In a billion-dollar industry, false eyelashes are one of the most happening beauty trends even with the pandemic going on. While it did face a lot of problems due to COVID-19, the false lashes industry is working its way around the pandemic now.
But, where did it all begin? Who got the amazing idea that human eyelashes weren’t so enough, or that they could be better? When did it come into mainstream use? What type of false lashes are currently available in the market? Where can you even get different kinds today? What does it cost?
False lashes took a long time to become such an easy and affordable beauty tool. From sewing needles to eyelids to endless allergies, the road of false lashes has a deep history like most momentous things.
All your questions will be answered in the article ahead on the complete history of false lashes including eyelash extensions through the middle ages. We’ll also find out the best china false lash manufacturer in detail today.
Knowing everything about the history of fake lashes is a must for every lash brand owner. It helps you find your foot in the industry too.
Let’s get started!
Even though most of us refer to beautiful eyes, we are often referring to the beautiful set of eyelashes on the person and not just the eyes. The connection of eyelashes with beauty is unbreakable. That’s why this century is obsessed with manipulating them as good as we imagine the gods have it.
But before we talk about the present, let’s take a look at how fake eyelashes ever came into being through different years.
The truth about why we associate eyelashes with beauty may be attributed at the earliest to Pliny the Elder from ancient Rome. He was the one who said that eyelashes are the symbol of youthful beauty or virgin beauty because lashes fell off with sex and long eyelashes were a sign of chastity. Maybe that started off the craze with long lashes.
Decades and hundreds of years later, people devised a way to create long lashes artificially. Many beauty practitioners began offering treatments to needle human hair onto the eyelids to increase the length and fluff of natural lashes towards the end of this century.
The Dundee Courier wrote about it in 1899 saying hair from the head was transplanted on the eyelids as lashes. It was quite a painless procedure that used cocaine to numb the pain and was pretty popular in beauty hubs like Paris at the time.
The real era of inventions and creations is the 20th century whether you’re talking about industrialization or the plain development of human life. One of the first-ever beauty trends of the century was created by Karl Nesser in the early 1900s. He patented it as ‘A New or Improved Method of and Means for the Manufacture of Artificial Eyebrows, Eyelashes and the like’ and went on to sell them via his salons in London for clients around 1915. It was the world’s first false lashes where human hair was attached to natural lashes using glue or using a strip.
This was brought to North America by Anna Taylor in 1911 who attached a fabric strip onto the roots of fake lashes to create the look.
But it was brought to the public market in 1916 with the film Intolerance by the director D.W Griffith when he felt his main actress’s eyelashes weren’t lush or long enough for the Babylonian story he was telling.
The director wanted her to have super long lashes that would brush against her cheeks. So, he asked a competent wigmaker to glue hair onto the real lashes of actress Seena Owens. Unfortunately, she walked into the studio one fine morning with her eyes shut. We can guess all the other complications that must’ve ensued.
All this great trajectory of growth that happened for false lashes also went down quite quickly when they began to be associated with skepticism, thanks to a ‘viral’ column of a Time’s journalist in 1920. It said this: ‘When a fair young thing looks at you mistily through her long, curling lashes, do not fall for it until you investigate. The long, curling eyelashes may not be hers, except by right of purchase.
It took almost a decade for false lashes to spring back into action in 1930 when Vogue started discussing the waves this new trend was making about fashion-forward people, stylists, and the fashion industry at large. Perhaps that’s why you could see most Hollywood divas like Marilyn Monroe embracing false lashes in their photoshoots within a decade.
After all that development, in the 1950s, the use of human hair in falsies came to quite an end and plastic with other artificial fibers began to be used. By the 1960s, glamour queens like Twiggy made it even more popular in the Hippe era. However, it fell off the trends in the 70s and 80s where lipstick and other parts of the makeup were focused on.
In the 1990s, false lashes came back to the mainstream by celebrities like Cindy Crawford and Anna Nicole Smith. Then, it was only a means to relive the gorgeous lash years of the 50s and 60s.
