1. W3LL PEOPLE - Natural Expressionist Volumizing Mascara

   
   • # of Shades: 2
   • Waterproof: No
   • Natural & Clean: Yes
   • Organic: No. No color cosmetics with substantial pigment and coverage can be considered “organic” by US standards. This product is 100% mineral and contains no botanical ingredients.
   • Vegan: No. This product contains beeswax.
   • Ethical: Yes
   • Other Claims: Formulated without fragrance, synthetic dyes, gluten, parabens, phthalates, silicone, dimethicone, talc, bismuth oxychloride, and nanoparticles
   • Certifications: Leaping Bunny, PETA, EWG
   • Made in: USA
   • Price: $20
   • # of Reviews: 234
   Buy here.

2. Kjaer Weis - I'm Possible Mascara

   
   • # of Shades: 1
   • Waterproof: None claimed
   • Natural & Clean: Yes
   • Organic: Yes. Certified Organic under the EcoCert COSMOS European certification.
   • Vegan: No. This product contains certified organic beeswax.
   • Ethical: No claims
   • Other Claims: none
   • Certifications: EcoCert COSMOS Certified Organic
   • Made in: unknown
   • Price: $26
   • # of Reviews: 80
   Buy here.

3. Burt's Bees - Nourishing Mascara

   
   • # of Shades: 2
   • Waterproof: None claimed
   • Natural & Clean: Yes
   • Organic: No. No color cosmetics with substantial pigment and coverage can be considered “organic” by US standards. This product is 100% mineral and contains no botanical ingredients.
   • Vegan: No. This product contains beeswax.
   • Ethical: Yes.
   • Other Claims: Formulated without fragrance, gluten, parabens, phthalates, silicone, dimethicone, talc, bismuth oxychloride, and nanoparticles
   • Certifications: CarbonNeutral certified
   • Made in: USA
   • Price: $13
   • # of Reviews: 6798
   Buy here.

4. Ilia - Limitless Lash Mascara

   
   • # of Shades: 1
   • Waterproof: None claimed
   • Natural & Clean: Yes
   • Organic: No. No color cosmetics with substantial pigment and coverage can be considered “organic” by US standards. This product is 100% mineral and contains no botanical ingredients.
   • Vegan: No. Contains beeswax.
   • Ethical: Claims “no animal testing” but the brand is apparently not affiliated with a certification.
   • Other Claims: Formulated without fragrance, gluten, soy, parabens, phthalates, silicone, dimethicone, talc, bismuth oxychloride, and nanoparticles
   • Certifications: GFCO Certified Gluen-Free
   • Made in: USA
   • Price: $28
   • # of Reviews: 3225
   Buy here.

5. Honest Beauty - Extreme Mascara + Lash Primer

   
   • # of Shades: 1
   • Waterproof: None claimed
   • Natural & Clean: Yes
   • Organic: No. No color cosmetics with substantial pigment and coverage can be considered “organic” by US standards. This product is 100% mineral and contains no botanical ingredients.
   • Vegan: No. This product contains beeswax.
   • Ethical: Claims “no animal testing” but the brand is apparently not affiliated with a certification.
   • Other Claims: Dermatologist & Ophthalmologist Tested, Formulated without fragrance, gluten, parabens, paraffin, phthalates, silicone, dimethicone, talc, bismuth oxychloride, and nanoparticles
   • Certifications: EWG Certified
   • Made in: China
   • Price: $16.99
   • # of Reviews: 16598
   Buy here.

6. Thrive Causemetics - Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara

   
   • # of Shades: 1
   • Waterproof: None claimed
   • Natural & Clean: Yes
   • Organic: No. No color cosmetics with substantial pigment and coverage can be considered “organic” by US standards. This product is 100% mineral and contains no botanical ingredients.
   • Vegan: Yes
   • Ethical: Yes. Certified Cruelty-free by PETA and Leaping Bunny
   • Other Claims: Formulated without fragrance, gluten, parabens, phthalates, silicone, dimethicone, talc, bismuth oxychloride, and nanoparticles
   • Certifications:  PETA and Leaping Bunny
   • Made in: USA
   • Price: $21
   • # of Reviews: 949
   Buy here.

