There’s no allegiance like that of a girl to her mascara.
But what some girls don’t know is that many mascaras contain seriously dangerous chemicals. For example, if you go to the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database and search Maybelline Great Lash Mascara, the ubiquitous pink-and-green tube that’s arguably the best-selling mascara in America, you find the stuff tests positive for quaternium-15, which is linked to allergies, irritation and formaldehyde contamination, as well as triethanolamine, linked to immunotoxicity, organ system toxicity and nitrosamine contamination.
Not exactly the kind of chemicals you want to put next to your peepers.
So why don’t we all just switch to mascaras that forgo potentially harmful chemicals in favor of safer lash plumpers like shea butter and beeswax? It all comes down to allegiance. Once a girl graduates from the cheap-o drugstore brands she pilfered during high school and settles on a cosmetics counter special that layers on without smudging, she’s pretty much sold for life.
But trust us, you can find a clean mascara that performs as well as your favorite premium brand. In past posts, we’ve put Honeybee Gardens mascara to the “Beaches” test and chopped onions with Josie Maran to try out her brand’s staying power. More recently, Paige Padgett effused over Dr. Haushka’s high-end lash-lengthener. Take that, YSL.
And here at EcoStiletto central, it seems like every time we turn around we find another natural mascara that layers up lusciously or slicks on sparsely, depending on your druthers.
First up is Lavera’s vegan Mascara Volume with organic jojoba and rose, which performs like a traditional mainstream brand: Fairly liquid and spreadable, this mascara is perfect for transforming short lashes into long, but might not be the best choice for the girl with long, yet sparse, lashes.
Couleur Caramel lets you choose your poison, as they’ve got a thickening formula designed for short lashes, and a lengthening formula for long. Regardless of your choice, these are super clean mascaras, formulated with shea butter and acacia gum—however, they were a little smudgy during testing.
Our favorite of the pack—for any type of lash—is Jane Iredale’s Longest Lash, which is formulated with conditioning algae extracts, instead of water, and cellulose fibers for thickness. This stuff makes good on its claims of serious thickening and lengthening, is the only mascara to be sold in a squeezable package, which, they say, contains 75% more product than your average mascara tube, and just plain sticks without smudge.
And to make any mascara work 100% better, try Jane’s PureLash Conditioner, which we showcased on last week’s EcoStiletto TV. It looks like white mascara and slicks on without clumping, building lash thickness and length at the ends. Let it dry, then cover the white with your mascara color of choice and voila! Noticeably thicker, longer lashes without falsies, and no raccoon eyes in sight.
These mascaras don’t cost any more than department store brands. And they’re not potentially dangerous. Seriously, girls, isn’t it time to switch?
Now through the end of July get 15% off on all Couleur Caramel products at www.natureofbeauty.com when you read up on this week's Beauty section!
Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff is the founder and editor of EcoStiletto. You can find more info about Rachel on our About Us page.
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