I tested 3 natural mascara options made with non-toxic ingredients and give you a full review here, with all the pros and cons of each. Hint: I FOUND 2 WINNERS! Using actually clean beauty products is a must for your wellness, but they also need to work effectively!
Once living a non-toxic life becomes important to you, there's a whole lot you need to change!
In this day and age, we are surrounded by chemicals in our hair care, makeup, skincare, cleaning products, laundry products, and more!
I started with the easiest swaps I could make, I knew there was no way to make those switches all at once.
DIY hand soap and body wash (I just use the hand soap recipe for body wash) were where I started. It's ridiculously easy! I bought a large bottle of castile soap and used that for the soap, but also to replace a ton of my cleaning products.
Next, I found and adapted a moisturizer recipe that I now use in the morning, and recently started making tallow balm, which I use before bed.
Over time, I started using a DIY all-purpose cleaner and DIY glass cleaner that I found to be very effective. I also make shea butter bath bombs, which are so fun and moisturizing!
At some point in there, I actually tried making DIY mascara a couple of different ways and it was a MASSIVE fail. So much work, so ineffective. Perhaps there is a good recipe out there, but after a few attempts, I decided it wasn't worth it to try anymore.
So began my search for non-toxic mascaras that truly wouldn't harm me, but would still make my lashes look great and stay on all day!
WHY not Use COnventional Mascara?
Traditional mascaras are designed to perform well, with no thought or care as to how the ingredients used will affect your health.
Some common ingredients in a lot of conventional mascaras are:
- Parabens (preservatives that are known hormone disruptors)
- Propylene glycol (toxic to the lungs, reproductive and other organs)
- Retinol acetate (banned in Canada, causes cell changes and is possibly a carcinogen)
- Aluminum powder and other heavy metals (neurotoxin)
- Synthetic fragrances and synthetic dyes (all kinds of toxic chemicals, so all kinds of possible health effects)
- Colorants, such as carbon black (can cause lung disease, heart disease, cancer and birth defects!)
If you have sensitive eyes, you'll agree that conventional mascaras are a big no-no! Contact lens wearers will agree, too.
When I used whatever mascara looked good from the drugstore, I found that by the end of the day, I would have black goop in the corners of my eyes and they would be stinging slightly. Not at all pleasant and I had the feeling that whatever was in the mascara was making it into my body and wreaking havoc.
It could have been some of my other eye makeup contributing as well, but the point is, all conventional makeup is irritating and harmful! That's why it's so important to use healthy mascara and other clean makeup products, with natural pigments, carnauba waxes, mineral oil, jojoba oil etc.
What About Waterproof Mascara?
Waterproof mascara is even worse than regular mascara because it needs to be essentially immovable, which means it requires harsher chemicals. This makes it very difficult to remove. You can cause damage to your eyes and lashes and of course to your health, by regularly using those harsh chemicals on your eyes.
Look for organic water-resistant mascara with natural ingredients as an alternative. Of these three, I'd say the Toups and Co. mascara is the most water-resistant (although it's not marketed as such) and the Physician's Formula is the least.
Is it Actually Non-Toxic and Natural?
With all the expert marketers and greenwashers out there, it's basically impossible to look at a product and know for sure if it's really non-toxic and made without harmful ingredients.
Looking at the ingredient lists can give you some idea, but they can also be manipulated, so it's important to do a little research before you commit to buying something.
I always turn to EWG (Environmental Working Group) and its research/resources to determine if certain organic mascaras (and other products) are actually harmless.
EWG Skin Deep
The EWG is a nonprofit organization that provides extensive research on chemicals, pesticides, pollutants and more! They have a website called EWG's Skin Deep. Here you can search for any brand, product, or ingredient and you'll be given a score on the non-toxic scale of EWG verified (0- the best) to 10 (the worst).
If they don't have a certain product in their database, you can "build your own report" by inputting the list of ingredients in the product, and you'll get a score with the full breakdown of how each individual ingredient scored.
So next time you're considering buying a "natural" makeup, skincare, haircare, cleaning or laundry product, check it with EWG's Skin Deep first!
