The Ordinary Eyelash Serum: Does the Multi-Peptide Lash Serum Work?

Yes, The Ordinary makes an eyelash serum. It is called Multi-Peptide Lash and Brow Serum: a 5 ml, water-based serum of peptides, caffeine and plant extracts that you brush along the lash line and brows morning and night. It does not contain prostaglandins, the drug class behind the only FDA-approved eyelash growth treatment.

That difference is the whole story. This guide sets out what is in The Ordinary's serum, what evidence exists for peptide lash serums, how that compares with the trial data for bimatoprost (the drug in Latisse and Careprost), and why some other "cosmetic" lash serums quietly contain prostaglandin drugs. Every number comes from a label, a regulator or a named study.

The short answer

The Ordinary's Multi-Peptide Lash and Brow Serum is an inexpensive, low-risk cosmetic that promises thicker, fuller, healthier-looking lashes and brows. The company says results can be seen after 4 weeks, but it has not published a study, and we found no published trial of this serum on eyelashes. The published trials of other prostaglandin-free lash serums we found were small and had no control group: a peptide serum reported an 8.3% gain in lash length after 12 weeks, and a growth factor serum 10.5% after 90 days.

Bimatoprost 0.03% is a prescription drug. In a randomized trial of 278 adults it lengthened lashes by 25%, roughly doubled their fullness, and gave 78% of users a visible improvement by week 16, against 18% on an inactive solution. It also carries real side effects, including a small risk of permanent brown darkening of the iris. If you want measurable growth, bimatoprost is the option with evidence. If you want a gentle cosmetic and can accept that it may do little, The Ordinary's serum is a reasonable low-cost try.

What The Ordinary's lash serum is

Detail	Multi-Peptide Lash and Brow Serum
Brand	The Ordinary (Deciem)
Size and format	5 ml, water-based serum
Company claim	"Thicker, fuller, and healthier-looking lashes and brows"
Stated timeline	Visible improvements "after 4 weeks of consistent use"
Directions	After cleansing and drying, a thin layer along the lash line and brows, morning and evening
Prostaglandins	None, according to the company
Published clinical data	None on the product page
US list price, September 2026	$14.90

The Ordinary's own warnings are the standard cosmetic ones: patch test before use, use only on unbroken skin, and if irritation occurs, rinse off, stop and see a doctor. Under "Do not use with" it lists its direct acids, direct vitamin C, resveratrol and ferulic acid, salicylic acid and Multi-Antioxidant Radiance Serum.

What is in it

The full ingredient list on The Ordinary's site is: Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Myristoyl Pentapeptide-17, Biotinoyl Tripeptide-1, Oligopeptide-2, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3, Caffeine, Panthenol, Arginine, Glycine, Glycoproteins, Larix Europaea Wood Extract, Trifolium Pratense Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Dextran, Maltodextrin, Zinc Chloride, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Metabisulfite, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Benzoate, Benzoic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin. Larix europaea is larch, Trifolium pratense is red clover and Camellia sinensis is green tea.

Key ingredient (as listed by The Ordinary)	Type	Published lash growth trial
Myristoyl pentapeptide-17	Peptide	None found in PubMed
Biotinoyl tripeptide-1	Peptide	None found in PubMed
Oligopeptide-2	Peptide	None found in PubMed
Acetyl tetrapeptide-3	Peptide	None found in PubMed
Caffeine	Common hair product ingredient	None found for lashes
Larch wood, red clover flower and green tea leaf extracts	Plant extracts	None found for lashes

"None found" is the result of our PubMed searches in September 2026, not proof that an ingredient does nothing. Ingredient suppliers sometimes publish their own test results, but those are not independent, peer-reviewed trials. What matters for a buyer is that no independent, controlled trial shows this serum or these peptides growing eyelashes.

Some of the same ingredients have small trials on scalp hair. In a 32-person randomized trial, a blend of biochanin A (a compound from red clover), acetyl tetrapeptide-3 and ginseng extract gave a similar rise in hair counts to 3% minoxidil after 24 weeks in people with pattern hair loss. None of those trials tested eyelashes, and a scalp result does not automatically carry over to lashes.

"Healthier-looking" is a cosmetic claim, and that is deliberate

Under US law, the FDA treats a product intended to affect the structure or function of the body as a drug. Its guidance gives "restore hair growth" as an example of a claim that makes a product a drug. A cosmetic is limited to cleansing, beautifying or altering the appearance.

