YOUR EYEBALLS.
They are so important. We must protect them. Letting makeup filled with coal tar and petroleum that’s contaminated with carcinogens, parabens that promote aging and sagging skin, and acne causing ingredients found in airplane deicing liquid drip into your eyeballs is not the answer!
I have to be honest though, I LOVE the way my eyes look when I have makeup on, but I hate the act of putting on makeup, so I do it, grudgingly… And once I found out all the crazy toxic ingredients the makeup industry uses in many conventional products my entire perspective changed. I go days without a lot of makeup on my face unless I’m on camera or have an event. Don’t get me wrong, being on camera has its perks and its disadvantages. It allows me to spread the message of organic, real and non-GMO food living to so many more people, but it also requires heavier makeup at times – those camera lights can be harsh let me tell ya!
When I’m behind the scenes blogging or living my day to day life I wear the least amount of makeup possible – maybe a little blush and lipstain and that’s it. But when I go on camera – it’s eyeliner, eyeshadow and mascara. Mascara was the first makeup product I changed out of my makeup bag, but it took me a long time to figure it out which brands actually work.
Here’s how to find the best natural mascara that actually works.
First, let’s talk about the ingredients in mascara you want to avoid:
-
PARABENS – Used as a preservative and is an endocrine disrupter that messes with your hormones. (Top Offenders: L’Oreal, Cover Girl, Avon, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, Maybelline, Neutrogena, Revlon, Chanel, Lancome)
-
PARFUM (a.k.a. fragrance) – Why do you need parfum on your eyes – that’s crazy. Oh it’s to cover up the smell of coal tar! This is even in some products marketed as “unscented.” Some fragrance ingredients can trigger allergies, asthma and acne, linked to cancer and neurotoxicity, and are harmful to fish and other wildlife. (Top Offenders: Neutrogena, Lavera, Milani)
-
ALUMINUM POWDER – Considered a neurotoxin and linked to Alzheimer’s disease and other cancers. (Top Offenders: Cover Girl, Estee Lauder)
-
BHA and BHT: Used as a preservatives and is an endocrine disruptor and may cause cancer (BHA). Harmful to fish and other wildlife. (Top Offenders: Maybelline, Rimmel)
-
PROPYLENE GLYCOL: Linked to acne, eczema, and other skin allergies. (Top Offenders: L’Oreal, Mineral Fusion, Rimmel, Avon, Maybelline)
-
COAL TAR DYES: p-phenylenediamine and colours listed as “CI” followed by a five digit number. The U.S. colour name may also be listed (e.g. “FD&C Blue No. 1″ or “Blue 1″). Potential to cause cancer and may be contaminated with heavy metals toxic to the brain. (Top Offender: Maybelline)
-
FORMALDEHYDE RELEASING PRESERVATIVES – Look for DMDM hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, methenamine and quarternium-15. Used in a variety of cosmetics. Slowly release small amounts of formaldehyde, which causes cancer. (Top Offender: Almay)
-
RETINYL ACETATE (VITAMIN A ACETATE) – Biochemical or cellular level changes, Cancer, Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive) (Top Offenders: Elizabeth Arden, Almay, Revlon)
*Ingredient research provided by The Environmental Working Group and David Suzuki Foundation*
I am a firm believer that if I eat the way I do, I can avoid the impact of most of the chemicals in my surroundings, but I also want to vote with my dollars and I refuse to buy products from companies that continue to pollute the environment and our bodies with loads of toxic substances. I also don’t like the idea that something I put on my eyes can potentially cause cancer over time, cause acne, aging or disrupt my hormonal balance. That’s why I went on a search to find a clean mascara – here are the ones that make the cut that I’ve personally tried… I know there may be some other ones available, but these actually work based on my experience.
Food Babe’s Favorites
-
100% PURE Fruit Pigmented Ultra Lengthening Mascara (Available for $26) – This is my new favorite mascara. It doesn’t flake or clump and is pigmented naturally with black tea, berries, and cocoa! Save 15% with the code FOODBABE through Friday 9/7/18. Plus, if you spend $70 they will send you this free Super Gift while supplies last!
-
Tarte “Lights Camera Lashes” Natural Mascara (Available for $14.99 at Amazon) – This doesn’t clump or flake over time and it’s easy to wash off with any kind of facial cleanser – especially coconut oil. They also make a waterproof version called “Lights Camera Splashes” (Available for $19.00 at Amazon).
