Let me begin by saying that there’s no one definition of “clean,” and everyone has different standards of what they choose to put on their skin and hair. It’s all up to personal preference, and, by the way, just because you may favor clean mascara doesn’t mean your whole beauty routine must be totally 100% clean. Mine certainly isn’t!
This all being said, I have found myself using clean mascaras, if only for the fact that the options are abundant as ever and truly just so good. I’m talking lift! Density! Long-lasting curl! Gone are the days of sacrificing performance for a natural-leaning ingredient list; today’s clean mascaras truly deliver the same falsies-level result as their traditional counterparts. The only difficulty becomes choosing which gorgeous tube to add to your makeup bag—our list below is a very good place to start.
The Best Clean and Natural Mascaras, Listed
- Best Overall: Victoria Beckham Vast Lash Mascara
- Best Curling: Tower 28 MakeWaves Mascara
- Best Lengthening: Ilia Limitless Lash Mascara
- Best for a Natural Look: Ami Colé Lash Amplifying Mascara
- Best Buildable: Kjaer Weis Im-possible Mascara
- Best Budget: Covergirl Lash Blast Cleantopia Mascara
- Best for Separation: Saie Mascara 101
- Best Tubing: Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara
- Best Volumizing: Kosas The Big Clean Mascara
- Best Splurge: Westman Atelier Eye Want You Mascara
- Best Waterproof: Ere Perez Avocado Waterproof Mascara
What Does Clean Mascara Mean?
If you do feel like making the mascara swap, you should have a few ingredients on your radar. Clean mascaras tend to skip plasticizers (which give the lashes a soft bend), mineral oil (which helps the formula glide), perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (also called PFAS, which make mascaras long-lasting), as well as synthetic dyes, aluminum powder, formaldehyde, sulfates, and parabens. Instead, they’ll typically include beeswax or candelilla wax to encourage hold, plus shea butter, castor oil, and other plant-based emollients to secure a smooth glide and simultaneously moisturize the lashes.
But decoding ingredient lists can be quite the daunting task, which is why we created this handy list of clean mascaras below—each formula researched, vetted, and personally tested by our editors. Spoiler: Many of them rival the dramatic, brow-grazing results of our go-to tubes.
The Best Clean and Natural Mascaras
Best Overall: Victoria Beckham Vast Lash Mascara
Jamie wearing Victoria Beckham Beauty Vast Lash Mascara
Victoria Beckham Beauty
Vast Lash Mascara
Shades: Black
Pros: Has the fluffiest brush that doesn’t cause clumps, provides dramatic volume
Cons: Formula is a bit “wet”
I’ve truly never come across a brush this fluffy and thick that doesn’t automatically lead to clumps. It’s a rarity, especially when you filter for clean and natural formulas, but Vast Lash ticks every single box. Volumizing? Yep. Lengthening? You bet. Smudge-free? Believe it or not, this creamy formula does not budge. The first time I tried it, I was a bit hesitant of how “wet” the formula felt on my lashes (it’s one of the creamiest options I’ve tried), but I can attest that it actually stayed put—no “raccoon eyes” for me midday.
Best Curling: Tower 28 MakeWaves Mascara
Jamie wearing Tower 28’s MakeWaves Mascara
Tower 28
MakeWaves Mascara
Shades: Black, brown
Pros: Holds curl all day long
Cons: More difficult to remove than other options
No lie, I haven’t touched my lash curler since using this mascara. It features a sophisticated Aquaflex technology that memorizes the specific wave pattern of your lashes to hold their shape (like a memory foam mattress for your lashes) while keeping them soft and fluttery. It defies humidity (read: no droopy lashes) and keeps the lash hairs lifted all day long.
It’s not technically waterproof, but it is one of the most water-resistant clean mascaras I’ve tried. This formula does not dare smudge! That being said, I do find it takes a minute longer to remove at the end of the day compared to other options on this list. Those extra seconds at the sink are worth it, though, for the all-day wear!