Toups & Co. Organics - Long Lash Mascara
Use my code THEHOMEINTENT10 for 10% off your order at Toups & Co.!
Ingredients: From the Toups & Co. website, here is the full ingredient list: "Spring Water, *Chamomile Hydrosol, *Zea Mays Starch, Carnauba Wax, Mica (CI 77019), *Coffea Arabica Powder, *Rice Powder, *Sunflower Seed Oil, Lecithin, Sunflower Tocopherol (Vitamin E), *Oregano Leaf Extract, Thyme Extract, *Cinnamon Bark Extract, *Rosemary Flower Extract, *Goldenseal Root Extract *Lemon Peel Extract, Vanilla, [+/- May Contain]: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77499, CI 7749, CI 77492). (*Certified Organic Ingredients)"
Not too bad! EWG's Skin Deep database hasn't rated any Toups and Co. products, so I created a report with this ingredient list. It gave a score of 5 out of 10 or "fair". Not the best score, but not too bad.
The ingredients of concern (with a score of 3 or more out of 10) were cinnamon bark extract (allergy/immunotoxicity concerns), lemon peel extract (allergy/immunotoxicity, non-reproductive organ toxicity and irritation concerns) and titanium dioxide (cancer and non-reproductive organ toxicity concerns).
The rest of the ingredients scored 1 or 2 out of 10 and were therefore considered of little to no concern regarding their possible health effects.
A few ingredients weren't found in their database, so were not included in the report: coffea arabica powder, sunflower tocopherol and oregano leaf extract.
Pros: Great at both volumizing and lengthening. Lasted all day with no smudging or flaking. Also, I noticed I had stronger, thicker lashes after a few months of use.
Cons: Somewhat difficult to remove- takes some effort! Has a very strong smell, although the smell is natural. This may be a pro for some, but it's a con for my very sensitive nose!
Brush shape: Classic mascara brush (like these)- works just fine!
Cost: $26.00 USD + free shipping on orders over $100 USD. (I live in Canada, so with the exchange rate, shipping and customs fees, I pay a lot more, making this the most expensive option. If I lived in the United States, it'd be much more worth it to order from Toups)
Well People - Expressionist Volumizing Mascara
Ingredients: From the Well People website, here is the full ingredient list: Water (Aqua), C10-18 Triglycerides, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax/Copernicia Cerifera Cera, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Wax/Helianthus Annuus Seed Cera, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Palmitic Acid, Glycerin, Olea Europaea(Olive)Oil Unsaponifiables/Olea Europaea Oil Unsaponifiables, Shorea Robusta Resin, Glyceryl Caprylate, Octyldodecanol, Aminomethyl Propanol, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Rhus Verniciflua Peel Wax/Rhus Verniciflua Peel Cera, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate, Tocopherol, Glyceryl Undecylenate, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil/Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
The 2019 formulation has been analyzed by EWG and given a score of 3 out of 10. Better! However, this is not the current formulation that I tested, so I again created a report with the ingredient list.
I had to remove a lot of the extra words so the ingredients could be matched in their database, so this is what the ingredient list became after I removed some of the unnecessary words: "Water, C10-18 Triglycerides, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Carnauba Wax, Sunflower Seed Wax, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Palmitic Acid, Glycerin, Olive Oil Unsaponifiables, Shorea Robusta Resin, Glyceryl Caprylate, Octyldodecanol, Aminomethyl Propanol, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Rhus Verniciflua Peel Wax, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate, Tocopherol, Glyceryl Undecylenate, Sunflower Seed Oil"
This came out with a score of 2 out of 10. Even better!!
There was only one ingredient of potential concern (had a score of 3 out of 10) and that was aminomethyl propanol (ecotoxicology, irritation and contamination concerns).
The rest of the ingredients scored 1 or 2 out of 10 and were therefore considered of little to no concern regarding their possible health effects.
Pros: Great at lengthening and volumizing. Stays on very well throughout the day. Comes off easily with a bit of coconut oil. Barely a scent, which I appreciate.
