I Read 5 Viral Lash Serum Labels. Two Contain a Glaucoma-Drug Cousin

3 October 2026

In the 30 days to 3 October, US Google searches for one lash serum rose 16,000% [9]. We read the labels on five popular serums and checked the proof behind each. The short answer: two contain relatives of a glaucoma drug, one will not say what is in it, and the serum with the biggest trial behind it, 278 people, is a prescription product that can cost less than the bestseller.

What we checked

What the label said

The word to look for: prostaglandin. Doctors have long used prostaglandin-type eye drops for glaucoma, and patients noticed their lashes grew longer, thicker and darker. One of those drugs, bimatoprost, was then tested for lashes on purpose and became Latisse, a prescription product approved for exactly that [1, 2]. Chemical cousins of the drug also appear in serums sold as cosmetics. They can work, but because they act like the drug, they can carry its side effects: redness, darker eyelid skin and possibly a permanent change in eye colour [2, 5].

We asked three questions of each serum: is there a prostaglandin in it, what is the proof, and what does it cost?

Hanae Korea. The site shows 4.7 stars from more than 9,000 reviews and promises visible results in two weeks. It says it is prostaglandin-free and uses a “seven-peptide complex”, but names none of the seven, and we could not find a full ingredient list on the product page. There is no study, and the “number one in Korea” claim has no source. Its Trustpilot listing places the company in the United States, the same name appears from several sellers on Amazon, and some Trustpilot reviewers say delivery took a month or more.

GrandeLASH-MD. The number one lash serum on Amazon, with more than 54,000 ratings averaging 4.2. About one rating in 10 is a single star, and the repeated complaints are irritation and dark skin around the eyes. Grande states plainly that it contains isopropyl cloprostenate, a prostaglandin analogue. Credit to them for that. The proof on the page is a 12-week consumer study of 30 people reporting what they saw.

Obagi Nu-Cil. Rated 3.9 from about 300 reviews on Obagi’s site; fans report longer lashes in weeks, critics report burning, redness and swelling. Obagi calls its key ingredient a “proprietary lipid compound”. On the full list, the second ingredient after water is dehydrolatanoprost, a relative of latanoprost from the same family. The page itself warns that prostaglandin analogues may change iris colour. Its proof is a 2021 study over 16 weeks in which around nine in 10 participants said their lashes looked thicker: self-reported, with the data on file at Obagi.

The Ordinary. No prostaglandin, and every peptide is named, near the top of the list. The brand says to expect results from about four weeks.

What the evidence shows

The prescription trial. Latisse’s main trial put 278 adults into two groups for 16 weeks. By the end, 78% of the bimatoprost group had visibly more prominent lashes, judged by investigators, against 18% on a dummy solution [1]. The maker, Allergan, sponsored it. Eye redness was the main side effect, and side effects are printed on the label [2].

The regulators on cosmetic versions. In February 2026, the EU’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety concluded that isopropyl cloprostenate, GrandeLASH’s ingredient, cannot be considered safe in lash and brow cosmetics [3]. Canada does not allow prostaglandins in cosmetics, and its hotlist names dehydrolatanoprost [4]. France’s health agency, ANSES, has described a user whose eye colour changed after five months [5].

The peptide option. The Ordinary’s lead peptide, myristoyl pentapeptide-17, has published testing behind it, but most comes from the company that makes the ingredient, and none is a large independent trial. Expect conditioning and a fuller look, not drug-level growth.

Why people buy. Reviews point to three reasons: extensions are expensive and the glue can leave lashes thinner, lashes thin with age, and a serum takes about 10 seconds at night. The need is real.

The verdict

Ranked by proof, bimatoprost through a doctor comes first: a sponsored but sizeable trial, side effects on the label, and a generic price that can undercut GrandeLASH. The catch, a doctor’s visit, is also the point, because someone checks your eyes first and keeps checking. The Ordinary is the best choice without a drug, for conditioning rather than dramatic length. The other three are a wait for three different reasons: Hanae shows no ingredient list, GrandeLASH’s active has an EU safety finding against it, and Obagi charges the top price with less proof than the prescription it resembles.

Best evidence: bimatoprost via your doctor. Best without a drug: The Ordinary. Wait on the rest.

Worth knowing

• On any lash serum label, look for “prostaglandin” or any ingredient ending in “-prost”.
• “Prostaglandin-free” is only reassuring if the brand shows you the full ingredient list.
• A consumer study records what people saw in the mirror, not what was measured.
• Talk to a doctor or optometrist before using any lash-growth product, especially if you have an eye condition.

Watch the video

All five labels, and the ranking, are in the full video: I Read 5 Viral Lash Serum Labels.

Sources

1. Smith S, Fagien S et al., bimatoprost for eyelash growth, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2012 (PubMed 21899919)
2. LATISSE prescribing information, US FDA label
3. EU Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety, final opinion SCCS/1680/25, 2 February 2026, health.ec.europa.eu
4. Health Canada, Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist, canada.ca
5. ANSES, Eyelash growth serums may change your eye colour, anses.fr
6. Brand pages: hanaekorea.com, grandecosmetics.com, obagi.com, theordinary.com, 3 October 2026
7. Reviews: Amazon, Trustpilot and brand sites, 3 October 2026
8. Prices: GoodRx (September 2026) and brand sites (3 October 2026)
9. Google Trends, United States, past 30 days, 3 October 2026

Every claim above is sourced in the text. Prices are what we paid, on the date shown. We buy what we test; nothing is gifted, and nothing is sponsored.