New Formulations: Talika's Lash Extendxer
From
left to right: Mascaras by Vincent Longo, Benefit, Revlon,
and Blinc, and two by Maybelline. . A simple formula for brush-on eyelashes.
By Marie Redding, Senior Editor
Ever since big eyelashes became the latest beauty trend, Talika's Lash Extender, first launched in 2003, has been getting more attention..
The Paris-based company is already known for its revolutionary Eyelash Lipocils, a conditioning gel meant to stimulate eyelash growth at the root of the lashes. It contains liposomes derived from soy lecithin, plus a combination of plant extracts. This formulation was discovered in 1948 when Dr. Danielle Roches was developing an antibacterial cream to be used to treat casualties of war in Parisian hospitals. Dramatic eyelash growth happened to be a side effect of the gel that was accidentally discovered.
Besides being tested by the Hospital of Paris, Lipocils is the only product ever to be authorized by the Verification Bureau Publicity in France to state this claim. Customers can rest assured that the product works—but it takes time. Lashes will start to grow after three to six weeks of consistent use. Since the process requires so much patience and effort from customers, the experts at Talika decided to create something else extraordinary that would provide more-immediate results.
"It made sense to make a product to help the customer before her lashes reached full growth using Eyelash Lipocils," says Michael Eiger, president of Talika USA. Instead of bringing to market yet another type of lengthening mascara loaded with fibers, which tend to clump when applied, the experts at Talika decided to use only the fibers themselves as the product.
It was a slight challenge to figure out exactly how big the fibers should be and how they should be applied. "It was difficult to get the fibers to be the right size and diameter so that they blend naturally with your own lashes instead of looking artificial," Eiger says. "It is a much better alternative than false eyelashes." Regular mascara is meant to be applied first, and it will act as an adhesive for the Lash Extender. Using mascara will also add color and thickness.
The product is made of the simplest formula: 100-percent, feather-light, pure black rayon fibers, which are very short and thin. They are undetectable once applied. "The brush is a rounded tight-wire brush that is the right size for precise application of the fibers," says Eiger. Lash Extender can be considered an alternative to the other types of two-step mascara formulas popular now. We expect to see even more new developments in the eye-makeup category.