Does Vaseline grow eyelashes?

What does Vaseline do to your eyelashes?

The practical benefits are around your lashes: petroleum jelly helps remove eye makeup and provides moisture and protection for dry eyelid skin. Makeup removal and lash growth are different jobs, even if one bathroom jar gets nominated for both. Use petroleum jelly for those purposes, rather than treating it as a lash serum.13

These uses concern petroleum jelly and the eyelid skin, not every product carrying the Vaseline name. Check the ingredient list and intended use on your particular product. General eyelid moisturizing advice is not a reason to put a body cosmetic near your eyes.4

What actually determines lash growth?

New hair cells form at the base of a hair follicle, the structure surrounding the root beneath your skin. The visible hair shaft is only the part sticking out. Hair length depends on how long the growth phase lasts. Eyelashes and eyebrows have a growth phase of about 100 to 150 days, much shorter than scalp hair. That is a natural growth cycle, not a timetable for results from Vaseline.2

Trimming eyelashes does not make them grow back longer or thicker either. Eyelashes help keep dust and debris away from the eye and divert sweat, so their job description already extends beyond looking good in mascara. Cutting them risks injury and irritation; repeated trauma, inflammation or infection can damage follicles and hinder regrowth.5

How to use petroleum jelly for dry eyelids

1. 1Wash your hands before touching the eye area. Make sure any applicator or cloth you use is clean.
2. 2For dry, flaky eyelid skin, apply a small amount of petroleum jelly while the skin is damp. The aim is moisture and protection for the skin, not coating the lashes as a growth treatment.
3. 3If you are removing eye makeup at the end of the day, apply a thin coat of petroleum jelly and gently wipe it off with a tissue or gentle cloth.
4. 4Gently rub any remaining jelly into the eyelid skin to moisturize overnight. Take care not to scratch the eye while applying or removing products.

Who should be careful?

Eyelid skin is the thinnest skin on the body and becomes irritated easily. Avoid spreading petroleum jelly over your face if you are acne prone, because it can cause breakouts in some people. For eye area products generally, keep containers clean, do not share them, and avoid use during an eye infection or while the surrounding skin is inflamed. Wait until the area has healed and discard eye cosmetics used during the infection.34

When should you see a doctor?

Stop using an eye area product immediately if it causes irritation, and see a doctor if the irritation persists. Contact a healthcare provider for sudden changes in lash quantity, length or thickness, lash loss, or lashes turning toward the eye. Eye pain, redness, discharge, eyelid swelling, a gritty feeling, blurred vision or light sensitivity also need assessment. Lash loss and abnormal lash direction can involve conditions that need treatment rather than another cosmetic.45