Here at Allure, we're always testing new launches to find the best natural mascaras the beauty market has to offer. Because who doesn't love full, fluttery lashes? But, to that point, we have to talk about some of the other mascara wands you may be wielding. In a recent study, Kim Harley, an epidemiologist and associate professor of public health at the University of California, Berkeley, found that people wearing eye makeup made with parabens and phthalates had significantly higher levels of potentially harmful chemicals in their bodies than those who did not.
"Both parabens and phthalates are suspected hormone disruptors, meaning they might interfere with the action of estrogen in women's bodies, which could impact reproductive development or be related to reproductive cancers," says Harley.
You might pay more attention to the ingredient list of the products you apply in larger amounts, but location matters, too. "The skin on eyelids is the thinnest on the body, so anything applied to the eye area is easily absorbed," says Bruce Moskowitz, an assistant clinical professor of ophthalmology at Mount Sinai in New York City. And here's a real eye-opener: Harley's study determined that a simple switch to "clean" makeup (she defined "clean" as paraben- and phthalate-free) decreased chemical levels in the bodies of participants by as much as 45 percent — in three days.
So, are we skipping our cat-eye flicks? Never. But in the spirit of moderation, we have found "cleaner" formulas to add to our lineup. Clean beauty is a notoriously ill-defined and ill-regulated category but these 13 formulas pass Allure's Clean Standard, which covers 15 potentially harmful ingredient classes, with flying colors. Here they are for your thoughtful consideration.
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Ilia Limitless Lash Mascara
It's hard to find a single fault with Ilia's Readers' Choice Award-winning Limitless Lash Mascara. Take it from Allure contributor Kat Suico who says that "the opaque, black formula holds a curl through a full day's wear and layers beautifully so you can create either soft definition or full-on, in-your-face lashes." This is possible because one side of the brush is designed with shorter, more dense bristles to add volume, while the other, comb-like side is responsible for lengthening and separating.
P.S. The Fullest Lash Volumizing Mascara is Ilia's second mascara and every bit as good as its predecessor — especially if you're going for a bolder, even fuller look.
$28
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Kjaer Weis Im-Possible Mascara
For soft, clump-free lashes that look like they've experienced a major second wind, swipe on Kjaer Weis's Im-Possible Mascara. The conditioning formula is made up of a blend of beeswax, carnauba wax, and acacia gum for lift and volume, while lashes also benefit from repairing raspberry fruit water, nourishing sunflower seed oil, and antioxidant-rich marula oil. Use the curved side to boost volume and the flat side to add length and separation, as well as extending your stubborn bottom lashes. The bold red case can be reused and refill wands cost $26 a pop, saving you a solid $6 in the process.
$26
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Kosas The Big Clean Mascara
Just when you thought Kosas' The Big Clean Mascara couldn't get any better, the fan-favorite brand went back to the lab and added long-wearing properties to the formula so you can have naturally fanned-out lashes for up to 12 hours with no smudging, period. How so? Plant-based sugars operate as natural binders and are, according to Kosas, safer and less harsh on sensitive eyes than microplastic "film formers" other formulas use.
"Smearing is always an issue I have with mascara, and it was a particularly hot day when I decided to give this mascara a try, so I was surprised when there wasn't a single streak of black makeup under my eyes after six hours of wearing The Big Clean," Allure commerce writer Jennifer Hussein raved. "Just like it promised, it held up for as long as I wore it (eight hours, to be exact), and I'm convinced I could've worn it for longer if I really wanted to." There you have it, folks — a mascara that truly lives up to its claims. Plus, the curved, oversized wand (same as before) coats every single lash from corner to corner.
$26
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Honest Beauty Extreme Length Mascara + Lash Primer
It's no surprise Honest Beauty's Extreme Length Mascara + Lash Primer picked up a Readers' Choice Award when you factor in the built-in, glycerin-infused primer that ensures your mascara stays on throughout a workday that rolls into a margarita-fueled dinner. "[You know] you're disrupting when you're not just winning [over] the clean and natural [customer]... but bringing people over from the conventional and switching," founder Jessica Alba told us of the multitasking, jojoba ester-spiked formula.