That is why cosmetic lash serums say "thicker-looking" or "fuller-looking" rather than "grows lashes". A product intended to make lashes grow is legally a drug and needs approval; the FDA judges intended use from a product's claims, its reputation with consumers and its ingredients. The only lash growth drug approved in the US is bimatoprost 0.03%, sold as Latisse and its generics. The Ordinary's wording is honest about what it is: a cosmetic.

The evidence for peptide lash serums

The best published evidence we found is a 2024 open trial in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. Thirty women aged 25 to 65 used a serum based on peptides and glycosaminoglycans for 12 weeks, and their lashes were measured with imaging software. Compared with the start:

• Lash length rose by 8.3%.
• The number of lashes rose by 5%.
• Lash width rose by 10.1% and volume by 14.1%.
• Satisfaction rose from 73% at week 4 to 84% at week 12, and no side effects were reported.

Three limits matter. There was no control group, so part of the change may reflect measurement, season or simply taking better care of lashes during a study. Thirty people is small. And it was not The Ordinary's product, so it tells you what one peptide serum did, not what this one will do.

A second open trial, published in 2020, tested a "polygrowth factor" lash serum in 30 Indian women aged 15 to 45, 29 of whom finished. Applied once nightly to the upper and lower lid margins for 90 days, it was followed by a 10.5% rise in lash length, 9.3% in volume and 35% in thickness, again with no control group and again not The Ordinary's formula.

The evidence for bimatoprost

Bimatoprost 0.03% was approved by the FDA as Latisse on 24 December 2008 after a randomized, double-masked trial of 278 adults with sparse lashes. Half used bimatoprost nightly on the upper lid margin for 16 weeks; half used the same solution without the drug. Investigators graded overall lash prominence on a 4-point scale.

Week	Visible improvement on bimatoprost (n=137)	On vehicle (n=141)
4	15%	8%
8	50%	15%
12	69%	20%
16	78%	18%

Measured by digital image analysis at week 16, lash length rose by 25% (against 2% on vehicle), fullness by 106% (against 12%) and darkness by 18% (against 3%). A 12-month randomized trial published in 2015 found similar results that held for as long as people kept using it, and faded over several months after they stopped.

How big is the difference?

The two sets of numbers come from separate studies of different products, over different lengths of time, in different people. They cannot be read as a head-to-head contest. They do show the size of each reported effect.

Study	Design	Length	Lash length change
Bimatoprost 0.03% (Latisse label trial)	Randomized, vehicle-controlled, n=278	16 weeks	+25% (vehicle +2%)
Peptide and glycosaminoglycan serum (2024)	Open, no control, n=30	12 weeks	+8.3%
Growth factor serum (2020)	Open, no control, n=29	90 days	+10.5%
The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Lash and Brow Serum	No published study	Not applicable	Not measured

The controlled bimatoprost result is roughly three times the uncontrolled peptide result, and the peptide figure has no placebo to subtract. The vehicle arm in the bimatoprost trial is a useful reminder: people using a solution with no drug in it still saw small gains on some measures, such as 12% on fullness.

Side by side

	The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Lash and Brow Serum	Bimatoprost 0.03% (Latisse; Careprost contains the same drug)
What it is	Cosmetic serum	Prescription drug (prostaglandin analogue)
Main actives	Four peptides, caffeine, plant extracts	Bimatoprost 0.3 mg/ml
Controlled evidence on lashes	None published	Randomized trials of Latisse and bimatoprost 0.03%, including a 12-month trial; Careprost itself was not the product tested
How often	Twice daily	Once nightly
Where	Lash line and brows	Upper lash line only (label)
When results appear	Company says 4 weeks	50% responding by week 8, 78% by week 16
Main risks	Irritation; patch test advised	Red, itchy eyes and lids, lid darkening, possible permanent iris darkening, fat loss around the eye
Prescription needed	No	Yes in the US, UK, Canada and Australia
After stopping	Not studied	Gains fade over several months

Side effects compared

The Ordinary does not publish side effect rates, which is normal for a cosmetic. Its warnings point to irritation as the main risk. Anything applied at the lash line can reach the eye, so stop if you get stinging, redness or swelling.

Bimatoprost has measured side effects. In the 4-month Latisse trial, the most common were itchy eyes, red eyes, skin darkening, eye irritation, dry eye symptoms and redness around the eye, each in under 4% of patients. In the 2015 trial, among people with naturally sparse lashes using it for up to 12 months, red eyes were reported by 8.5% and itchy eyelids by 5.9%; among people whose lashes had been lost to chemotherapy, red eyes were reported by 16.7%.