-
Josie Maran (Available for $22.00 at Sephora) – This one feels very luxurious with big volume, especially if you add another coat.
-
Physicians Formula Organic Wear (Available for $11.60 on Amazon) – I like this one because it is available at most drug stores. One time I forgot my makeup bag while I was traveling and found this one at Walgreens – it totally did the trick considering all the other toxic alternatives that were available.
In the end – If you want to know if your makeup is safe and not toxic – check out the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database, they have thousands of your favorite brands listed with their safety ratings for you to investigate yourself…
Please share this post with all your lady friends – I’m sure they will be very appreciative.
Curl Those Lashes!
Food Babe
P.S. This is my FAVORITE eyelash curler in the whole wide world (I’ve tried them all and this is the best BY FAR!)… and remember to add carrot juice to your green juice, it’s amazing for those eyelashes. When I started doing this, my eyes got brighter and lashes got longer – it’s no joke!
Editorial note: Updated on 9/5/18 to include my current favorite mascara.
Finally I have a product you endorse!! LOL I tried the phycicians formula after trying many others after realizing the swelling of my eyes and exzema on my eyelids was from my eye make up. It does hold up pretty good,
Thank you for this. I rarely wear any makeup but when I do my eyes sting and water. Now I know what is probably causing it-my mascara! I can’t wait to try one (or all) of your suggestions! I already own and love the eyelash curler!
GREAT article! Thanks for doing this research. Make-up is sort of the ‘final frontier’ of my switch to cleaner living, and it’s hard to find clean products that do the job. Looking forward to trying these and making the switch for good!
Thank you for this post!! After doing tons of research to find cruelty free cosmetics, I have been using Too Faced mascara. I want to go home and wash my face after looking up their ingredient list just now and seeing what it contains. I will switch back to my Lush mascara which only has 4 ingredients.
Thank you Vani – this was so helpful and great timing! I’m actually in the process of replacing all of my skin care and makeup with all-natural, vegan lines. Do you have any recommendations for eye shadows/ eye liners that you’ve tried? PS – I love your blog – I share your articles with my friends & people at work all the time!
A great eye shadow line is Emani you can check them out online. They have an amazing selection and a very clean line.
Arbonne has all you need. Email me at [email protected] for more info.
Arbonne is hiding their ingredient list for a reason – why not paste it here for everyone to see?
I have tried twice today to post the requested information but no luck. I am sorry and will try again.
Any investigation on Purity Cosmetics? They claim to be 100% pure, but I am suspicious of everything.
Have you had a chance to check out 100% pure? there mascara is colored with black tea and all of their makeup is pigmented with fruits and veggies! It is all I use and trust me when I say you are not lacking in quality it is better then most of the drug store stuff I used to wear! Also there is a Canadian company called sweet lai loni that is awesome !
I tried 100% Pure makeup and I love it, but unfortunately the mascara makes my eyes burn soo badly if it gets into them. I love the berry colors but it’s absolutely brutal when it gets in my eyes. Their powder and liquid foundations are absolutely fantastic though.
Oh no! Sweet lai lani is even better for foundation I find its amazing, but 100% has me hooked on their shampoo, powder, blush and mascara! I just wish they sold it somewhere near me in Canada:(
An important thing to remember about mascara is that no matter how non-toxic, natural or organic it is….it can become very dangerous to the eyes if it is more than just a few weeks old! In fact the natural brands go rancid and get moldy faster because they don’t use all the nasty chemical preservatives.
Thank you for this article! We need to take charge of our health from all angles 🙂 I would also like to add Earth Lab’s Raw Mascara, it’s wonderful, my favorite so far!!
How do you feel about Aveda cosmetics?
Aveda was purchased by Estee Lauder. Unfortunately they no longer stick to a holistic approach to there products. Unless you purchased these items in Europe. Europe has banned 1200 ingredients in skincare and cosmetics. The US has only banned 10 at last count.
Thanks for the response, Jeremy…I am saddened by it, however. Aveda has been my favorite brand of cosmetics for years. I wonder if the European version can be ordered online…I will definitely have to look into this.
Thanks again!
