Clean Beauty Products The 9 Best Natural Mascaras of 2022 The ILIA Limitless Lash Mascara is our top pick for clean and natural lashes. By Emily Cieslak Emily Cieslak Assistant Commerce Editor University of Pennsylvania Emily Cieslak is a fashion and beauty writer whose work has been published in Byrdie, Real Simple, The Knot, and New York Moves Magazine. Learn about our editorial process Updated June 8, 2022 Share Twitter Pinterest Email Clean Beauty Products Tips & Techniques We independently research, test, review, and recommend the best products—learn more about our process. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission. Getty Treehugger Tested & Approved Our Best Overall is the Limitless Lash Lengthening Mascara from ILIA, which is free from parabens, formaldehyde, phthalates, and mineral oil. Many of us swipe mascara on daily without ever thinking about what we are actually putting so close to our eyes. Unfortunately, conventional mascaras may contain ingredients, like parabens and synthetic fragrances, that are associated with health concerns. Thankfully, it is getting easier to find more sustainable options. While “natural” isn’t a legally defined term like Certified Organic, we looked for formulas that are cruelty-free, and without parabens or phthalates, and that take advantage of plant-based ingredients. Whether you want to add length or curl to your lashes, these eco-friendly formulas will do the trick. Here are our top picks for the best natural mascara: The Rundown Best Overall: ILIA Beauty Limitless Lash Mascara at Sephora Jump to Review Best Drugstore: CoverGirl Clean Volume Mascara at Walmart Jump to Review Best Waterproof: Ere Perez Avocado Mascara at Amazon Jump to Review Best Volumizing: WELL People Expressionist Volumizing Mascara at Amazon Jump to Review Best Curling: Kosas The Big Clean Volumizing + Lash Care Mascara at Amazon Jump to Review Best Lengthening: Kjaer Weis Lengthening Mascara at Dermstore Jump to Review Best with Primer: Honest Beauty Mascara + Lash Primer at Amazon Jump to Review Best Shade Range: Au Naturale Bold Statement Vegan Mascara at Aunaturalecosmetics.com Jump to Review Best Zero Waste: Clean Faced Cosmetics Zero Waste Mascara at Etsy Jump to Review Best Overall: ILIA Beauty Limitless Lash Mascara 4.8 Dermstore View On Sephora View On Credo Beauty View On Dermstore Treehugger editors love using ILIA Limitless Lash Mascara as much as they like its ingredients list, making it our top overall choice. We find it creates the fluttery, feathery look we want, without clumping. This dual-sided brush lifts, lengthens, and curls while keratin, shea butter, and biotin condition the lashes. Use the side with the shorter bristles to curl and create volume and then the side with the longer bristles to separate and lengthen your lashes. The cruelty-free formula is free of parabens, formaldehyde, phthalates, and mineral oil. You can easily remove it with just warm water. We also like that ILIA is a member of 1% for the Planet, which means they donate a portion of profits to environmental causes. ILIA also partners with a recycling program that accepts makeup packaging from any brand, just print out a shipping label. Best Drugstore: CoverGirl Lash Blast Clean Volume Mascara 4.4 Ulta View On Walmart View On Amazon View On Ulta CoverGirl’s Lash Blast might be one of the most beloved drugstore mascaras–I still remember buying my first tube as a teenager from Target! The brand’s signature brush took the world by storm by offering 10 times the volume without the clumps, and recently CoverGirl released a clean version. The mascara offers the same brush but with a vegan formula free of parabens, sulfates, talc, and mineral oil. Argan and marula oils help condition for clump-free and flake-free lashes. At less than $15 at your favorite drugstore, the price for this mascara really can’t be beat. Best Waterproof: Ere Perez Avocado Waterproof Mascara Credo View On Amazon View On Credo Beauty Is there anything that avocado doesn’t make better? In mascara, vitamin-rich avocado oil adds nourishment to waterproof formulas that tend to be extra drying. Ere Perez’s vegan version with nourishing oils, waxes, and vitamin E strengthens your lashes and is easy to remove. The mascara is formulated to last all day, so you can wear it during intense workouts without leaving with raccoon eyes. The 7 Best Reusable Makeup Remover Wipes Best Volumizing: WELL People Expressionist Volumizing Mascara W3LL People View On Amazon View On Credo Beauty View On Wellpeople.com If you’ve hesitated to try natural mascara because you’re afraid it won’t kick up the volume as much as the old stuff, try the Expressionist Volumizing Mascara from W3ll People. Its oversized, dense brush fattens up your lashes while the nourishing blend of castor and sunflower oil plumps from the inside out. The formula also resists clumping and flaking, which is equally important when sporting larger-than-life lashes. It earns top marks from the Environmental Working Group for ingredient safety. Best Curling: Kosas The Big Clean Volumizing + Lash Care Mascara Credo Beauty View On Amazon View On Sephora View On Credo Beauty When it comes to your lashes getting and keeping a curl, it really all comes down to the brush. For the biggest effect, you need a curved brush to push the lashes up and out. Kosas’ "ergonomic'' curved brush is meant to align with your lash line to gently grip and curl every strand. Not to mention it contains castor oil, vitamin B5, and Biotinyl Tripeptide-1, a peptide known for strengthening the hair follicle and reducing hair loss. Plus, it’s created without all the bad stuff. Kosas bans more than 2700 ingredients and follows Sephora’s and Credo’s clean beauty standards. Best Lengthening: Kjaer Weis Lengthening Mascara 4 Kjar Weis View On Dermstore View On Kjaerweis.com With a slim brush, the Kjaer Weis Lengthening Mascara grips every lash and applies the right amount of product for a lengthy, defined look. If you want more drama, you can layer on