Impact of Cosmetics on the Surface Properties of Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses

This study evaluated the impact of various cosmetics on the surface properties of silicone hydrogel (SiHy) contact lens materials.

In this in vitro experiment, 7 SiHy contact lens materials were coated with 1 of 9 cosmetics, including common hand creams (3), eye makeup removers (3), and mascaras (3). Dark-field microscopy images were taken to determine pixel brightness (PB) after cosmetic exposure, which describes the visible surface deposition (n=6 for each lens type), with a higher PB indicating increased deposition. The sessile drop technique was used to determine the advancing contact angle (CA). Measurements were repeated for both methods after a single peroxide-based cleaning cycle.

Pixel brightness was significantly higher for mascara-coated lenses compared with the other cosmetic products (P<0.01). The peroxide-based lens care solution removed most deposits from the nonwaterproof mascara for 4 lens types, whereas deposits remained relatively unchanged for 1 waterproof mascara (P>0.05). Hand creams and makeup remover had minimal impact on PB. Changes in CA measurements after cosmetic application were highly lens dependent. Hand creams caused primarily a decrease in CA for 5 of the 7 lens types, whereas 1 of the waterproof mascaras caused a significant increase of 30 to 50° for 3 lens types.

Some mascara-lens combinations resulted in increased CA and PB, which could have an impact on in vivo lens performance. Nonwaterproof mascara was mostly removed after a cleaning cycle. Further research is needed to understand the clinical implications for SiHy lens wearers using cosmetics.