Dr. Peter Mctravers took Aveda to a multimillion dollar business. He jumped ship when Aveda was purchased by Estee Lauder. He is the Senior Vice President of Product Development for Arbonne. Arbonne’s products are incredible. My household used Aveda so much that we have enough points to go to a spa retreat on them. We have changed over to Arbonne and it is all we use. Best products by far and you can feel great about your family using them.
I would love to know an undereye concealer that really works and it’s toxic.
That should have been isn’t toxic. Sorry.
Is there a brand of eyeliner that you recommend? What about skin care products?
I am thinking about trying Live Clean shampoos etc. Have you researched it?
Thanks!
Hi
I use Live Clean products all the time because I have swoo many allergies. Love the stuff ..it works awesome. I also use Argon oil (morrocan oil) to help with my frizzy hair (it’s wavy). The Live Clean moisturizers are really good too..but I only use cocnut oil on my face, suprisingly enough after a couple of weeks of using cocnut oil on my face I have no blemishes at all…its supposed to be like you trick the body into thinking you have too much oil on your face ..so it doesn’t produce as much as it did before. Hope this helps.
I looked up the ingredients in the covergirl mascara pictured above and did not find aluminum powder anywhere in the list.
HOW do you not know about Arbonne! All natural, vegan, GMO-free. I would be more than happy to send you some literature on them. I’ve been obsessed with their products for years now.
I have my own Arbonne business and all of their cosmetics are pure, safe and botanically based. All of Arbonne’s products are 100% hypoallergenic not like the hypoallergenic “claims” of other products made here in the U.S. they test on animals and IF they test on people only 1 out of 4 needs to pass the test (less than 50%). Arbonne never tests on animals, never uses animal by-products and all clinical studies must come out with 100% results!! Arbonne has a fantastic mascara too!!
Michelle
Love the Physicians Formula Organic mascara! I’ve been juicing for 1.5 years and just switched to Superfood smoothies a few weeks ago. My eyelashes are suddenly going crazy. I don’t know what’s doing it, but after living with ‘meh’ lashes for 39 years, I’m very happy.
Gosh, I knew there was a lot of bad stuff in mascara but to see it on paper is an “eye opener.” I love Josie Maran mascara. Thanks for all of the other suggestions.
Hi 🙂
So my skin is breaking out so much, & I don’t get why cause I’ve changed my diet completely and cut out coffee, and unnatural sugars. I eat primarily raw and my skin has never broke out this much before . I also rarely wear makeup, only really lipstick(bare minerals) and a tad eye liner. I wash my face with tea tree oil soap, and moisturize with coconut oil. Any advice on what I need to do ?
could be the coconut oil for sure. its too greasy for my face personally. Makes my bangs instantly greasy also.not sure where to go next but I know its not coconut oil for me
If you have recently changed your diet, it can be a sign of detox which is a good thing.
What about Vitamin E? Or what do you use?
Actually even the new formulation contains several toxic ingredients such as PVP (derived from petroleum) & Triethanolamine which is also toxic. There are also others in that formulation. There is nothing natural about that product or most of the others. By thew way, physician’s formula also contains a magnesium aluminum powder.
This can also be related to hormone balance especially if it is around the chin area. I was eating super clean, detoxifying, etc etc for over a year and it didn’t start clearing up until the hormones got balanced.
I suffered from acne for years ( age 12 into my forties). Tried every medication out there, including accutane, but nothing ever completely got rid of it. At one point I went completely raw vegan and my skin was at its worst. When I completely cut out grains, and added some grass fed meat, pastured eggs, and lots of healthy fats, including grass fed butter, my skin cleared up. Switching to oil cleansing helped with my skin’s overall appearance also. Hope this helps!
I ordered the Dr Haushka one a few days ago. I haven’t tried it yet, but it gets good reviews and I adore all the other Dr Haushka products.
I am really glad you did this post! I have been having issues with my mascara making my eyes itchy, so I am excited about trying a new one. I can’t wait to try the tarte one!
The Physician’s Formula is on sale for Buy 1 Get 1 Free this week! I decided to give it a try.
Where did you find that sale?
Sorry! Thought I included it. It is at Rite Aid
Thanks so much for this post, I’ve been wondering about what’s in my makeup lately and I’ve already ordered some of the mascara!! What about safe, non-toxic eyeliners? Or even powder/foundation? Have you found any of those that you like? Thanks again! You’re awesome!
