A British doctor claims to have invented makeup that will be resistant to acid attacks and prevent victims from being disfigured.
Dr Almas Ahmed has spent the last 10 years developing the non-reactive formula, which she says can be added to any cosmetic product, from foundation to lipstick.
She was inspired to create the compound by Katie Piper, who suffered an acid attack in 2008 at the hands of her ex-boyfriend, leaving her with severe facial injuries, including blindness in one eye.
Ahmed’s compound is also waterproof and has a high boiling point, meaning it should protect wearers from fire-related injuries in addition to the caustic material in acid.
“I started developing this when I was in medical school and I kind of forgot about the issue,” she told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“This summer, when there was lots of acid attacks in the news, it made me want to revisit the idea and finish it off.
“That’s why I have come to this stage now. It’s because it is an issue for me living in this country.”
She explained that adding the compound to pre-owned makeup shouldn’t change the aesthetics of the product.
“It works very well. It blends like a normal foundation. You can apply it to different things, like eyeliners, mascaras, lipsticks and nail varnishes.”
The Bradford-based medic said she is currently awaiting approval from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) but insisted that the product has been tested “and it does work”.
Ahmed hopes to get the products into shops by next summer.
Acid attacks in the UK are on the rise, with the number of incidents rising by a third between 2015 and 2017.
In the first six months of 2017, there were approximately 400 attacks alone, which roughly equates to two a day.
According to Rachel Kearton, the Assistant Chief Constable of Suffolk Police and National Police Chiefs Council, the UK now has “one of the highest rates of recorded acid and corrosive substance attacks per capita in the world.”