7. Kosas - The Big Clean Volumizing + Lash Care Mascara

   
   • # of Shades: 1
   • Waterproof: None claimed
   • Natural & Clean: Yes
   • Organic: No. No color cosmetics with substantial pigment and coverage can be considered “organic” by US standards. This product is 100% mineral and contains no botanical ingredients.
   • Vegan: Yes
   • Ethical: Claims “no animal testing” but the brand is apparently not affiliated with a certification.
   • Other Claims: Formulated without fragrance, gluten, parabens, phthalates, silicone, dimethicone, talc, bismuth oxychloride, and nanoparticles
   • Certifications:
   • Made in: USA
   • Price: $26
   • # of Reviews: 120
   Buy here.

8. Westman Atelier - Eye Love You Mascara

   
   • # of Shades: 1
   • Waterproof: Not claimed
   • Natural & Clean: Yes
   • Organic: No. No color cosmetics with substantial pigment and coverage can be considered “organic” by US standards. This product is 100% mineral and contains no botanical ingredients.
   • Vegan: No. This formula contains beeswax.
   • Ethical: Claims “no animal testing” but the brand is apparently not affiliated with a certification.
   • Other Claims: Formulated without silicones,  parabens, PEGs, phthalates, synthetic fragrances.
   • Certifications: None visible
   • Made in: Italy
   • Price: $58
   • # of Reviews: 70
   Buy here.

Why Do Some Mascaras Irritate My Eyes?

Have you ever stopped to wonder what’s actually in mascara? As it turns out, the list of ingredients is a long one, including many buzzword synthetic chemicals that you may now be trying to avoid:

• Synthetic dyes
• Micro-fibers (like Nylon)
• Paraben preservatives
• Phthalates
• Carcinogens such as carbon black
• Petroleum derivatives
• Aluminum
• Formaldehyde releasing ingredients
• And natural ingredients such as essential oils

When you apply mascara to your lashes, you expose your body to all of these chemicals through the mucus membrane of your eyes. If your body is particularly sensitive to both the fumes from the product and small particles and fibers (Yes! Many mascaras have micro nylon fibers to increase volume and length, which can flake off and fall into your eyes).

In the last few years, a new movement has emerged advocating for developing the best clean beauty mascara made from a blend of natural and “safe” synthetic ingredients. (You can read more about my thoughts on “clean beauty” here at the top of my Best Natural and Clean Foundations blog.) I’m happy to share several note-worthy clean and natural mascaras to try.

Why Does Mascara Contain All Those Irritating Ingredients?

You might wonder why so many large companies insist on using such potentially irritating ingredients in their products. Beyond concerns regarding cost-effectiveness, producing mascara comes with a particularly difficult challenge: the threat of bacteria. Since this product is going against (and by accident, sometimes IN your eye), it is critical to preserve the mascara well to prevent bacterial, fungal, and mold contamination.

Generally, any element of makeup with a liquid consistency will have an increased risk of promoting bacterial growth. The more you expose that liquid to air, the greater the risk, and how mascara is handled tends to get exposed to air a lot. The mascara ingredients in a warm dark container are the perfect recipe for bacterial, fungal, and mold growth.

As it turns out, the companies producing these mascaras know the dangers of bacterial, mold, and fungal growth. That’s why many ingredients in the mascara formula are preservatives, added to keep these nasties out of your eye makeup, specifically so you don’t get an infection. Unfortunately, adding those ingredients trades one danger for another.

While you’re less likely to get a bacterial, fungal, or mold infection, the very nature of a preservative is to kill microbes which are harsh. It’s a delicate balance; sometimes, your body cannot handle that specific preservative ingredient blend.

At the same time, the creators of natural mascara face an additional challenge with natural preservatives because they aren’t as comprehensive or strong as their synthetic cousins. Natural mascara formulators are constantly challenged with finding ways to reduce the risk of bacterial growth without introducing a new health hazard of an inferior natural preservative that doesn’t eliminate all bacteria in the natural mascara.

The second mascara challenge that can lead to an irritating formula is wearability. It’s important that a mascara formula adheres to each lash evenly and does not flake or smudge. The best mascara ingredients ensure a long-wear mascara formula that is also gentle for sensitive eyes. 

