Product Review: Marbella Permanent Eyeliner Pen

I received this felt-tip liquid eyeliner pen in the June 2012 MyGlam sample bag.

I have tried it several times since then, but will not be using it as a permanent product. Here's why:

I swatched this product on my hand several times to see how easily it would come off. It took a while, and would fade to a pale streak of dark blue, but it would come off with time or makeup remover. I looked for a list of ingredients online, as I generally do for products bearing the symbol that says their ingredients list is available elsewhere, but I could not find a list ANYWHERE. I, like an idiot, figured it would probably be just fine and I was being paranoid, and I tried wearing it.

I got it in my eyes and it stung like the blazes, which made me decide that a) I probably shouldn't persist in wearing this product and b) I really, really wanted to know what was in it. I contacted Marbella through their customer service form on their website, and never received a response. After a while I contacted MyGlam through their own customer service form. Here is the email they sent me:

Hi Jo,

Thanks for contacting myglam. Please find the below ingredients for Marbella's Eyeliner Pens

CONFIDENTIAL: Property of Marbella Cosmetics. Any duplication is strictly forbidden & illegal.

WATER - AQUA
OLETH-20
ACRYLATES COPOLYMER
TRI (C12-C13 ALKYL) CITRATE
PVP
BUTYLENE GLYCOL
OLEIC ACID
PALMITIC ACID
STEARIC ACID
PHENOXYETHANOL
IMIDAZOLIDINYL UREA
ETHYLPARABEN
PROPYLPARABEN
BUTYLPARABEN
DMDM HYDANTOIN
ISOBUTYLPARABEN

xoxo,
[redacted] with myglam

As you can see, there are a number of products listed on this that many makeup consumers would be concerned about, the most hot-button being the four (four!) different parabens. Paraben compounds are a concern to many people because of a tentative link with development of Alzheimer's. I personally don't exclude them from products I use, but I recognize that many people do. If you have further questions about parabens, there is much more information available on the web that is accessible with a quick search.

Also listed are two formaldehyde-releasing compounds (imidazolidinyl urea and DMDM hydantoin). These compounds release formaldehyde slowly over time, and are used as antimicrobial agents in a wide variety of products. Formaldehyde is considered to be toxic and carcinogenic in humans, although it is considered acceptable use in very very small quantities. However, people can have certain allergies (to formaldehyde or to imidazolidinyl urea itself) which may be triggered by this product. This SHOULD be stated on the packaging, but is not.

What concerns me most about this is the statement at the top of the email claiming that it is illegal to duplicate this list. I asked MyGlam about this statement, and here is their reply:

Hi Jo, 

Sorry for the confusion. It's definitely not illegal to share the ingredients. The Marbella brand included that language and I'm not sure exactly what they mean by it. We can ask them for you you can contact Marbella's customer service at [redacted] if you'd prefer. Please let me know if you have any additional questions we can answer for you. 

Best,
[redacted]

I tried contacting their customer service number, but it rang and rang and went to someone's personal voicemail, so I am redacting it from this post because I do not want to accidentally give out someone's personal number.

It seems here as though Marbella is trying to claim that their ingredient list is confidential and should not be distributed, which is in direct violation of FDA regulations concerning cosmetics packaging. A product MUST either list the ingredients on its packaging, or in cases where that is not possible, clear directions must be included for where to access a list elsewhere or for how to obtain a list from the manufacturer. By their very nature, the ingredients in a cosmetic product CANNOT be confidential. The fact that Marbella does not list their ingredients online anywhere, did not respond to my queries about the ingredients, and apparently thinks that their ingredients list can be confidential are all things that concern me greatly. This concern is made worse by my suspicion that they're so reluctant to release the list because they are aware that many of these chemicals are shunned by the makeup consuming community.

I respect MyGlam for responding to my queries as openly as they could, although it still concerns me that they sent out this product in the first place. I am not making any accusations of illegal behavior, merely stating the facts, but according to the FDA:

It is illegal to introduce a misbranded cosmetic into interstate commerce, and such products are subject to regulatory action. Some of the ways a cosmetic can become misbranded are

• its labeling is false or misleading
• its label fails to provide required information
• its required label information is not properly displayed
• its labeling violates requirements of the Poison Prevention Packaging Act of 1970 [FD&C Act, sec. 602; 21 U.S.C. 362]

This information is available on the FDA website here: http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/CosmeticLabelingLabelClaims/default.htm

Marbella liners clearly do not bear on their packaging the required labeling information, i.e. a list of their ingredients or directions for locating or requesting a list of their ingredients.