Last week Shiseido Co and Ritsumeikan University debuted LED eyelashes in Las Vegas. But they aren’t the first company to release LED lashes.
Cosmetics giant Shiseido and Ritsumeikan University revealed new LED eyelashes at the 2018 CES tech conference in Las Vegas last week. They even explained how they work.
Shisedo LED Eyelashes
The battery free LED eyelashes are powered by a receiver device with an LED light and an antenna attached to a pair of false eyelashes. The lashes light up as long as they are within approximately five feet (1.5 m) of the wireless transmitter. The microwave transmitter is about 3.5 cm long.
The research team was led by Professor Takakuni Doseki who specializes in electrical engineering. He said the LED eyelashes have no harmful effects on the body.
It is not yet clear when Shiseido intends to release the new beauty product to the public.
f.lashes at Maker Faire
Last year Tien Pham and his partner showcased f.lashes at Maker Faire in San Francisco. They also set up a Kickstarter that raised more than triple their goal of $40,000.
The f.lashes are a tiny strip of LED lights that stick to the eyelids with adhesive. They blink in seven different colors and they light up in various patterns depending on how you move. However they are controlled by means of a connecting wire and a controller that is carried along.
According to the official f.lashes website the product works underwater.
Other LED Eyelashes
Beauty blogger Soomi Park invented a pair of LED lashes in 2005.
Unfortunately for f.lashes their product is now widely available from online retail distributors for less money. It turns out it is not very difficult to glue LED lights to your face. And they sell LED’s in bulk.
But the technology has not been perfected. An article in the International Business Times cautions that there have been complaints of exposure to UV rays, which could lead to blurred vision or even blindness.
LED eyelashes are for sale on Amazon, Ebay and Walmart.com for prices ranging from $2 to $20.
Wear your new LED false eyelashes with a lot of body glitter. Check out the Spring 2018 EDM festival calendar.