Not All Clean and Natural Mascaras Are Equal

Even if you’re determined to locate the best clean ingredient mascara, it can be difficult. You’ve likely already have your preferences for mascara developed over years of use. Whether you prefer an affordable drugstore variety, an extra-strength waterproof product, or one particularly effective at volumizing, tracking down the best clean mascara alternative for that same product may take some time.

There’s so much information to comb through, and it can be easy to lose steam when working independently. After all, when you already have your ideal brand of mascara that gives you a perfect curl every time, it can be challenging to cast it aside, even though it’s consistently irritating your eyes. Clean and natural mascara comes in many options, and not all are of equal quality.

Some creators struggle to develop their formula, leaving others with stiff, flaky lashes. Others end up with such a watered-down consistency that it hardly looks like you’ve applied any mascara. Another issue with locating the best clean ingredient mascara is the issue of misleading labels and false advertising.

As the popularity of natural and clean cosmetics continues to increase, more and more big-name makeup-up stores have started to reserve specific sections of their stores to cater exclusively to those seeking natural beauty products. However, as you search the options available for the best clean mascara at Sephora, you might stumble upon products that aren’t all that natural.

“Natural” and “Clean Cosmetics” Definition Drama

The term “natural cosmetics” is not currently defined by the US Food and Drug Administration, which means that the term is technically open to interpretation. This leaves room for makeup companies to play with this loophole and apply their own definition of “natural” and “clean” to capture more customers’ attention. What percentage of a natural cosmetic formula must be natural to be considered a natural cosmetic product? Is 50% natural enough? While certain clean beauty brands have made attempts, no one agrees on a definition in the United States as of 2023.

We are confronted with the same issue with the definition of “clean cosmetics.” One interpretation of “clean beauty” means the product can only use synthetic ingredients not known to be toxic or hazardous at this time, along with “safe” natural ingredients. However, traditional cosmetic brands, their governing cosmetic associations, and the FDA don’t think clean beauty brands’ long list of “toxic” cosmetic ingredients actually are toxic. 

In fact, Sephora was recently sued in a class action lawsuit over “Clean” cosmetic claims. The lawsuit claims that Sephora deceptively sells beauty products that contain synthetic and harmful ingredients under its “Clean at Sephora” program. The lawsuit alleges that a “significant percentage of products with the ‘Clean At Sephora’ contain ingredients inconsistent with how consumers understand this term.” The suit actually uses an example of mascara in the “Clean at Sephora” category to highlight what the plaintiffs called Sephora’s deceptive practices. 

The fact is there isn’t one definition or consumer understanding of the term clean cosmetics or even the term natural cosmetics. With the lack of an established definition that everyone agrees upon, each beauty brand, retailer, and the consumer still must wade through and define what natural cosmetics and clean cosmetics mean to them and how they define “harmful ingredients.”

Because of all this ambiguity, there have been attempts to standardize the system by implementing certifications to verify that a product is truly “natural.” However, they are not uniformly applied, making them just as confusing and unhelpful.

What’s A Girl To Do? 

Inform yourself, and read the opinions of both sides of the conversation. And trust your body. If your body reacts to a product, stop using it and observe if you have a similar negative reaction to other products that may have the same ingredients. If you are very cautious, you may want to use products with limited ingredient lists, so it’s easier to isolate the offending ingredient if you react negatively.

We are always discovering new things, and opinions about what is safe and what is not change over the years. Just because we currently don’t have evidence supporting the toxicity of a substance doesn’t mean we might not discover it later in the future. For example, in France and England, the radioactive ingredient Radium was once considered a harmless cosmetic ingredient with useful, luminous properties for cosmetics. It was only several years after the disastrous effect of radium on the human body was discovered. While many think we have learned the lessons from the past, history has an uncanny way of repeating itself. 

What Is The Best Clean Mascara?

This is a lot to take in. How can you be sure that your product is genuinely clean and natural while also being effective as mascara? The short answer? I have a lot of research and years of industry experience developing natural cosmetics and mascaras. I know what ingredients, products, and brands often irritate me and the thousands of women I have worked with over the years. And I know which natural and clean cosmetic brands reliably make high-quality products that generally work well for sensitive people. That being said, the above list is a suggestion, not a guarantee. 