The label also warns about brown darkening of the iris, which is likely to be permanent; darkening of the eyelid skin, which usually fades after stopping; hair growth where the solution repeatedly touches skin; and, in reports after approval, fat loss around the eye that can deepen the lid crease. People on glaucoma drops need to talk to their eye doctor first, because bimatoprost can interfere with pressure-lowering treatment. Our bimatoprost eyelash safety guide covers each risk.

The hidden prostaglandin problem in "cosmetic" lash serums

The Ordinary states its serum has no prostaglandins. Many lash serums on the market cannot say the same, and some do not tell you.

• A 2026 study in Annales Pharmaceutiques Françaises of 79 cosmetic lash serums found that about 30% contained a prostaglandin analogue. Six different ones turned up, including bimatoprost and norbimatoprost. The most common were ethyl tafluprostamide (also listed as dechloro dihydroxy difluoro ethylcloprostenolamide, or DDDE) and isopropyl cloprostenate.
• A 2022 Japanese study tested 64 lash serums bought from 34 websites. Four contained bimatoprost, and three of those did not list it on the label. Eight more contained other prostaglandin analogues that have never been approved as medicines.
• A 2022 study in Aesthetic Surgery Journal described a 35-year-old woman who developed thin, darker skin and hollowing around the eyes after 10 months of a lash serum containing isopropyl cloprostenate. It reversed 6 months after she stopped. Blinded graders also saw more signs of fat loss in manufacturers' before-and-after photos for prostaglandin serums than for other lash products.
• In November 2007 the FDA seized about 12,700 tubes of a cosmetic lash product, Age Intervention Eyelash, because it contained bimatoprost and was promoted to grow lashes, which made it an unapproved drug. The agency warned it could cause swelling at the back of the eye (macular oedema) and inflammation inside the eye (uveitis) in some people, and optic nerve damage in people already using prescription bimatoprost.

Apart from bimatoprost, these analogues have never been approved as human medicines, and when any of them is hidden, you lose the chance to weigh the risks or tell your eye doctor. If you want a prostaglandin, a regulated bimatoprost product with a known strength is the safer way to get one.

How to read a lash serum label

Look for these names in the ingredient list. Each is a prostaglandin analogue that has turned up in lash products in published studies. These are common names, not a complete list:

• Bimatoprost or norbimatoprost
• Isopropyl cloprostenate
• Dechloro dihydroxy difluoro ethylcloprostenolamide (DDDE), also listed as ethyl tafluprostamide
• Methylamido dihydro noralfaprostal
• 15-keto fluprostenol isopropyl ester
• Latanoprost, a glaucoma drug found undeclared in some lash serums in China

If a serum promises dramatic growth in weeks, sells at a premium and lists none of these, be cautious. Lab testing shows the label is not always the whole story. If a serum lists one of them, treat it like a drug: skip it if you have glaucoma or eye inflammation, and stop if you notice eye changes.

How to use The Ordinary's serum

The Ordinary's directions are to apply a thin layer along the lash line and eyebrows, morning and evening, after cleansing and drying the area. Patch test on a small area of skin first. Keep the brush out of the eye itself, and rinse off if irritation occurs. Give it the 4 weeks the company suggests, and then judge the result against a photo taken at the start in the same light.

How to use bimatoprost instead

Bimatoprost goes on once a night, one drop on a sterile single-use applicator, along the upper lash line only, with any runoff blotted. It takes about 8 weeks for half of users to see a change and 16 weeks for most of the effect. Our step-by-step guide to applying Careprost to your lashes follows the Latisse label, and the week-by-week results guide covers what to expect at each stage.

Can you use both?

No study has tested The Ordinary's serum together with bimatoprost, so there is no evidence that combining them adds anything. If you choose to, keep bimatoprost to its label method (upper lash line, once at night, nothing else on the applicator) and stop both if your eyes or lids become red or irritated, so you can tell which one is the problem.

What about castor oil, biotin and other home remedies?

The 2026 study of 79 lash serums described the prostaglandin-free products as formulated with harmless ingredients such as castor oil, amino acids, panthenol and peptides. Harmless is not the same as effective: we found no controlled trial showing that castor oil or biotin applied to the lash line grows eyelashes. Castor oil has been trialled around the eyes for blepharitis: in a small randomized trial of 26 people over 4 weeks, treated eyes had less lash loss than untreated eyes. No trial has tested it for lash growth in people without eyelid disease.

