It’s an ancient ritual: Since way before Cleopatra, we’ve been coating our most delicate features, you know, those wispy things fanning our eyelids, with heavy black gunk. Why? Because it looks amazing, obviously. But, for those of us who are sensitive to those often-irritating fibers or prefer to go the natural and animal-friendly route, finding solid and safe mascara that actually delivers results can be tricky. Fear not — we scoured the marketplace to bring you the best mascaras that are cruelty-free and vegan, provide results, and won’t make your sensitive peepers water, or make you feel like tearing your lashes out.
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The Best For: Restoring & Growing Healthy Lashes
Red Apple Lipstick The Lash Project: Completely vegan, gluten-free, and free of toxins, this serum mascara actually conditions lashes and stimulates healthy growth with Ginkgo biloba, comfrey-root derived allantoin, and keratin-supporting Pentapeptides.
Red Apple Lipstick The Lash Project: Completely vegan, gluten-free, and free of toxins, this serum mascara actually conditions lashes and stimulates healthy growth with Ginkgo biloba, comfrey-root derived allantoin, and keratin-supporting Pentapeptides.
The Best For: Water-Resistant Color
Pacfica Aquarian Gaze Mascara in Deep: Coconut oil and vitamin E make this mascara gentle and luxurious, while healthy minerals provide a luscious coat of color that actually stays put (founder Brook Harvey Taylor is a big time surfer who tests everything against the waves). This also comes in glossy black, but we love the way blue makes the eyes really pop.
Pacfica Aquarian Gaze Mascara in Deep: Coconut oil and vitamin E make this mascara gentle and luxurious, while healthy minerals provide a luscious coat of color that actually stays put (founder Brook Harvey Taylor is a big time surfer who tests everything against the waves). This also comes in glossy black, but we love the way blue makes the eyes really pop.
The Best For: Every Damn Day
Ava Anderson Mascara: This ultra-gentle, toxin-free formula is made from a base of hydrating aloe and plant wax, and it leaves lashes glossy, but pliable — perfect for everyday wear.
Ava Anderson Mascara: This ultra-gentle, toxin-free formula is made from a base of hydrating aloe and plant wax, and it leaves lashes glossy, but pliable — perfect for everyday wear.
The Best For: Soft Lashes
Ecco Bella FlowerColor Mascara: Made from flower wax, this mascara allows you to build coverage (more is more here), and it conditions lashes.
Ecco Bella FlowerColor Mascara: Made from flower wax, this mascara allows you to build coverage (more is more here), and it conditions lashes.
The Best For: A Natural Look
Beauty Without Cruelty Ultimate Natural Mascara in Walnut: Sometimes only a brown mascara will do to give you that coveted defined-without-being-too-made-up look, and the rich chestnut shade and conditioning formula will make you want to keep this tube on hand for last-minute touch-ups.
Beauty Without Cruelty Ultimate Natural Mascara in Walnut: Sometimes only a brown mascara will do to give you that coveted defined-without-being-too-made-up look, and the rich chestnut shade and conditioning formula will make you want to keep this tube on hand for last-minute touch-ups.
The Best For: Major Drama
Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara: A darling of vegan glamazons, this mascara volumizes and lengthens with an hourglass-shaped brush and paraben-free formula.
Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara: A darling of vegan glamazons, this mascara volumizes and lengthens with an hourglass-shaped brush and paraben-free formula.
The Best For: Seriously Sensitized Eyes
Suncoat Sugar-Based Natural Mascara: The sugar and kaolin clay formula eschews the drying alcohols to bring glossy definition to even the most sensitive eyes.
Suncoat Sugar-Based Natural Mascara: The sugar and kaolin clay formula eschews the drying alcohols to bring glossy definition to even the most sensitive eyes.