Best Lengthening: Ilia Limitless Lash Mascara
Ilia
Limitless Lash Mascara
Shades: Black
Pros: Has a dual-sided brush for volume and length
Cons: Pricey, one shade
Ilia’s Limitless Lash is the clean mascara that made me believe in clean mascaras. I always thought “clean” was synonymous with “subtle” and “natural-looking,” but believe me, this formula delivers on fluttery, doe-eyed drama. The dual-sided wand allows you to evenly coat and define each lash from root to tip. “I don’t know if any other mascara has made my lashes look longer,” Who What Wear Beauty Director Erin Jahns once said about the formula.
Best for a Natural Look: Ami Colé Lash Amplifying Mascara
Ami Colé
Lash Amplifying Mascara
Shades: Black
Pros: Tapered wand is fabulous for precision, contains 87% naturally derived ingredients
Cons: May need more layers for bolder glam
The tapered wand is great for coating lashes at the inner and outer corners, making sure every last lash receives sky-high length. It’s certainly buildable if you prefer more dramatic volume, whereas one coat is perfect for a subtler, everyday beat. WWW associate editor Natalie Gray Herder concurs. “This mascara is a great option for flake-free everyday wear, especially if you already have long lashes,” she once raved about the formula.
Best Buildable: Kjaer Weis Im-possible Mascara
Jamie wearing Kjaer Weis Im-possible Mascara
Kjaer Weis
Im-possible Mascara
Shades: Black, brown
Pros: Doesn’t clump as you layer on coats, certified organic and refillable
Cons: Expensive
Makeup artist and brand founder Kirsten Kjaer Weis once told me she created this mascara to fix her number one pet peeve: clumpy lashes. You know when a formula feels too “wet” so you wipe the brush on the top of the tube before applying to your lashes? She hates that extra step, so she created a buildable mascara that grabs the perfect amount of product every time. I concur: This mascara truly does not clump, even when I apply coat after coat for fluttery volume.
Best Budget: Covergirl Lash Blast Cleantopia Mascara
Jamie wearing Covergirl Lash Blast Cleantopia Mascara
CoverGirl
Lash Blast Cleantopia Mascara
Shades: Extreme black, black, black-brown, brown, navy
Pros: Smooth, creamy formula that feels lightweight on the lashes, contains 72% natural origin ingredients
Cons: Can smudge throughout the day
Covergirl has always been a nostalgic brand for me. An image of the original orange tube of Lash Blast Volume Mascara lives rent-free in my mind, and now the brand has a clean version. It’s the same volumizing formula I know and love, just without parabens, mineral oil, talc, sulfates, and fragrance. I especially love the navy shade named “Ultramarine Black,” which I’m wearing in the photo above. It adds a little something extra to my eye looks that’s resulted in more than a few compliments!
Best for Separation: Saie Mascara 101
Jamie wearing Saie’s Mascara 101
Shades: Black, brown
Pros: Great for a natural, everyday look
Cons: Those looking for bold volume might want something fluffier
Saie’s mascara brush has separated bristles (as opposed to ones that are densely packed), which helps you grab every last lash—even those stubbornly straight flutters at the inner and outer corners. It also has some tiny bristles on top that are superb for coating bottom lashes without clumps. In other words, you’ll love it if you typically gravitate toward a subtler, everyday lash look. As Gray Herder says about the formula, “it wasn’t the most volumizing but didn’t flake, smudge, or transfer.”
Best Tubing: Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara
Jamie wearing Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara
Thrive Causemetics
Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara
Shades: Black, brown, pink, blue, purple, green
Pros: Provides intense length without clumping thanks to its Flake-Free Tubing Technology
Cons: Not as volumizing
You’d be hard-pressed to find a beauty editor who doesn’t have magnificent things to say about this mascara. It’s a tubing formula, meaning it creates tiny, tube-like coats around each lash to provide water-resistant, long wear sans smudging. This one in particular makes lashes so fluttery it rivals the look of extensions—no exaggeration.
