Eyebrow & Lash Tinting in Charleston and Mt. Pleasant, SC

Reviewed by Ashley Harwyn, PA-C, ABAAHP  |  A4M Board Certified  |  Updated October 4, 2026

A tint darkens the brows and lashes you already have for a few weeks. Here is what each FDA source says about tint safety, how we protect your eyes, and the truth about lash serums.

The FDA has warned for years that permanent lash and brow dyes have caused serious eye injuries, including blindness.[1] Its pages also disagree with each other about whether any tint ingredient is allowed for this use, and we lay out both positions below with their sources. You will also find how we lower the risk at your visit, who should wait or skip, and what is true about lash growth serums.

• A brow or lash tint darkens the hairs you already have. It does not add hairs, and the color fades over about three to six weeks.[4]
• The FDA warns that permanent eyelash and eyebrow tints and dyes have caused serious eye injuries, including blindness.[1]
• A federal rule (21 CFR 73.2550) allows silver nitrate in professional-use-only lash and brow tints, at no more than 4 percent, not for anyone under 16, and on for no more than 1 minute.[2] The FDA's hair dye page still says no color additives are approved for brows or lashes.[3]
• Box hair dye should never go on your brows or lashes. Coal-tar hair dyes are not permitted for that use.[3]
• You can become sensitive to a dye after using it before without trouble, so a past good result is not a guarantee.[4]
• Latisse (bimatoprost) is the FDA-approved prescription drug for growing lashes. Many cosmetic lash serums are sold without FDA review, and some contain similar drug ingredients.[5][6][7]

What a tint changes, and what it leaves alone

A tint is a color treatment for hair, not for skin. Your aesthetician shapes the area, protects the skin around it, paints a small amount of dye onto the brow or lash hairs, waits, and then removes it. The American Academy of Ophthalmology describes tinting as a 15-minute procedure that makes brows or lashes look thicker, darker, and fuller.[4] At Solcara, the tint can be paired with brow waxing in the same visit, so shape and color are handled together, or added on to one of our facials.

Light, fine, or graying hairs show the biggest change, because the tint makes hairs that were hard to see easier to see. It does not create new hairs, fill true gaps, or change the shape of a sparse brow. Those are jobs for brow pencil, a growth medicine, or a different service. A tint also does nothing for fine lines around the eyes, which is the job of a laser treatment such as SmoothEye.

The color is also not permanent. It lasts about three to six weeks, and it fades as hairs shed and new pale ones grow in.[4] Anyone who promises a tint will stay dark for months, or hold up in the sun all summer, is promising more than the dye can do. Most people simply rebook when the color starts to soften.

Two FDA positions on lash and brow dyes

Official sources say different things here, so this section gives each one in its own terms. Start with the warning that is not in dispute: permanent eyelash and eyebrow tints and dyes have been known to cause serious eye injuries, including blindness.[1] Hair dyes have also caused eye injuries, including blindness, when used in the eye area.[3]

On approval, the sources differ. In 2021, the FDA added a regulation, 21 CFR 73.2550, that allows silver nitrate as a color additive in externally applied, professional-use-only cosmetics that color eyebrows and eyelashes.[2] The rule comes with strict limits. The product may hold no more than 4 percent silver nitrate by weight. It is not intended for anyone under 16. It is applied by a professional for no more than 1 minute and then removed right away. It may not be sold directly to consumers.[2] The FDA's eye cosmetic page repeats those same limits.[1]

The FDA's hair dye page, current as of September 2025, says something different: color additives for dyeing brows or lashes need FDA approval for that use, and no color additives are approved for it.[3] An American Academy of Ophthalmology article from 2019, written before the silver nitrate rule, said the same.[4] We cannot settle that conflict for the agency. What we can do is tell you both, and use only products made for brows and lashes.