By the turn of the Millenium in the 2000s, false lashes and its safety of wearing over long spans quickly caught onto the celebrities like Jennifer Lopex. They started wearing it for most public appearances. When Madonna wore false lashes that cost $10,000 a pair (mink + diamond ), it became big news.
By 2008, lash extensions had been going in the mass production regions in Korea, China, Vietnam, India, and other places around Asia. It became a boom and came to the United States way before. The first two types of lash extension technique to hit the market was classic. You will learn about later on in this post. The volume became a boom for fluffy lashes later on and then came mega volume. The last big thing in the world of false lashes was ‘magnetic lashes’.
Today, lash techs play around with a wide variety of lash extension techniques to create unique styles. COVID paused the industry by closing down many lash salons. It’s slowly getting back to its feet and better than the other beauty treatments, even.
Today, the lash industry is a separate industry although it started off small in the beauty industry. We have lashes made from sable hair, mink hair, human hair, and synthetic options. And this trend is here to last a long time. In the future, the industry is set to rake up higher than $1.5 Billion USD and even cater to new products.
According to the forecast of “Research and Markets”, The false eyelashes market was valued at US$ 1,377.28 million in 2021 and is projected to reach US$ 2,046.61 million by 2028; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.8% from 2021 to 2028. There’re still many chances for new players.
False lashes aren’t just eyelash extensions. It’s a combination of a lot of different fibers used just for supporting or adding to the natural lashes of your clients. There are many types of lashes, but let’s look at some of the main types of ‘false lashes’.
Anna Taylor affixed a fabric to a strip of lashes to create this type of fake lashes a century ago. Strip lashes typically last up to 12 hours and are best for short events like proms, dances, weddings, parties, etcetera.
Also popular as eyelash extensions, lash artists use individual lashes by training. It requires certified experience to use tools near the eye. Tools like medical-grade adhesive using cyanoacrylate also require training. Lash artists apply individual lashes one by one after isolating lashes.
The cost of an extension is negligible. Typically an eye requires 90 to 150 or even more based on the technique of lash style. Individual lashes don’t need to be taken off at the end of the day and shed with natural lashes. They often stay for up to three weeks and most clients I see come around three weeks for a refill.
When several individual lashes are combined into a pre-made fan with a knot or a base of glue, you have a cluster lash. These reduce the time needed for lash artists to prepare fans and can be cut around. These are typically made with a thin layer of glue to prevent weighing down on the natural lash.
Cluster lashes are available for $14.99 for about 120 fans of 7D at retail prices today. Clusters are a great way to help beginner artists who are learning at your salon or academy. You can use your own branded clusters that you’ve made.
Available with magnetic liner ink and strips that snap together over the lash line without any glue, magnetic false lashes are easy to use on one’s own. It’s a favorite among customers who want to use lashes on their own and you can brand them with your brand to get on the newest thing.
The magnetic eyelashes and liner kit is available in retail stores for about $10 to $19.99 and above for up to five pairs.
Lash extensions is a booming industry for almost two decades. Lash extensions can be used in various ways. But we will read up the basic ways lash techs use it, and most salons price it. Even if you’re starting, know about all the different techniques of creating lash extensions. It will help you know the terrain better.
The most basic way to put lash extensions, classic style involves attaching one lash extension to one natural lash. It’s so done in a 1:1 ratio. This is the most fundamental lash treatment that’s best for creating natural-looking lashes. It typically matches the base characteristics of lash extensions such as the length, curls, and thickness. It doesn’t weigh down or affect the growth of lashes.
Volume technique is grouping multiple lash extension fibers together and attaching them to one lash. The density and fluffiness of the lash treatment are more in focus. In a volume lash treatment, the lash tech could use two to five lash extension fibers per lash. But for the mega volume lash treatment, lash tech attaches even up to 16 lash extensions per natural lash.
Hybrid treatment is combining both classic and volume styles of lash extension techniques. It’s the lash tech who decides if a client can handle a hybrid style. If the client likes it, hybrid is a unique way of adding drama while keeping the lash extensions looking natural.
