Each year, thousands of individuals seek emergency care for eye injuries caused by beauty products, according to a recent investigation. The results were shared at the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s annual assembly. Researchers examined records from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System and determined that roughly 42,500 Americans visited emergency departments for ocular injuries linked to cosmetics and personal-care items from 2005 through 2024.
Who Is Most At Risk?
Females accounted for about 82% (four-fifths) of these incidents. The average age of patients was 24 years, while children aged four or younger represented close to a quarter of the cases. In patients under 18, chemical burns made up 46% of eye injuries, compared with less than 1% among adults. Overall, 83% of chemical-burn cases involved a child accessing a beauty product, most often skin-care or fragrance items (40%), nail-related cosmetics (22%) and sprays or shampoo (22%).
For youngsters under five, 70% were injured while using a product without adult supervision. Adult victims most commonly experienced lacerations, bruises or abrasions to the eye, accounting for 56% of their injuries, and 22% suffered thermal burns.
Prevention and Safety
Greater attention to storing cosmetics and personal-care items away from children is essential, said lead investigator Aatif Syed, a medical student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. “For children, that means emphasizing safe storage and limiting unsupervised access to cosmetic products, particularly liquids and sprays,” Syed said. “For adolescents and adults, safer handling of heated styling tools and grooming instruments may help reduce injuries.”