Which should you choose?

• Choose The Ordinary's serum if you want a cheap, gentle cosmetic, are happy with a subtle or uncertain result, or would rather not use a prescription drug near your eyes. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, check with your doctor first; The Ordinary says its products have not been tested in pregnancy.
• Choose bimatoprost if you want the option with trial evidence of measurable growth, can commit to nightly use for at least 16 weeks, and accept the side effect risks after talking to a prescriber.
• Avoid unlabelled or vaguely labelled "growth" serums that promise drug-like results. Some of them contain prostaglandins you have not agreed to.

When thin lashes need a doctor, not a serum

Lashes that fall out suddenly, in patches, or together with brow or scalp hair loss, eyelid redness or crusting, or other symptoms deserve a medical check before any serum. Causes include alopecia areata, thyroid disease, eyelid inflammation (blepharitis), infections and some medicines, including chemotherapy. Several of these are treatable, and a serum can hide the problem while it gets worse.

Where to buy

The Ordinary's Multi-Peptide Lash and Brow Serum is sold through The Ordinary's own site and major beauty retailers.

In the US, bimatoprost for lashes is available on prescription as Latisse or as FDA-approved generics. Our Latisse cost and insurance guide covers pricing, and our Latisse vs bimatoprost guide explains how the products differ. SafeRxPills stocks Careprost 3 mL, Latisse Generic 0.03% and Lashisma, all bimatoprost 0.03% made in India. These are not FDA-approved products; our Careprost legality guide explains the rules on importing them, and our Careprost vs Latisse comparison sets out the differences.

Sources

• The Ordinary. Multi-Peptide Lash and Brow Serum: ingredients, directions, warnings and FAQ. theordinary.com (accessed September 2026)
• LATISSE (bimatoprost ophthalmic solution) 0.03%, US prescribing information, sections 5, 6 and 14. DailyMed
• US Food and Drug Administration. Is it a cosmetic, a drug, or both? (Or is it soap?) FDA
• Fernandez-Gonzalez P et al. Open clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of a novel eyelash growth enhancer with peptides and glycosaminoglycans. J Cosmet Dermatol 2024;23(6):2170-80. PMID 38572527.
• Glaser DA et al. Long-term safety and efficacy of bimatoprost solution 0.03% application to the eyelid margin for the treatment of idiopathic and chemotherapy-induced eyelash hypotrichosis: a randomized controlled trial. Br J Dermatol 2015;172(5):1384-94. PMID 25296533.
• Couteau C, Coiffard L. Prostaglandin analogues in cosmetic products formulated for eyelash lengthening. Ann Pharm Fr 2026;84(5):889-98. PMID 42269767.
• Rahman MS et al. Screening and quantification of undeclared PGF2α analogs in eyelash-enhancing cosmetic serums using LC-MS/MS. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2022;219:114940. PMID 35882176.
• Jamison A et al. Do prostaglandin analogue lash lengtheners cause eyelid fat and volume loss? Aesthet Surg J 2022;42(11):1241-9. PMID 35700523.
• Lueangarun S et al. An herbal extract combination (biochanin A, acetyl tetrapeptide-3, and ginseng extracts) versus 3% minoxidil solution for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia: a 24-week, prospective, randomized, triple-blind, controlled trial. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol 2020;13(10):32-7. PMID 33584955.
• Sachdev M et al. An open-label, single-center, safety and efficacy study of eyelash polygrowth factor serum. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol 2020;13(2):61-6. PMID 32308787.
• Lu Y et al. Screening, characterization, and determination of suspected additives bimatoprost and latanoprost in cosmetics using NMR and LC-MS methods. Anal Bioanal Chem 2023;415(17):3549-58. PMID 37219580.
• Fabbrocini G et al. 15 keto fluprostenol isopropyl ester (80 µgr/mL) gel for cosmetic eyelash growth and enhancement. J Cosmet Dermatol 2019;18(2):545-9. PMID 30664828.
• Muntz A et al. Randomized trial of topical periocular castor oil treatment for blepharitis. Ocul Surf 2021;19:145-50. PMID 32422285.
• Healio. FDA seizes eyelash growth product containing bimatoprost. 26 November 2007. Healio

This article is for information only and is not medical advice. Bimatoprost is a prescription medicine. Talk to a doctor, optometrist or pharmacist before starting any eyelash treatment, especially if you have an eye condition.