One point is not in dispute. Coal-tar hair dye, the kind in most box hair color, must not be used on brows or lashes, and its label is required to warn that doing so may cause blindness.[3] The FDA also has an import alert on lash and brow dyes that contain coal tar colors.[1] Silver nitrate products carry their own required warning: they may permanently stain skin they touch and may irritate the eyes.[2]

How we keep your eyes safe during a tint

Most of the risk comes down to three things: what product touches you, how close it gets to the eye, and whether your skin reacts. We plan the visit around all three.

A skin test first. For hair dye, the FDA advises a patch test on your skin every time, before each use.[3] We apply the same habit to tints, because a reaction on a small patch of skin is far better than one on your eyelids. This matters even for returning clients. An American Academy of Ophthalmology spokesperson notes that people can become sensitive with repeated exposure, and formulas can change over time, so a dye you handled well last year can still cause a reaction now.[4]

Eye protection and timing. The skin around the eye is shielded before any dye goes on, the eyes stay closed during lash work, and the product comes off on time. Silver nitrate tint labels are required to say that if the product gets in your eyes, you should rinse them right away.[2]

The right product for the job. We use tints made for brows and lashes, never hair color. You are welcome to ask which product we will use and read its label before we start.

Knowing when to wait. The FDA advises against eye cosmetics while you have an eye infection or while the skin around the eye is inflamed, and suggests waiting until the area heals.[1] If you have had eye surgery recently or are being treated by an eye doctor, ask that doctor before you book. If you have reacted to a hair dye or tint before, tell us, and we may suggest skipping it. After any visit, if irritation continues, see a doctor.[1]

Want a tint but worried about your eyes? Call 843-981-0870 before you book. Tell us about past dye reactions, eye drops, or recent eye procedures, and we will plan a skin test first or tell you plainly if waiting is wiser.

Lash growth serums: prescription versus cosmetic

A tint makes lashes darker, but it cannot make them longer or fuller. Growth is a different question, and it belongs to drugs, not cosmetics. Under federal law, a cosmetic is meant to beautify or alter appearance, while a product meant to affect the structure or function of the body is a drug.[6] The FDA lists claims to restore hair growth as an example of a claim that makes a product a drug.[6]

Latisse (bimatoprost ophthalmic solution 0.03%) is the FDA-approved prescription drug for this. It is used once nightly along the upper lid at the base of the lashes.[5] In the main trial, 78 percent of people using it had at least a one-grade gain in overall lash prominence at week 16, compared with 18 percent on the inactive solution.[5] Most people do not see a meaningful change until about 2 months, and lashes return to where they started if you stop.[5]

It has real side effects. The most common, in about 3 to 4 percent of users, are itchy eyes, red eyes, and darker skin on the lids.[5] Lid darkening usually fades after stopping, but brown darkening of the colored part of the eye is likely permanent.[5] People who use prostaglandin eye drops for glaucoma should talk with their eye doctor first, because using both may weaken the pressure-lowering effect.[5]

Cosmetic lash serums are another story. Cosmetics, other than color additives, do not need FDA approval before they are sold.[6] A 2026 study of 79 cosmetic lash products found that about 30 percent contained a prostaglandin analog, the same drug family as Latisse, while the rest relied on ingredients such as castor oil, peptides, and panthenol.[7] Before you use any lash serum, including one offered as an add-on, read the ingredient list or ask us what is in it.

Booking a tint at either Solcara office

Tinting is offered at both of our offices: in Mount Pleasant at 496 Bramson Ct, Suite 120, and downtown at The Longevity Club, 163 Rutledge Ave, Suite 202, near the MUSC campus. Plan on a short visit, with extra time if you add brow waxing or a skin test.

When you book, mention any eye condition, recent eye procedure, contact lenses, glaucoma drops, or past reaction to hair color. Come with clean brows and lashes, free of mascara and brow makeup, if you can. Because Solcara is a medical practice, our clinician, Ashley Harwyn, PA-C, is part of the same team, which helps when a question about your eyes or skin goes beyond cosmetics.