How Makeup Might Be Affecting the Health of Your Eyes, According to Twenty/Twenty Beauty Founder Dr. Diane Hilal-Campo

Meet Dr. Diane Hilal-Campo, board-certified ophthalmologist and founder of Twenty/Twenty Beauty, a makeup and skincare brand that prioritizes the eye health of beauty lovers everywhere. Why? According to Dr. Hilal-Campo, some makeup products can cause dryness and irritation. Ahead, she explains how she formulated her products to be gentle on the eye area, tips for avoiding irritation and more. 

Tell me about your background as an ophthalmologist. 

I am a New Jersey-based general ophthalmologist. I’ve been practicing for 25 years. I went to Columbia and was in the first class of women to graduate from there. After that, I went to medical school at Columbia. I’m board-certified and started my own practice right after residency, building it up from nothing to a very busy practice. I see 40 to 50 patients a day and am part owner of a cataract center and my own optical shop. 

What prompted you to get into the beauty space? 

One thing I’ve been seeing over the last 10 years is a dramatic increase in dry eye. About 70% or ⅔ of these cases are women. A lot of eye-care professionals – including both optometrists and ophthalmologists – are convinced that a big reason for the increase in dry eye patients is due to makeup and the way that beauty practices have changed. 

For example, we’re seeing more people put eyeliner on their waterline, which blocks the oil glands in the tear film. This can cause a lot of issues, one of which is the inability for your eye’s oil glands to secrete properly, causing dry eye. New beauty practices like lash lifts and lash extensions can also damage eyes. With time, the chemicals in the glues used in the treatments can not only cause dry eye, but also make lashes brittle and more prone to breakage. So, it became my goal to make products without chemicals or toxins so that women can use makeup without ending up with dry, red and irritated eyes. 

Why might eyes become irritated immediately after using makeup or skincare products?

Some ingredients in some cosmetic products, like alcohol in makeup removers, for example, can damage the ocular surface, the glands in and around the eye, and the cornea. This could be why your eyes might burn, sting or hurt after removing your makeup. Or, you could be having an allergic reaction to an ingredient in the product. For example, if you're allergic to pollen or bees, any product containing beeswax will make your eyes itchy. 

Can you share more about your products?

The brand is my self-funded passion project and each product is made to solve a problem for women. For example, the Visionary Eye Shadow Sticks, metallic cream pigments, were created as a replacement for powder eyeshadows. When I examine a patient who is wearing a powder shadow, I can see in the microscope that with every blink, that powder is falling into the tear film. It’s getting on their contacts, under their contacts and even into their lower lids. This fallout irritates the eyes and damages the cells that produce necessary oils. Not to mention that when a shadow contains glitter, these glitter particles have very sharp edges which can scratch and irritate the cornea. 

Lash serums are everywhere these days. 25 years ago, there was a glaucoma drop that came out and we all knew that it had the side effect of promoting lash growth. Years later, a company took the formula, repurposed it to be ten times stronger and marketed it as an eye growth serum. The problem with that is women weren’t being told about the other side effects that we doctors knew about. For glaucoma, a disease that can cause blindness, eye doctors accept these risks in the name of sight. For beauty purposes, though, these risks are not disclosed and can end up changing the color of the eye as well as causing irritation and swelling. I wanted to create a product that was safe so women wouldn't have to worry about these side effects when trying to grow their brows and lashes. The Get Growing Lash & Brow Serum not only helps lashes and brows grow, but also treats dry eye. The formula contains a hydrating combination of oils – castor, argan and coconut – to promote the appearance of longer, fuller looking lashes and brows. Put a little on your fingers and rub it on your lids and lashes before bed. When you wake up, your eyes feel moisturized. It can take up to three months, but the serum conditions lashes and makes them longer and silkier over time. 

My liquid liner, the Double Duty Precision Liner is safe, clean and helps to keep the eye (and lashes) moisturized and healthy throughout the day. My favorite part is that it contains conditioning ingredients like castor oil and hyaluronic acid, but it stays put.