coats. The clean formula combines castor, jojoba, and rosehip seed oil to keep the lashes moisturized, and 99.8 percent of all agriculturally derived ingredients in this mascara are from organic sources. The brand further reduces your environmental impact by selling the mascara in a refillable case. Once you’ve ordered your first case and fallen in love, simply order refills every three months. The 10 Best Shampoo Bars of 2022 Best with Primer: Honest Beauty Extreme Length Mascara + Lash Primer 4.9 Honest Beauty View On Amazon View On Honest.com View On Target Jessica Alba really wanted all of us to have perfect lashes when she created the 2-in-1 Extreme Length Mascara and Lash primer from Honest Company. What’s a lash primer, you may ask? Think of it like a base coat for your lashes. By applying it first, it fills in, nourishes, and creates the ideal surface for mascara. In one nifty tube, you get both clean formulas that pack in jojoba esters to further condition and nourish your lashes. Did we mention the celebrity formula is available at most drugstores at an affordable price? You are welcome. Best Shade Range: Au Naturale Bold Statement Vegan Mascara Au Naturale View On Aunaturalecosmetics.com If you like to play with color, consider Au Naturale’s Bold Statement Vegan mascara that comes in navy, teal, violet, and cobalt in addition to black and brown. Besides being a beauty trend seen on red carpets and runways alike, shades like purple and blue can make your eyes look brighter. Rest assured, the formulas remain formulated without any animal products, synthetic preservatives, nanoparticles, gluten, parabens, or toxins. Launched in 2011, founder Ashley Prange started the brand on a personal mission to create cosmetics without the ingredients that led to her chronic breakouts and irritation. Now she continues to lobby for the Personal Care Products Safety Act, a bill to create stricter regulation on cosmetics in the United States. Best Zero Waste: Clean Faced Cosmetics Zero Waste Mascara Etsy View On Etsy Clean Faced Cosmetics makes zero waste mascara easy. Its vegan lengthening mascara comes with a compostable bamboo spoolie and a glass vial that you can either reuse or recycle. We also love the fact that the vegan formula only has seven ingredients—which we can actually pronounce—like organic aloe vera, organic vitamin E, and activated charcoal. Made without alcohol or silicones, the mascara may take a bit longer to dry after application. Once you get the hang of it, you'll feel great about going zero-waste. Final Verdict You can’t go wrong with ILIA Limitless Lash Lengthening Mascara. Our editors find it defines lashes while staying put and clump-free. Plus you can remove it simply with warm water. If you want a waste-free option, check out Clean Faced Cosmetics Lengthening Mascara. Frequently Asked Questions Is mascara bad for your lashes? Using a mascara loaded with chemicals and harsh ingredients can dry out your lashes, leading to breakage and fall out, especially when removing your makeup. That’s why it’s best to look for clean formulas that include conditioning ingredients like oils and vitamins to keep your lashes moisturized and strong. Finding a mascara that is easy to remove can also save you a lot of headaches—and lashes—when it comes to taking off your makeup. If you aren't planning to go swimming or do a sweaty workout, avoid waterproof mascara as it can be harder to remove. If you need the extra staying power, consider Ere Perez Natural Avocado Waterproof Mascara, which is easy to remove. Why should I use natural mascara? From cancer-causing ingredients like carbon black to irritants like polybutene to parabens and other synthetic colors and dyes, the traditional mascara ingredients used to make your lashes thick and dark aren’t healthy for you or the planet.There’s also the physical waste of the product. Traditional mascara bottles aren’t meant to be reused, so you are throwing away a plastic container and wand each time. The beauty industry is a large source of waste, creating 120 billion units of packaging every year. Should you apply natural mascara differently than conventional mascara? Natural mascara may be slightly wetter than conventional mascara, so it’s best to wipe off any excess product from the bush and apply slowly, letting the product dry between coats. Otherwise, you can use the makeup artist’s method to apply mascara: Put the brush at the base of your eyelashes and wiggle the brush as you glide it slowly up your lashes. Does natural mascara last as long as conventional mascara? Most natural mascaras last as long as the conventional ones—about three months. Mark your calendar and take a whiff from the tube from time to time. If it smells off, it's time to replace it. How do you remove natural mascara? Depending on the formula, warm water may be all you need to remove natural mascara, like with ILIA’s mascara. Otherwise, we’ve found using a simple oil, like jojoba or almond, the most effective and natural way to remove mascara. Simply load a reusable pad with the oil, press and hold on your lashes for about five seconds and then wipe the pad down and away from the lash line for the gentlest removal. Why Trust Treehugger To make this list, we carefully reviewed ingredient lists. We included mascaras that are cruelty-free, and without parabens or phthalates, and that take advantage of plant-based ingredients. Emily Cieslak loves writing about sustainable fashion and beauty for Treehugger and other publications. She considers mascara the most important product in her makeup bag and has tried plenty of formulas over the years from drugstore to department stores. After noticing the damaging effects of using conventional mascara on her lashes, she has been on a personal mission to find clean formulas that deliver just as much oomph. The 9 Best Conditioner Bars of 2022 View Article Sources "What Are Parabens, and Why Don't They Belong in Cosmetics?" Environmental Working Group. "Carbon Black." Environmental Working Group.