Cons: Flakes very slightly, it's almost not worth mentioning, but it does happen.
Brush shape: Hourglass-shaped brush (has a slight curve down in the middle of the brush all around). Very easy to use!
Cost: $20 USD + free shipping on orders over $50 USD. (Here in Canada I can order this on several Canadian websites for between $26 and $28 CAD.)
Physician's Formula - Organic Wear Lash-Boosting Mascara
Ingredients: From the Physician's Formula website: "CITRUS AURANTIUM DULCIS (ORANGE) FRUIT WATER*, GLYCERIN*, GLYCERYL STEARATE SE, WATER/EAU, BEESWAX/CIRE D'ABEILLE*, ORYZA SATIVA (RICE) EXTRACT*, TAPIOCA STARCH*,
COPERNICIA CERIFERA (CARNAUBA) WAX/CIRE DE CARNAUBA*, ORYZA SATIVA (RICE) POWDER*, JOJOBA ESTERS, STEARIC ACID, MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE, GLYCERYL CAPRYLATE, YOGURT EXTRACT*, LEUCONOSTOC/RADISH ROOT FERMENT FILTRATE, LEUCONOSTOC FERMENT FILTRATE, GLYCINE SOJA (SOYBEAN) OIL*, MAGNESIUM ALUMINUM SILICATE, SACCHAROMYCES/COPPER FERMENT, SACCHAROMYCES/IRON FERMENT, SACCHAROMYCES/MAGNESIUM FERMENT, SACCHAROMYCES/SILICON FERMENT, SACCHAROMYCES/ZINC FERMENT, GLYCERIN, SOYBEAN PEROXIDASE, SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE, ALOE BARBADENSIS LEAF EXTRACT*, OLEA EUROPAEA (OLIVE) LEAF EXTRACT*, CUCUMIS SATIVUS (CUCUMBER) FRUIT EXTRACT*, IRON OXIDES (CI 77499). *Ingredients from Organic Farming"
The current formulation has been analyzed by EWG and given a score of 2 out of 10. A great score!
The only ingredient of concern (with a score of 3 out of 10) was saccharomyces/zinc ferment (bioaccumulation and non-reproductive organ system toxicity concerns).
The rest of the ingredients scored 1 or 2 out of 10 and were therefore considered of little to no concern regarding their possible health effects.
Pros: Decent at volumizing and lengthening. Comes off very easily (too easily...) Barely any scent.
Cons: Requires at least a second coat to achieve the same look as the other two mascaras. Take a very long time to dry, and in that time, transfers to the lower lashes and brows, creating a mess! Will not last all day. Racoon eyes for sure.
Brush shape: Soft plastic bristles in a rounded shape (narrower on the ends and widest in the middle). I didn't find this brush very user-friendly.
Cost: The cheapest option of the three, at $10.99 USD + Free US shipping on orders $25+ on the Physician's Formula website. (Here in Canada I can order this on several Canadian websites for about $15-17 CAD.)
Final Thoughts on Natural Mascaras
THE WINNER: Well People Expressionist Volumizing Mascara
- Ties for the lowest EWG score (least toxic)
- Performs very well
- Price is reasonable, especially for the quality
(VERY CLOSE) RUNNER UP: Toups & Co. Long Lash Mascara (Use my code THEHOMEINTENT10 for 10% off your order)
- Slightly higher EWG score (more toxic than the others)
- Performs very well (and caused good lash growth!)
- Price is higher
LOSER: Physician's Formula Organic Wear Lash Boosting Mascara
- Ties for lowest EWG score (least toxic)
- Requires more coats, is messy to apply and doesn't last
- Price is the lowest (although it's not worth it)
For now, my plan is to use the Well People mascara regularly and if I feel like my lashes are needing some growth or strength, get and use a tube of Toups and Co to help with that, then return to using the Well People. I will not try the Physician's Formula mascara again.
Have you tried these mascaras or any others? If so, let us know your thoughts in the comments below. I'm always open to better options!
Chantal
Thank you for this! I am definitely going to be trying out the Well People brand!
Errika
You're welcome! I hope you like it as much as I do!