Your eyes are windows to your soul… and a chemical sponge!
You know that everything you put on your skin is absorbed into your bloodstream. But did you know that the skin around your eyes is the thinnest skin, and so it more readily absorbs the chemicals in your cosmetics? If you are transitioning to non-toxic makeup, you should detox your eye makeup first.
Mascara may not seem like it can be absorbed into the skin because it coats the eyelashes. However, when is the last time you applied mascara without it touching the eyelash roots, where the lashes meets the skin? The rule “if you wouldn’t eat it, don’t put it on your skin” definitely applies to mascara.
Over the years, I’ve searched high and low for a truly natural mascara that rivals the performance of conventional mascara. I met with many disappointments but also discovered a couple of standouts. Here is my Natural Mascara Showdown!
Natural mascaras that I won’t repurchase
Beauty Without Cruelty Mascara, found here at Vitacost – This didn’t work for me. The words that comes to mind? Gloopy. Sticky. I think the formula boasts high potential to be extremely volumizing and lengthening if paired with a different applicator, but the wand picks up too much mascara and distributes it to heavily.
Lavera Volumizing Mascara, found here at Vitacost – I’ve used other Lavera cosmetics with success, but for this price of this natural mascara, it didn’t meet my expectations. When I used it, the brush picked up too much mascara, which went on overly wet and tended to clump. The formula is extremely gentle – designed for the most sensitive eyes – and washes off easily.
Natural mascaras that I enjoyed
Revita Labs mascara, found here at Vitacost – This was my mainstay natural mascara for the past four years. I repeatedly came back to it because it is cheap ($8) and lasts all day without smudging. It has a brush-type applicator that applies too much mascara when the tube is brand new. It veers on the side of wet and sticky rather than dry and clumpy. It is not buildable (once it dries, it’s dried), but it looks great if you get the first coat done properly. One caveat is that it is slightly more stubborn to wash off, be sure to use an oil-based makeup remover such as my DIY Makeup Remover.
Tart Amazonian Clay Mascara, found here on Amazon – This is a drier formula and I enjoy the definition and volume it gives. All in all, I liked it. It’s on the pricier end, so if I’m going to spend that much on mascara, it’s going to be my new favorite natural mascara which I discuss below.
Josie Maran GOGO Instant Volume Argan Mascara, found here on Amazon – I was pleased but not blown away. I thought it created fluffy, natural-looking volume but it did flake if I got sweaty. I wouldn’t say it delivers dramatic results, but lovely if you are looking thickness and definition. It didn’t clump and is buildable.
And finally, what you’ve all been waiting for… the two natural mascaras that are keepers in my book!
The natural mascaras that blew me away
100% Pure Mascara, found here at 100% Pure – I’m a long-time fan of 100% Pure, which offers lovely formulations of fruit-pigmented cosmetics. My top three products from them are the Under Eye Concealer, their lip glazes, and their wonderful mascara. The wand is a hourglass shape with plastic-type bristles, and it lengthens and volumes without clumping or flaking.
W3LL PEOPLE Expressionist Bio Extreme Mascara, found here at Spirit Beauty Lounge – At $23, it’s pricier than the some other options. But I’ll happily pay that price to experience the spiritual rapture of coating my eyelashes with this gloriously lengthening and volumizing formula. The brush is the plastic comb type, and works perfectly. From my first swipe, it delivered the perfect amount of mascara and is highly buildable. The one caveat is that the results were best for the first month or so, then the tube seems to dry out a bit.
Have you tried any of these natural mascaras? Is there another brand that you recommend?
Okay, so I posed a question about Japanese honeysuckle (please read above) and decided to reach out to 100 Percent Pure myself to get some answers. I asked if they could give me more info on JH and here’s what they said:
Hi Amy!
Thank you for reaching out to 100% PURE®.
We at 100% Pure believe in the safety and integrity of all our products and ingredients therein. If there is an ingredient in question, we will research into it. If that research proves that the ingredient is unsafe for use at the current concentration used, we will remove this ingredient from our products.
From existing research, the part of Japanese Honeysuckle in question, the p-hydroxybenzoic acid that is being compared to a paraben, is not the same. It is as chemically similar to paraben as theobroma is to caffeine. P-hydroxybenzoic acid (4-Hydroxybenzoic acid) is a powerful antioxidant that is not only in Japanese honeysuckle, but also found in cranberries, plums, acai berry, and many other berries. Also of note is that Japanese honeysuckle derives its preservative power from its lonicerin, which is not a paraben.
In order to believe that Japanese Honeysuckle is a paraben, you would also have to consider these fruits parabens since they contain the same component in question. We believe that japanese honeysuckle, cranberries, plums and berries are safe, however we will constantly be researching and testing to ensure the absolute highest safety for our customers.
I hope this helps you with your research. There are a lot of misinformed people out there without access to a large pool of chemists and trained advisors. I want you to be assured that we have access to many of the top industry chemists and rely on them to make the absolute best decisions for your safety.
Hope this helps. 🙂
I wanted to share this information with you guys since I clearly spoke without proper backing. (I love your blog, Lauren, by the way! 🙂
Thanks for sharing your conversation with the company, Amy! I appreciate you jumping in with a response, as 100% Pure shared the same info with me but I haven’t had a chance to come back to this thread to share it. I’m glad that your concerns are cleared up and I think this will be helpful to many readers.
Hi Lauren–Thanks for this list. I think it would be great if you could get Thrive to carry some of your top mascaras of choice! They have a nice mascara selection but aren’t currently carrying any of your top choices from what I looks like. Just a though, -melody
Great Share!
First off, congratulations on this post. If You are searching for latest government jobs in India. Other department for state and central government job. This bucket list for you to know the right jobs detail.
This is really awesome but that’s what you always crank out my friend. Reading your story got my face leaking and my heart singing. Find qualification based government job and vacancies with employment news at: vacancysquare.com
All the best, I’m excited to watch your journey! Keep it works and share your amazing thoughts.
Great share and thanks again for the mention here,
Thanks and Regards!
Priya Singh.