Best Natural Mascara

There are many things I’m flexible about, but finding a great mascara isn’t one of them. As I started transitioning to a clean makeup routine, my mascara was one of the few things I didn’t want to replace. But now I’ve found my holy grails – the best natural mascara (and a few good runner ups) for my sensitive eyes.

I used the Dior Show mascara for years. It provided great volume, stood up to my life, and it was great for my sensitive eyes.

When I started trying clean mascaras, I’d go back to the Dior after each failed tube of mascara – just to keep myself sane.

It took a few years, but I’ve now found it – a few actually. I do still periodically try other brands, but I keep coming back to my beloved mascara (I buy the travel size and it’s plenty) and the Sport mascara (tube has some recycled materials!).

I found this blog post really informative about wand materials, shapes, and the ideal for each type of lash and look.

Best Natural Mascara for Sensitive Eyes

Review includes:

• ILIA Limitless Lash Mascara
• GenSee Sport Mascara*
• Kjaer Weiss Refillable Im-possible Mascara
• Jones Road Mascara
• Saie Mascara 101
• Westman Atelier Eye Want Your Mascara*
• Merit Beauty Clean Lash Lengthening Mascara

Just to save you some time, I put an * next to the ones I love and totally rebuy (usually in multiples when there is a sale). With that said, the ILIA and the Merit are both really great mascaras that I would wear – they just barely fall short of perfection for me and my eyes.

ILIA Mascara Review

I’ve used a few ILIA products and found them all generally enjoyable – I use to be a big fan of the ILIA Super Serum – now I just want something slightly different – nothing to complain about on that front. Anyway, with that track record, I decided to give the ILIA Limitless Lash Mascara a shot.

In short, I love it. The wand scared me at first as it has two “sides.” One side is curved and full of ‘bristles’ while the other side is a single, straight line of bristles. The first to separate your lashes and the latter to add volume and length. It took some getting used to but not long.

Most natural mascaras I’ve tried haven’t provided the coverage I’m used to in my beloved Diorshow mascara, but the ILIA finally gave me that oomph! If you like this style of wand – it’s the best natural mascara for you!

My sensitive eyes don’t seem to mind the formula most days although I have had some itching, likely aggravated by the dry air and seasonal allergies, so I can’t point any fingers!

I can even add it to my easy eyeshadow look for green eyes (with their eyeliner – another fave)! And it’s a must with my favorite clean eyeshadow palette!

Gen See Sport Mascara Review

Gen See offered to send me products to try – maybe 5 years ago and I found a major winner in their mascara. This was the first time I’d tried a ‘natural mascara’ and truly loved it. It’s still one of the two I swear by! And the tube is made of partially recycled materials!

I love a fiber wand, so I was excited to see this wand. I was a little nervous about the slighr hourglass shape of the wand, but it’s really not even noticeable

The formula goes on easily and doesn’t bother my eyes at all. It provides great coverage and didn’t leave me with any flaking or smudging.

I will admit to not always being the best at removing extra product from a wand, so I sometimes felt there was a touch more product on the wand than I wanted, but it never really proved to be an issue for me.

The only downside is that the mascara isn’t as clean as most of these other options. I ran the ingredients through EWG (see more below) and it gets a score of 3 – not terrible, but I tr to stick to 2s or less for clean. Since this was my first foray into a clean mascara, however, I have a soft spot for it and I think it’s generally clean enough.

All in all, I LOVE this mascara. It was wonderful for my sensitive eyes. You can buy Gen See from clean beauty retailer Credo Beauty.

Kjaer Weis Refillable Mascara Review

I’ve been really trying to buy less and refilling + buying bulk as often as possible, so my new product tries aren’t as numerous as you’d think.

The Kjaer Weis mascara caught my eye a while back because it’s refillable (and the outer casing is made from aluminum and therefore recyclable)! You buy the casing and mascara tube the first time and then you can just order an insert each time!

The Kjaer Weis line of beauty is all organic and clean (find them in this list of organic lip gloss). They now only offer the Im-possible (no longer the volumizing line).

The Im-possible Mascara has my beloved fiber wand, so I was excited to try it. It has the refillable concept. The first you’ll notice is how small the tube is. I don’t think you’re shorted on product, there’s just so much less packaging and the tube is only maybe 3 or 4″.

The product came out of the tube a bit thick, but it easily wiped clean. My sensitive eyes had no problem with the formula and it went on really well. And then closer to the end of the day, my husband would start telling me that it looked like I had a bit of a black eye – the mascara was flaking.

So while I love the concept and how the formula goes on, I won’t be buying this one again.

Check out other refillable makeup options here.

Remember you can always drop off empties like this at Nordstrom, Saks, Sephora, and Ulta stores – the most sustainable makeup recycling option.

