A woman has come forward to share her experience after allegedly suffering an eye injury following a lash extension appointment at Perky Lash’s Tai Seng outlet.
The university student, who requested to stay anonymous, shared with MS News that she visited the salon on 21 May at around 4.30pm as a lash model for a complimentary eyelash extension service carried out by an unsupervised trainee.
According to the customer, she went for a free lash extension service that would be done by a trainee.
Source: pixelshot. Image for illustration purposes only.
“No terms and conditions or waiver were provided to me beforehand, and I was not informed in advance regarding who the trainee was,” the customer explained.
She also alleged that the trainee was left alone with her for around 40 minutes while the senior lash technician was away.
When the senior technician eventually returned, the customer claimed she realised the trainee had used the wrong type of lashes for the session.
“This raised immediate concerns to me regarding the salon’s supervision and safety standards during the procedure.”
The customer said she then began experiencing stinging and tearing in her right eye immediately after the session.
Source: Andrei310. Image for illustration purposes only.
At first, she believed the discomfort would subside.
However, later that evening, around 7pm, the customer claimed that the situation deteriorated.
“The condition worsened into visible redness, soreness, irritation, and pain, which made it difficult to close my eyes,” she described.
She added that the symptoms persisted for the next few days.
The customer later sought treatment at Northeast Medical Group, where she incurred S$78.64 in medical expenses.
Image courtesy of MS News reader
She claimed that the condition was assessed as a likely severe irritation caused by a chemical burn, which she said carried a “possibility to cause blindness”.
Following the incident, the woman said she contacted the salon to request reimbursement for her medical expenses.
“The salon refused responsibility and instead blamed the incident on a possible ‘sensitivity or allergic reaction’,” she added.
Instead, they offered a complimentary lash extension removal and eye cleansing.
Image courtesy of MS News reader
The customer disputed this explanation, saying she has been getting eyelash extensions regularly for nearly a year without experiencing similar reactions previously.
She further alleged that the salon insisted she return to the outlet despite her already providing evidence of the incident and medical treatment.
According to the customer, the outlet has received multiple “one-star reviews”.
She shared with MS News: “Others have also mentioned their recurring issue of pushing the blame [on] customers instead of taking accountability as a service establishment.”
Since receiving medical treatment, the customer shared that the redness in her eye has “mostly subsided”, though some aching pain and discomfort is still present.
She added that the salon subsequently “continued to deny responsibility and refused” to cover her medical expenses.
They repeatedly insisted that I return to the salon for ‘lash removal’ and to examine the lashes, even though I had already provided sufficient evidence.
Image courtesy of MS News reader
She remains adamant that the issue was the “improper handling” from the lash technicians, leading to “high dosage of chemical products entering [her] eye during the procedure”.
The customer emphasised that beauty salons have a duty of care towards customers, regardless of whether the service is paid or complimentary.
“Customers should not suffer physical injury due to improper handling of products, resulting in the product getting in my eye or inadequate supervision during procedures, which they refused to admit and take accountability for.”
By sharing her experience publicly, the customer said she hopes to raise awareness about customer safety and encourage others who may have faced similar incidents to speak up.
Source: Perky Lash
“This incident caused me significant distress, where I genuinely feared potential vision loss,” she said.
The customer has since filed a complaint with the Consumer Association of Singapore (CASE) and is currently waiting for a review.
In response to queries from MS News, Perky Lash said it takes customer safety and feedback seriously, and expressed regret over the customer’s experience.
“We reached out to the customer and invited her to return to the salon for an in-person assessment,” Perky Lash stated.
The salon said this would have allowed staff to “better understand the situation”, examine the lash application, and provide support where necessary, including complimentary lash removal.
Perky Lash also added that sensitivities or irritation may occasionally occur during beauty procedures involving adhesives, especially around the eye area.
Source: Perky Lash
“During lash procedures, customers are advised to keep their eyes closed to minimise potential irritation from adhesive fumes, and guidance is provided throughout the session.”
It further noted that a post-treatment photo was taken after the appointment and that no immediate concerns were raised at the time.
Perky Lash said the medical documents shared with them did not contain a diagnosis attributing the customer’s condition to a chemical burn or directly linking the symptoms to the lash procedure.
“To date, an in-person assessment has not been possible despite our request for the customer to return to the salon. To date, an in-person assessment has not been possible despite our request for the customer to return to the salon,” they said.
The salon explained that requesting an in-person assessment was part of its standard process for handling customer concerns before determining whether reimbursement or other forms of support would be appropriate.
“Customer well-being and satisfaction are always of utmost importance to us, and we remain committed to maintaining appropriate service and safety standards in our salon,” Perky Lash stated.
“We are grateful for our customers’ trust and support, reflected in all the positive reviews across our platforms, and we strive to continuously improve our service and customer experience.”
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Featured image adapted from pixelshot and Andrei310 on Canva. For illustration purposes only.