply glue to the band, not the eye, and wait 30 seconds until it goes tacky. Wet glue slides; tacky glue grips. This is the step everyone skips.
4. Place above the natural lash line, not on the waterline.
5. Remove with an oil-based remover, soaked and held. Never pull a strip off dry — that removes natural lashes with it.
6. Clean the band after each wear and store the lashes in their tray. They last ten or more wears.

The lashes themselves are an unusual case. In the US, false eyelashes are treated as cosmetics — FDA primary category (03) eye makeup preparations — and the adhesive is the regulated substance of interest. Colour additives, where lashes are tinted, must be approved for eye-area use.

Under MoCRA the small-business exemption from registration and listing does not apply to products that regularly contact the mucous membrane of the eye.

Lash extension application is a licensed activity in most US states, regulated by state cosmetology boards rather than by FDA, with training and sanitation requirements. That state-level licensing is the practical consumer protection here; FDA does not approve adhesives or technicians.

Reusable strips last ten or more wears if cleaned; discard when the band deforms or the lashes splay. Do not share false lashes — they carry skin flora and Demodex from lash line to lash line. Adhesive has its own short life once opened.

Stop at the first sign of eye irritation, redness or infection, remove everything, and see a clinician.

• Makeup — the shelf this sits on, and the rest of it.
• Cosmetics — what the label is legally allowed to say, and the full catalogue.
• The rest of Eyes — Eyeshadow · Eyeshadow Primer · Eyeliner · Kohl and Kajal · Mascara · Lash Primer · Eyelash Adhesive · Eyelash Serum · Eye Makeup Remover · Eyelash Cleanser.
• Regulatory statements here follow the FDA and EU sources listed on Cosmetics, read 16 August 2026.