Honeybee Gardens has a good mascara, eyliner, and concealer that has low toxicity rating on EWG Skin Deep website as well. They are sold at great prices on Vitacost. I have tried them and can say that they work better for me than any of the toxic big name brands.
I use the Physician’s Formula mascara and like it. I also just started using Josie Maran foundation, moisturizer and concealer and love all of them!
It is amazing how one woman can totally love a mascara and the next woman not like it at all. I 100% love 100percentpure cosmetics, especially the mascara. I love the way it smells so good putting it on and I do not think it clumps at all… atleast, not on my lashes. I put one thin coat on, do the next eye, then go back to the other for a second coat, and then the second. I get the same results I used to get with Mary Kay Lash Love (which also has some sad ingredients) and my lashes look fantastic. It also comes off very easily with coconut oil (my eye makeup remover is coconut oil, vitamin E, and lavender essential oil). It also comes off easily when you don’t have any EMR with you and have just facial wipes. Again, however, to each his own. We are all different and have completely different body chemistry 🙂
Where can I find the superfood smoothie?
Try Aveda mascara! I’ve used it my whole life and it works just great.
Great ideas! Do you also have a post on your favorite non-toxic make-up? I’m still looking for one that matches my skin and works!
Can you please recommend a brand that offers brown mascara? Black looks terrible on me, but I’d like a healthy option. Thank you!
You may want to also post a story on the non-organic cotton that’s used in tampons. Since the pesticides aren’t consumed through the digestive system, they just go directly into the blood stream through the skin….shocking
Oh no!
I NEVER thought of that!!
I have been thinking the last few days, if we don’t EAT cotton, what is really the issue with them being GMO??
Well, after this website, I now understand!!
Thanks to Food Babe and all of you who take the time to post and help me further my education and awareness!!
XOXOXOXO!!!
Cotton seed oil is used in TUNS of processed foods, like snacks and chips, salad dressings, dried fruit or veggies, mixes etc. I don’t want the toxins in my clothing, towells, furnishing or rugs either. Unfortunately I am assuming it is basically everywhere unless Organic Cotton is on the label. Even then I think “Organic” is still allowed something like 60 chemicals to be used on the plants. 🙁
I have been using the Josie Maran mascara and her Argan Oil for several months now. I love it. I do use a bit more, I think, because I apply two coats for day and 3 for evening. As I only wear mascara 4 or 5 times a week it probably evens out, cost-wise, to once daily use. Even though I prefer brown mascara, the black looks good and not at all over the top. It is so worth it just to be able to use a more natural product and avoid all those chemicals and other junk that is in many mascaras.
Great post! Last year I did an overhaul of all my makeup and beauty products (clinique face lotion had Yello 40 in it!!). The mascara and concealer I use is Ecco Bella. LOVE IT!!
I am very disappointed on this post. You list on your MASCARA WITH HARMFUL CHEMICALS chart, the “Cover Girl lashblast” mascara. And you list on your BEST NATURAL MASCARAS THAT WORK chart the “Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Natural Mascara” which you say it’s your absolute favorite. Well I searched both (since the Cover Girl lashblast mascara is the one I use now and I wanted to see how bad that was vs. how good your favorite Tarte mascara was), on the EWG’s Skin Deep database and BOTH have the same score of 4! And checking on the ingredients of each one, while the Cover Girl lashblast mascara only has one red ingredient (scored 7) which is PROPYLPARABEN, the Tarte Lights Camera Lashes mascara has 2 red ingredients (both scored 7) which are PROPYLPARABEN and ISOBUTYLPARABEN. So that tells me the Tarte mascara is even worse than the Cover Girl one.
I just recently found your page and facebook page and was very glad I had and I was looking forward to your posts and information, but after this, you and your “investigations” have lost all credibility to me now.
So people, trust nobody, make your own research.
Yeah, I was wondering about the Tarte mascara when EWG gave it a 4 – I thought perhaps it has an old ingredient list? (FYI people, EWG’s ratings are often quite old) But beauty.com sells it and lists the ingredients, which includes FOUR different parabens. Four! But is this also perhaps an old ingredient list, since the page selling it on amazon says “formulated without parabens”? Can someone verify that maybe they recently reformulated and now it doesn’t have these?
I use honeybee gardens’ one and it’s the best natural one I’ve found.