Now that you know the techniques popular in the lash world today, it’s time to glance at the different styles of false eyelash looks that lash techs can use. With careful manipulation, you can tweak the production of the strip and individual lashes to your preferences.
In this method, you don’t require hundreds of lashes to complete a treatment session. If the client has 90 lashes, you’ll only use 90 because the ratio of a false eyelash to a natural lash is 1:1. Most lash techs add up to 60 per eye. It generally follows the shape of the eye. Lash techs often cut the lashes according to the shape of the client’s eye to make it look natural.
This is a cute look for most eye shapes and makes the client look younger. It’s a diva look if you add the longest lash extensions to the middle of the eye or immediately after the arch of the brow. A doll eye look can often use the volume technique towards the middle and natural technique in the outer and inner corners of the eye.
One of the most popular styles that suit most eyes like the winged eyeliner, cat eye really bedazzles the outer corners of the eye. If your client has a round eye, this is the best eye shape. It balances the eye no matter what its shortcomings are, as it can taper the eye profoundly. You can add the highest lengths to the outer corner of the eye.
A subset of this style of lash treatment is the kitten style where the drop in the length of the lashes towards the outer corner of the eye is 25%. It’s great for round eyes.
While most lash styles try to pull off a natural style, Kim-K is an extraordinary style. Kim K uses zig-zag lengths of lashes that create an outstanding style or shape for the eye. Made famous by Kim Kardashian, this style includes 10% longer lashes to your regular map of lashes to polish and perfect the looks. There are Kim-K styles available today.
After the longest lashes adorn below the arch of the brow, in the squirrel style, the length of the lashes categorically descends down to the outer corners of the eye. Squirrel is a combination of multiple styles, you can change it according to the eye of your client. It’s great to open up the eye of the wearer.
Popular among young clients, dramatic is a great style for weddings and other events. This is a good style for adding fluff and volume or even mega volume styles. Dramatic can also include the classic technique and you may uniquely customize according to the eye of the client. You can get eyelashes with perfect fluff for making this lash style on clients for special events.
Most techs learn during beauty and lash training to use sensitive tools. A Certified lash tech will use all the simple and complex tools that involve providing eyelash extensions.
Strip lashes are affixed with a mild adhesive that comes off at the end of the day and eyelash extensions with a medical-grade adhesive that contains the same thing as superglue.
Whether placing false eyelashes, you need the right tweezers. For extensions, this includes isolation and lashing tweezers.
These may be round adhesive or cotton pads kept under the lower lashes. Keep the eyes close while applying for eyelash extensions.
Tapes can hold down the gel pad safely on the skin during lash extension treatment.
These are what lash techs used to affix the glue on the client’s lashes repeatedly during lash extension treatment without damaging the curing capacity of the glue.
You also need spoolies or wands to detangle lashes after cleaning, drying, priming, and even the treatment. Lash brands also offer their branded mascara wands or spoolies to clients as a complimentary gift after the treatment.
A crucial element in maintaining the humidity of the glue while curing, a nano mister works wonders for lash techs. It’s good for extensions.
You also need a fan that’s soft on the false lashes without any pressure to let it dry safely without any damage to the bond while you continue with the full treatment.
Without high-quality eyelash extension tiles, it’s impossible to do a good job. So get your bulk orders custom-made for your brand from a trustworthy China fake eyelashes manufacturer like Dolvlashes.
You should stock and use a lash extension remover if you need to remove the lash extensions of a client prematurely. Remember to get a professional-grade item.
Producing false lashes is a different ball game from hair extensions or other beauty tools. It requires precision work and exclusive human talents too.
Here are the complete processes in a gist:
Take a look at this video showing how false eyelashes are made by hand.
Today there are many lash brands around the world with its sizes of lash fibers including lengths and curls. You can also create your own sizes and styles of lash treatments for clients with your branded lash tiles, accessories, and tools. Working with a private label false eyelash manufacturer like Dolvlashes can help you do all this and much more.
If you do succeed, here are the most successful false eyelashes brands from the world at present:
China is the factory of the entire world where the best eyelashes obviously come from. You can find all types of false eyelashes in China and in different varieties. You need to find a good trustworthy manufacturer for false eyelashes. Let’s find out where to look for exactly that.