$17
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Merit Clean Lash Lengthening Mascara
Out of Merit's debut lineup, Clean Lash was the hardest to formulate. But it was worth every trial and piece of feedback because the resulting lengthening mascara is packed with nourishing vitamins E (rice bran) and B5 to seriously condition lashes without causing smudges or clumps. And because it's made with tubing technology or polymers that hug each individual lash and boost volume, Clean Lash satisfyingly slides off into your sink with a bit of warm water.
$26
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Lawless The One & Done Volumizing Mascara
Lawless's The One & Done Volumizing Mascara keeps lashes looking soft, lifted, and healthy with a blend of lacquer tree and rice bran waxes (as an alternative to beeswax), castor oil, and argan oil. If you look closely, the elastomer wand has a special feature you normally don't see. There's a tiny spherical tip that helps separate your tiniest and most stubborn lashes.
$25
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E.L.F. Cosmetics Big Mood Mascara
For how little it costs ($7) to buy yourself a gorgeous violet tube of E.L.F. Cosmetics' Big Mood Mascara, this Best of Beauty Award winner really puts all 200 jojoba wax-infused bristles found in its hourglass-shaped wand to work. As a result, your lashes stay lifted and curled all day long. What more could you want in a mascara?
$7
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Cover FX Power Flex Mascara
Ready to be impressed? Cover FX's Power Flex Mascara is powered by conditioning moringa oil, a vegan wax blend, and sweatproof polymers to boost lashes with major volume, length, and longevity. So go ahead, keep your mascara on for that afternoon yoga session. As a self-proclaimed multiple mascara user (for special occasions that require a more voluminous look), Allure senior beauty editor Dianna Mazzone says that Power Flex does the job by itself. The curved, "dual-sided brush has a comb for grabbing and lengthening even the teeny-tiniest of lashes on one side and traditional fiber bristles to deliver tons of volume on the other," she explains.
$24
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Bite Beauty Upswing Full Volume Mascara
Dial up your natural lashes with Bite Beauty's Upswing Full Volume Mascara, which deposits a flake-resistant formula that adds major volume and length in just a few swipes. Its vegan tree berry wax grips onto every lash to boost it with buildable yet barely-felt volume. Strengthening castor oil and moisturizing glycerin join the party to keep lashes looking plump and flexible.
$28
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Beautycounter Think Big All-in-One Mascara
Beautycounter's Think Big All-in-One Mascara has thought of just about everything when it comes to "clean" formulas that won't bother sensitive eyes. The creamy, lightweight formula is free of carbon black (which is called out as a potential carcinogen) and outfitted with a soft, molded brush that lifts and augments lashes from root to tip. Furthermore, a trio of peptides and panthenol condition lashes and support stronger, fuller-looking lashes.
$27
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Burt's Bees 100% Natural Nourishing Mascara
Available in Classic Black and Black Brown colorways, drugstore darling Burt's Bees delivers a heavy-hitting mascara that can definitely compete — and perhaps win — against its more luxurious, expensive counterparts. 100% Natural Nourishing Mascara lends your lashes naturally-looking definition and length, thanks to a gentle combination of moisturizing jojoba oil and glycerin.
$13
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W3LL People Expressionist Volumizing Mascara
W3LL People's Expressionist Volumizing Mascara encases lashes with sunflower seed oil to nourish and lengthen simultaneously — because who are you if not a busy person with things to do and places to do? The EWG-certified brand developed a dense, hourglass-shaped brush that coats each lash with little to no effort. No wonder the non-clumping formula has a Best of Beauty Clean Award under its belt already.
$19
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Westman Atelier Eye Love You Mascara
The glossy, pitch-black pigments found in Eye Love You Mascara is just one of many outstanding creations by legendary makeup artist Gucci Westman from her eponymous cosmetics brand, Westman Atelier — so you know it's worth the splurge. But if you need further proof, just take a glance at the ingredients list. Galactoarabinan (a natural polysaccharide) keeps lashes soft and moisturized while chicory root ensures all-day wearability.