Jones Road Mascara Review

Jones Road Beauty is the latest developed by Bobbi Brown (yes, the one who founded Bobbi Brown cosmetics). Years ago, I loved a few Bobbi Brown items (when the founder was in charge there). I recall the mascara being too lightweight for me (someone who likes some oomph and coverage), but I was ready to try and review the Jones Road mascara!

I was hesitant right off the bat with the curved fiber wand. I’m particular about wands, and this was a turnoff to me, but I gave it a whirl for about a month. At first I really liked the mascara, getting decent volume and coverage, but it’s wasn’t too long before I started to be more irritated with the mascara than anything else.

I never got used to the wand, really. I found it easy to clump on my lashes and couldn’t get separation very easily.

And while not the stiffest formula of clean/natural mascaras I’ve tried, it was pretty stiff, so if I rubbed my eyes, it was easy to come away with an eyelash – so frustrating.

After a month or so, I decided to move on to another tube of mascara, deciding I was over the downsides. I’m so particular about mascara and this one really didn’t do any of the things I wanted though, yes, it is clean (an EWG rating of 2)!

Saie Mascara 101 Review

Some of my favorite clean beauty friends rave about SAIE, so I was excited to try this mascara. A slim wand and brush, the formula goes on very easily and was non-irritating!

The formula gives a very natural look while still giving a bit of oomph. It wasn’t quite enough boost for my taste, but it was certainly easy to wear. I did notice some flaking throughout the day.

It did come off very easily too! I think this is a good mascara for sensitive eyes looking for a natural, light mascara!

Westman Atelier Eye Want You Mascara Review

You already know form that list up at the top that I’m a big fan of the Westman Atelier Eye Want You Mascara – it’s hands down my pick for best natural mascara. I first tried Westman Atelier in a sample pack of cheek colors as one of my the Nordstrom Anniversary Sales picks – and loved the cream blush. This one kept appearing in my interneting (an apt word to describe what bloggers do), so I gave it a shot.

Without realizing it, I’d ordered the “petite” size the first time. You know what? I can only use tubes of mascara for about 3 months before they get too dried out for my eyes – and the travel size is PLENTY for me, so if the full size price is giving you sticker shock, I saw don’t fret – it’s WORTH IT.

Honestly, there’s nothing I don’t love about this mascara! I like the packaging. The mascara goes on well and my eyes are happy all the live long day. No flaking. No smearing. No unhappiness. I set it and forget it. PERFECTION!!! This is the mascara I recommend to everyone!!

Merit Beauty Mascara Review

This Merit Beauty mascara is the only tubing mascara on this list (I haven’t tried them all…YET!!). I love the sleek packaging and you know what’s AMAZING? The wand comes out of the tube so clean! It’s dreamy. It provides great coverage, great lengthening, and great oomph!!

In my land of nitpicky, I feel like my lashes are a little “harder” than I’d like, but I think that’s a tubing mascara thing. And the hardness (or dryness) only bothers me on dry or windy days sometimes. Truthfully, if I didn’t have the Westman Atelier mascara already in my back pocket, this mascara would be a no-brainer for me!!

Looking for brow products, see my eyebrow growth serum recommendation!

Once you’re got your mascara figured out, you can complete your summer makeup routine!

Natural Mascaras

I always like to provide quick on info for the “cleanliness” of products. These products are all clean enough for me. I use EWG to get a 3rd party assessment. Learn more about EWG here.

• ILIA Limitless Lash Mascara (EWG Score: 1)
• Kjaer Weiss Refillable Im-possible Mascara(EWG Score: 3)†
• GenSee Sport Mascara*(EWG Score: 3)†
• Jones Road Mascara (EWG Score: 2)
• Saie Mascara 101 (EWG Score: 1)
• Westman Atelier Eye Want Your Mascara* (EWG Score: 1)
• Merit Beauty Clean Lash Lengthening Mascara (EWG Score: 2)

† I usually only do EWG-verified or items with a score of 1 or 2. Because of the sustainable/refillable factor, I gave the Kjaer Weis mascara a try! The GenSee was the first clean/clean-adjacent mascara I ever actually liked, so while it isn’t squeaky clean, it’s still on my list of mascaras to share and it is on the cleaner side.

Clean Beauty

Since clean beauty is an important part of sustainable living (what we wash down the drain matters as much as what we put on our skin), be sure to check out:

Non Toxic Makeup Brands
Counter Review (previously Beautycounter)
Crunchi Review (skincare)
Crunchi Makeup Review
Clean Beauty at Nordstrom
Clean Beauty at Sephora
Clean Beauty at Target
Clean Beauty at Walmart
Clean Beauty at ULTA

Common items of interest include shampoo bar reviews and how to you use them? What natural deodorant actually works? Are there refillable deodorant options? What’s the best double edge razor blades (the best safety razor and how to use them properly). And the best makeup brush cleaner (on the cheap and easy)!

There are also great natural skin care products for men, including hair care! And you’ll want to check out these wonderful natural bar soaps as well as the answer to the ever popular question: what are skin toners for!