Though the ’90s have come back with a vengeance in all facets of beauty and fashion, our brows have (thankfully) been spared. Eyebrows right now are all about the perfect balance between fluffy and sculpted. “I think it’s safe to say that every client I work with wants thicker, fuller, fluffier brows, and the most common goal is to fill in patches,” says celebrity brow artist René de la Garzafounder of Brow Down Studio. “Brow growth serums are a topic mentioned in almost every session I have with clients.”
You’re not alone in your hunt for the best brow growth products: the global shopping service Klarna reporting increases in brow growth serum purchases by 152 percent in the five months from March 2022 to August 2022. As celebrity brow artist Kristie Streicherco-founder of STRIIIIKE, puts it, “It is not a question of if you are using a brow growth serum, but which one.”
Allow us to make a suggestion: the celebrity-beloved, epigenetic research-driven brand Augustinus Bader is launching The Brow and Lash Enhancement Serum, $150, out today. It promises longer lashes and thicker brows in just four weeks. So how does it work ?
More From Harper’s BAZAAR
How do lash and brow serums grow hair?
What makes the brand behind The Rich Cream so effective at growing hair? “We aren’t a skincare brand moving into haircare, but a science-led brand moving from skin to hair,” explains CEO and co-founder, Charles Rosier, of their efficacy in both domains. “We are naturally progressing into haircare, including eyebrows and lashes, as the next step of our evolution.”
This isn’t the brand’s first foray into haircare. It launched The Hair Collection about a year ago, with a shampoo, conditioner, scalp treatment, hair oil, leave-in, and ingestible supplement. It was the success of The Scalp Treatment that inspired the new lash and brow serum—though the formulations are different. “The main similarity between our latest advanced, The Eyebrow And Lash Enhancing Serum, and The Scalp Treatment, is that they are both powered by TFC8,” says Bader. TFC8, (which stands for Trigger Factor Complex), is rooted in Professor Augustinus Bader’s epigenetic research and essentially empowers the body’s own innate healing mechanisms by providing them with the necessary ingredients to thrive. “Our epigenetic skincare technology works with the skin’s intrinsic renewal code by delivering various active ingredients to positively influence skin cells’ behavior,” Bader tells BAZAAR.com. “The complex is essentially a ‘cell toolbox’ providing the skin cells with everything they need to fix the things that go wrong, whether improving elasticity or supporting hair growth.”
The difference comes down to formulating and delivering appropriately for the skin or hair in question. “Adapting the TFC8 for different applications is situational, so each of our base formulas is unique,” Bader continues. When it comes to the formula for the eyebrows and lashes, for instance, it is delivered alongside ingredients like red winter algae, biotin, roselle and safflower extracts, and hyaluronic acid complex. These have been chosen for their effects ranging from minimizing hair loss and shedding, to promoting hair growth, to reducing oxidative stress that can trigger hair loss, to optimizing the keratin structure of the hairs themselves.
What are the results like?
The initial results of clinical and user trials have been promising to say the least. It is best applied to clean brows and lashes, morning and night, with an applicator featuring dual widths to suit the brows and lash line respectively. Clinical results after a twelve week trial of 60 individuals showed a 40 percent increase in lash thickness, 75 percent more curl, a 34 percent increase in length, and brow thickness increased by 55 percent. Self-reported results among 105 individuals with sensitive skin and eyes yielded 90-100 percent positive responses for fuller, thicker brows and lashes, as well as longer, curlier lashes. None reported sensitivity, and all saw visible results in four weeks.
The bottom line is that brow and lash growth serums will only work if you apply them often—so keep the tube out on your vanity and marvel at the results in just a month.
The Augustinus Bader The Eyebrow and Lash Enhancing Serum, $150, is available now at AugustinusBader.com with rollout coming to Sephora, Nordstrom, and Bloomingdales.