Look at their updated ingredient list here. http://tartecosmetics.com/tarte-item-lights-camera-lashes-mascara I think EWG does have an old formula.
I was wondering what you think of Arbonne?
Deanna,
the new mascara from Arbonne is amazing!!
I just ordered Ecco Bella off Amazon b/c it said natural, only 5 ingredients, etc…. and I want to switch away from the Maybelline I’ve been using. Didn’t see Ecco Bella listed in your post – have you tried it? Do you have opinions on it? Thanks!!
Hi Vani, Just so you know… Shu Uemura eyelash curlers are only considered authentic when purchased from an authorized dealer. Sometimes things sold on Amazon.com are not authentic and are actually knock-offs. I bought mine on the Shu Uemura website with free shipping.
YES! Thank you for your research and sharing this!!!!!!! I changed my habits about a year ago now (thanks to many of your posts and your research)! I have been using the Physicians Formula all this time, just knowing it was all I could find without all the bad stuff. It’s worked well, but I haven’t been in love. Excited to try the Tarte!!! I’m loving their foundation right now. Thank you for all you do!
OOPS! I forgot to ask! What about eyeliner? What’s your fav?
What do you think of the Demure lins mascara?
I have the Physician’s Formula mascara – overall not loving it. I always ended up with it under my eyes. Looking forward to trying another one!
I am very grateful to you for giving this information because I have been looking for a safe mascara. Are the mascara’s you recommend Cruelty Free? I do not want to buy products from Companies that test their products on innocent animals. Thanks again. After only browsing your blog for a few minutes, I am hooked!!!!!! 😉
I’m disappointed that ALL of the ones you mentioned are only in Black. As a fair skinned redhead, I need a brown! Guess I’m going to have to do my own research, lol.
Hi there, the whole thing is going nicely here and ofcourse every one is sharing information, that’s in fact fine, keep
up writing.
Has anyone heard of Arbonne? They have been around for 33 years and are free of Animal products or by-products, parabens, petroleum based ingredients like benzene, mineral oil, petrolatum, phthalates, or toluene. They are also free of formaldehyde-donaing preservatives. Best thing is that it works great.
I found my Physician’s Formula Organic mascara for under $8 at my local Dillon’s store. Absolutely LOVE that mascara, since it adds color to the blonde tips of my eyelashes without all the chemicals and crap 🙂
I every time used to study article in news papers
but now as I am a user of net therefore from now I am
using net for articles or reviews, thanks to web.
It takes 26 seconds for anything that comes in contact with your skin to get into your blood stream! When it comes to beauty supplies and skin care I use arbonne. When it comes to cleaning supplies I use norwex. Great effective ways to get you started on clean living:)
Love your articles. I wanted to buy the tarte mascarar but it’s 27.00 on amazon
Oh I’ve been meaning to ask about a safe eyeliner. Any suggestions?
I tried the Tarte lights Camera Splashes and found it a bit gummy. Anyone else or perhaps did I get a bad batch?
I agree it does seem to clump a bit but I respect Food Babe so I will just keep trying until I find one that works. 😉
I tried Tarte and absolutely loved it. There is a special technique I was taught by a makeup artist so you don’t get clumping…. I believe it was to use the short side of the brush to coat your lashes, then sweep through with the longer bristles. Hope that helps!
Don’t bother using it. The post is a scam. The tartar mascara she’s recommending is actually pretty hazardous stuff. Per Skin deep database.
You’re better off with Bare Minerals
http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/product/232265/tarte_lights%2C_camera%2C_lashes%21_mascara%2C_Black/
Michele if you’d scrolled down some and seen some more comments you would’ve see the post by Food Babe in response to Lisa claiming the same as you did. Food Babe said “Tarte has changed their formula for the Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara since the EWR rating as well as their packaging. Please do follow the link and see for your self:
http://tartecosmetics.com/tarte-item-lights-camera-lashes-mascara
I heard a tip that has helped me with application of several mascaras. Wipe off the wand first with a clean tissue and then apply. The wands come preloaded with too much product. Since mascara is supposed to be replaced at least every six months, you really don’t have to worry too much about running out of product. After the first use, you might not have to wipe it off each use. Just an idea of something to try before you move on to another product.
Also, my lashes curl much better after I use my blow dryer to heat up the curler….just don’t heat it up too hot, and do this before you apply mascara.