Qingdao accounts for 70% of China’s false eyelash production. Dolvlashes is lucky to be in this region which benefits us to support our customers’ business with various kinds of false eyelashes in fresh styles and the latest technology.
Here’s the complete checklist of things you need to keep in mind if you want to order false eyelashes:
When choosing the right manufacturer/supplier to provide your vision of false eyelash products, you need to check if they have the kind of lashes you want. For example, not everyone sells natural fiber lashes like those made from mink, sable, or silk. On the other hand at Dolvlashes, we have all these, synthetic and even human hair eyelashes too. We also stock faux mink for those clients who prefer cruelty-free options.
Every manufacturer has a Minimum Order Quantity. It may range from thousand to ten thousand and more depending on how big the manufacturer is. Pick a manufacturer who has the capacity to produce a large number of false eyelashes so that you can grow and scale up in the future.
At Dolvlashes, our MOQ differs from order to order.
In short, what’s the lead time of the products? This differs from manufacturer to manufacturer with most offering up to 30 days. For stocked products, most manufacturers offer a delivery time of 7 days or over depending on the shipping duration.
However, if you choose to place the order for custom eyelashes, this could take anywhere from 25 to 30 days or more. Confirm the timing with your manufacturer before finalizing the order.
Regardless of who you choose to produce eyelashes and other materials for your brand, it’s important to vet the experience such a person owns in the industry. For starters, we suggest you don’t work with manufacturers with less than one year of experience. Keep the base as two years and go for those manufacturers with over three to five years of experience.
The next best thing to assess the hold of the manufacturer you use in the industry is the variety of false lash options they have. A good manufacturer will have sources to available different raw materials. For example, you can find silk to mink and synthetic false lashes easily. Even if you just like mink, ask the manufacturer about the options they carry.
Yes, you can get the boxes and packages that come with the eyelashes branded with your logo and other props like theme colors. Share your logo, design, and other requirements with Dolvlashes to start with branded false eyelashes box.
Ask your sales representative if the manufacturer you’ve chosen offers free samples. Most manufacturers offer this service and you would only have to pay for shipping. This way you can see what you’re getting as it will be a bulk order ultimately. Make sure to assess the quality properly before you finalize the order.
Wondering how to buy from private label suppliers? We’ve got your back!
While eyelashes were a coveted feature in the olden times, they become even more definitive about beauty now. Although people in the 19th century sewed human hair to their eyelids to beautify their looks, the world has come a long way since then.
Today we have false eyelashes of different types such as synthetic lashes, magnetic lashes, clusters or premade lashes, and eyelash extensions. None of this is invasive and all are completely painless procedures. Of this, the costliest is the eyelash extensions treatment and the cheapest is synthetic lashes.
It all started in 1916 when the director of the Seena Owens movie requested his wigmaker to glue human hair to the eyelashes of the actress to create a specific look. It became popular in Hollywood soon after and kept coming up with improvisations.
By the 2000s, eyelash extensions were a hot commodity with celebs like Madonna and Jennifer Lopez flaunting it at every public appearance. With strip lashes lasting one day and eyelash extensions up to a month, false eyelashes have become much like what spectacles were a few decades ago.
False eyelashes are a huge industry today with many different techniques like classic, volume, and hybrid besides style options like doll, dramatic, cat eye, kitten eye, squirrel, Kim-K, and more. You need lash tweezers, gel pads, spoolies, mascara wands, and remover and start with simple to complex treatments and enhancements for lashes.
False eyelashes are typically made by hand based on different lengths, curls, and thicknesses. Lash techs and brands can buy in bulk these things from manufacturers in China, U.S, or U.K as aforementioned.
But before you order your wholesale order, ask the seven questions above to ensure you get exactly what you want in the end. If you’re thinking of starting with manufacturing false eyelashes and accessories for your brand, get in touch with experts at Dolvlashes today. You don’t need to place any orders, just talk to us to clear your doubts first.
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