Who What Wear associate beauty editor Shawna Hudson agrees. “It’s truly a miracle in a tube,” she once shared about the tubing formula. “Many mascaras claim to be smudge-proof and non-clumpy, but this one really holds up to those claims, with or without primer.”
Best Volumizing: Kosas The Big Clean Mascara
Kosas
The Big Clean Longwear Volumizing + Lash Care Mascara
Shades: Black
Pros: Noticeably thickens lashes with just one coat
Cons: Can clump with extra coats
If you’re craving dramatic, va-va-voom volume, allow me to introduce you to your new clean go-to. The fluffy, densely packed bristles grab onto your lashes as the curved brush lifts them all the way up, making the tiny hairs appear impossibly thicker. I personally have light, thin lashes, and every time I use this mascara, it transforms my entire look with one swipe.
Best Splurge: Westman Atelier Eye Want You Mascara
Jamie wearing Westman Atelier Eye Want You Mascara
Westman Atelier
Eye Want You Mascara
Shades: Black, brown
Pros: Provides soft volume without clumping
Cons: Expensive
The luxe packaging alone is reason enough to buy this mascara. Sure, $45 is a steep price point, but the chic, sturdy red tube truly doubles as an art piece. The formula itself, infused with organic shea butter to condition the lashes, is endlessly buildable. In the picture above, I layered three coats one after the other and experienced zero clumps. It has a pretty volumizing effect, but the result definitely reads softer—just something to know if you’re gunning for bold glam. Still, I noticed my lashes looking full and fluttery all day long.
Best Waterproof: Ere Perez Avocado Waterproof Mascara
Ere Perez
Avocado Waterproof Mascara
Shades: Black
Pros: Great for sensitive eyes, too
Cons: More for an everyday look, if you’re hoping for bold glam
If natural mascaras are important to you, you likely have had trouble finding waterproof options. You see, many waterproof mascaras contain PFAS (which are sometimes called “forever chemicals”) in order to secure a smudge-proof formula. Natural-leaning options tend to forgo the PFAS, but that means they also don’t typically have that same staying power. This Ere Perez number, however, totally delivers on its water-resistant claims. It’s super long-lasting thanks to the unique dry-style formula, yet it’s not a pain to remove at the end of the day. After all, there’s nothing more frustrating than scrubbing aggressively at your delicate lash hairs to remove lingering mascara residue.
FAQ
Is natural mascara better for your eyelashes?
It’s true that many clean mascaras contain good-for-lash ingredients, like castor oil and vitamin E, but that doesn’t mean every natural formula is safe. For example, if you’re allergic to beeswax, you’ll want to make sure your mascara skips it for a plant-based wax. Similarly, “if you have seasonal allergies (hay fever), you may be allergic to flower-derived ingredients like chamomile,” ophthalmologist Diane Hilal-Campo, MD, says about mascaras for sensitive eyes.
Point being, you’ll still want to make the most informed choice for your own set of lashes. That caveat being said, plenty of mascaras—natural ones and others!—contain serum-like ingredients to nourish your lash hairs. Those are your best bet!
Which mascara is best for a natural look?
If you’re looking for a subtler slick of pigment, you’ll love Saie’s Mascara 101, Ami Colé’s Lash-Amplifying Mascara, and Ere Perez’s Avocado Waterproof Mascara. Each provides length and separation with a tapered brush for precise coats.
What can I use instead of mascara?
You have options! You could go the salon route with lash extensions, lash tints, or a lash lift to make those tiny hairs look extra curled and fluttery. Falsies are great in a pinch (here are the best ones, in our opinion), or you could use clear mascara for a subtle eye-opening effect on no-makeup days. If you’re really against using any product on your lashes, don’t underestimate the power of a touch of kohl pencil. Tightlined in your upper waterline, it can work wonders.