To curate this content, I combed through all the different products available, considering multiple things with each assessment. For starters, the label “natural” or “clean” is not enough. Instead of relying on terms that could easily be incorrectly applied by eager advertising teams, I examined the actual ingredients used in each product to ensure they were generally considered safe for use on sensitive eyes. And while I have been a cosmetic product developer for many years, I am not a toxicologist, I’m not your doctor, and I can’t predict the future of what may be discovered down the road as harmful. 

Outside of passing my personal ingredient list review, there’s the actual, practical experience of the product. Did it work in the way it was intended? Did it offer any additional desirable features, such as nourishing and conditioning the lashes, water-resistant coverage, high volumizing, or easy application?

All of these details were considered to provide you with a list of the best clean and natural mascaras for 2023.

What’s the Best Way to Clean a Mascara Brush?

While many creators of mascara have found alternate methods of inhibiting bacterial growth, it’s still important to keep your mascara brush as clean as possible. Not only is this good for your health, but it also ensures you continue getting beautiful lashes when applying your mascara.

Over time, layers of mascara can form on the wand’s bristles. If left unaddressed, this can result in extremely clumpy, uneven lashes. Ideally, the mascara formula wouldn’t clump. If you feel you must wipe off the wand before reinserting it into the tube, please take hygienic measures to ensure you aren’t introducing bacteria into the mascara tube with your brush cleaning method.

How best to clean the mascara brush?

Figuring out how best to clean a mascara brush might initially sound a little intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be! Here are a few simple steps to keep your brushes clean and bacteria-free:

1. Wipe off the excess mascara. Using a clean paper towel, gently remove the excess clumps, careful not to crush the bristles.
2. Soak the wand in hot water. Hot water is effective at loosening up any residual layers of mascara. Just ensure it’s not too hot, or you’ll risk melting your wand!
3. Soak the wand in rubbing alcohol. This should help with the final, more stubborn layers of mascara.
4. Pat the wand dry. Using a clean paper towel, gently pat the wand across the surface until it is completely dry.
5. Check the tube opening for additional clumps of mascara. Tubes of mascara often accumulate layers of the stuff around the opening. These dry flakes can be removed with a rubbing alcohol-dampened cotton swab.

If you’re working with waterproof mascara, it may prove a little more stubborn. When cleaning a wand with waterproof mascara, try soaking the wand in makeup remover in place of the hot water. At the end of the process, you’ll be left with a clean, sanitized brush.

What’s the best way to remove mascara from your eyes?

Mascara should be applied to your eyelashes only, taking care to stay away from the waterline. Even the less irritating ingredients in mascara can cause irritation and infection if you leave them on overnight. That’s why you must remove your mascara and other eye makeup completely before bed.

The best way to remove mascara from your eyes is to:

1. Soak an organic cotton pad in a gentle, natural eye makeup remover or natural oil like olive oil or coconut oil.
2. Swipe the pad over your eyelashes in a down-and-away direction. Do not rub your eyes with the pad.
3. Dip a Q-tip in the makeup remover or oil to clean under the lower lash line and remove any remaining pigment.
4. Alternatively, or in addition to the above technique, gently use a damp microfiber makeup remover cloth to remove the remaining mascara residue. 

When Does Mascara Expire?

Gentle natural, clean mascaras will irritate your eyes if they have expired and start to grow bacteria. All cosmetics have expiration dates, but natural and clean cosmetics, especially mascara, have much quicker expiration dates.  Even with all proper preservatives, bacterial growth is still possible, and the risk of such growth increases over time.

With this in mind, you may wonder, “When should I throw out my mascara?”

According to the FDA, mascara should be discarded after three months after purchase. Remember that mascara’s greatest problem is its exposure to air which accelerates bacterial growth. If you’re unsure about the status, it’s better to be safe than sorry when protecting your eyes. For natural mascara, the recommendation is actually about the same. Using your clean or natural mascara any longer than 3-4 months is risky.

Another thing to remember when asking, “How long does mascara last?” is the consistency of the product. If it’s overly dried out and clumpy, it’s likely past its prime. When expired, mascara conveniently lets you know as much by emitting a nasty odor, so if sniffing it suddenly makes you wrinkle your nose, it’s probably time to toss the tube. When in doubt, throw it out. Your eyes are too precious to gamble with.

I’m committed to focusing our recommendations on products that align with what most clean beauty brands consider clean and natural. I’m curious about which ones you’ve tried and what mascara you currently consider your ride-or-die. Let me know in the comments!

 

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