A doctor has issued a stark warning over a DIY makeup technique after one student claimed ballpoint pens give her the 'best eyeliner ever.'
Shelagh Kratz, from Philadelphia, took to TikTok to share the makeup insight earlier this month, where it racked up over 10 million views.
In the clip, she showed viewers her unique method, which involved simply gliding a Paper Mate ballpoint pen along her lash line to create the look of liner with a winged tip.
The 19-year-old claimed her makeup looked 'the best' that day due to the ballpoint nib allowing for a 'super precise' application, and told viewers it was sweat-proof for a long night out.
It's a trick she learned when she was completely out of the eye product after she accidentally dropped her product down the toilet while on a trip to Albania - but doctors took a dim view.
Shelagh Kratz, from Philadelphia, claimed that her secret to perfect eyeliner is actually a ballpoint pen
She took to TikTok to share the makeup insight earlier this month, where it racked up over 10 million views
Kratz explained how she had not bought another eyeliner product and instead decided to take the ballpoint pen for a spin.
'I just used it like a normal eyeliner to do a winged flick at the end, add a little pizazz,' she dished.
And, although she 'prefers' the technique over regular eyeliner, she knows it's not the best thing for your eyes.
'I think I've only done it three or four times because I was genuinely out of eyeliner,' the content creator admitted.
Many users flooded to the comments to ask what pen she used, while some expressed their concern asking, 'is this safe?'
The answer to the question?
No, it's not safe - even using a ballpoint pen as eyeliner just once can pose a huge risk to your eye health, according to doctors.
Optometrist Dr. Julian Prosia, based in Florida, said in a response video posted to his TikTok that using the ballpoint pen as eyeliner could leave you at a high risk for infection.
The 19-year-old claimed her makeup looked 'the best' that day due to the ballpoint nib allowing for a 'super precise' application, and told viewers it was sweat-proof for a long night out
Optometrist Dr. Julian Prosia, based in Florida, said in a response video posted to his TikTok that using the ballpoint pen as eyeliner could leave you at a high risk for infection
'Using pen ink on the eyelid is probably not a good idea, considering it's not meant for this cosmetic use, and it's extremely non-sterile,' he said.
'This could leave you at a higher risk for skin irritation and also infection if you do puncture the skin in the areas you're drawing over,' the doctor continued.
Prosia even cited a recent research article that showed what happened when inmates in prison tattooed their eyes with pen ink.
'While I know she's not tattooing her eyes with pen ink, this study did touch on using pen ink in and around the eyes and how all those chemicals can get into the eyes and create a lot of hypersensitivity issues,' he explained.
'While modern pen ink is known to be mildly toxic, they do contain pigments like iron, barium, copper, titanium dioxide and different alcohol solvents that can lead to significant irritation on the front surface of the eye, and even swell different areas that can leave you very uncomfortable,' Prosia shared.
He later added that since eyelid skin is the 'thinnest skin in the body,' you could damage the eye even further due to the sharpness of the ballpoint pen.
'You could have puncturing wounds or you could have toxicity and inflammatory issues,' he said.
The optometrist joked that he was giving the TikTok trend a 'zero out of ten,' and urged people never to use a ballpoint pen around their eyes.
It seems like she's used to the controversy, too, as it's not the first time one of her makeup hacks has gone viral on the platform - she's even tried sunscreen contouring
However, many were quick to angrily respond in the comments, telling Kratz that she was going to get skin cancer and be sunburned in other places on her face
In response to the 'negative' comments, Kratz stated that she doesn't want to 'advocate for ink poisoning' and admitted she's only done the 'secret' trick a handful of times when she has been desperate.
It seems like she's used to the controversy, too, as it's not the first time one of her makeup hacks has gone viral on the platform.
Last month, she posted a video showing herself using sunscreen to contour her face and create a natural highlighter.
It's a technique she began to show off on her channel in 2023.
However, many were quick to angrily respond in the comments, telling Kratz that she was going to get skin cancer and be sunburned in other places on her face.
Despite this, Kratz said it works for her and that she usually applies a base layer of SPF before contouring.
'It's always the stupidest videos that you never expect that go viral,' she admitted.
