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As someone with very sensitive skin, I can hardly say it’s surprising that most mascaras leave my eyes teary and irritated. After all, a lot of the same ingredients that tick off your skin (like fragrances and dyes) can have the same effect on your eyes, Sonia Kelley, OD, MS, a medical editor for All About Vision and an optometrist based in Ohio, tells SELF. “These can all cause skin irritation and sometimes lead to an allergic reaction called contact dermatitis, resulting in redness or itching,” she says.
But you don’t have to leave your lashes untouched if your eyes are on the sensitive side—we’ve found lengthening, defining, and volumizing mascaras made with gentler ingredients (and without potential allergens). Some are even ophthalmologist- or allergy-tested, meaning a panel of experts has reviewed their ingredient lists for possible irritants. Others are marketed as hypoallergenic, meaning they’re less likely to contain allergens (just keep in mind that this term isn’t defined by the FDA, so hypoallergenic products may still cause a reaction).
We put some of the most popular mascaras to the test for a month and found some true standouts—one might even call them eye-opening. Find out which ones made the cut below, then read on to learn more about finding makeup that’ll play well with your eyes.
Our top picks
- Best Overall: Pacifica Stellar Gaze Length & Strength Mascara, $14
- Best Budget Pick: Neutrogena Healthy Lengths Mascara, $9
- Best Splurge: Lancôme Hypnôse Drama Extreme Volumizing Mascara, $32
- Best Tubing Mascara: Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara, $26
- Best Waterproof Formula: La Roche-Posay Toleriane Waterproof Mascara, $26
The best mascaras for sensitive eyes
It’s time to make your everyday makeup less of a pain (literally). Shop our favorite mascaras for sensitive eyes below.
Best Overall: Pacifica Stellar Gaze Length & Strength Mascara
The day Pacifica discontinues its Stellar Gaze mascara is the day I give up on eye makeup for good. It’s the only product I’ve tried that doesn’t immediately make my eyes look like I’ve been dicing onions, and it visibly lengthens and separates my lashes—the best of both worlds.
Its buildable formula contains vitamin E, a nourishing antioxidant that supports healthy eyelashes, Dr. Kelley says. And the brush is incredibly soft—if I’ve ever come close to stabbing myself with this wand, I haven’t noticed.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Natural look, great for everyday wear | Some Amazon reviewers were underwhelmed with the effects |
| Buildable | |
| Conditioning, moisturizing formula | |
| Under $20 |
Other notable ingredients
Glycerin, panthenol, and jojoba oil (all reliable moisturizers); soothing chamomile extract; rice protein, which can help strengthen hair and skin
Best Budget Pick: Neutrogena Healthy Lengths Mascara
Our tester called this drugstore pick from Neutrogena an “instant holy grail” for her sensitive skin and watery eyes. “It goes on easily, doesn’t clump, looks super natural (especially in the brown/black color I tested), and stays put all day,” she says. “The brush is also pretty round and long, so it makes it easy to cover all of my lashes in under a minute.”
The Healthy Lengths Mascara’s formula is enriched with conditioners like vitamin E, olive oil, and rice protein, Dr. Spizuoco says. So you can feel good about its immediate effects and hydrating benefits in the longer term too.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Under $10 | Packaging feels a little cheap |
| Easy to apply | |
| Ophthalmologist-tested | |
| Stays put all day |
Other notable ingredients
Glycerin, castor oil
Best Splurge: Lancôme Hypnôse Drama Extreme Volumizing Mascara
Our tester was quick to admit that $32 is a fair bit of money to spend on a single tube of mascara. But she added that the non-irritating formula of Lancôme’s Hypnôse Drama Extreme Volumizing Mascara makes its price tag “more palatable,” especially after seeing its staying power.
“I didn’t notice any flaking and it didn’t disappear over the course of the day,” she says. “It wasn't too hard to take off, either: I washed my face and then used a makeup remover wipe to really wipe it off. I didn’t feel like my eyes got irritated, nor did I notice any redness throughout the day or after removing it.”
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Stays put with no flaking | Over $30 |
| Curved brush makes application easy | Wand picks up a lot of product at a time |
| Ophthalmologist-tested |
Other notable ingredients
Panthenol (a.k.a. pro-vitamin B5, a humectant that attracts water to the skin)
Best Tubing Mascara: Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara
If the process of removing your makeup further irritates your eyes, consider a tubing mascara, Amy Spizuoco, DO, FAOCD, a board-certified dermatologist and dermatopathologist based in New York City, tells SELF. Made to wrap around each individual lash and wash away with warm water, tubing mascaras don’t require much elbow grease to apply or remove. Take Thrive Causemetic’s best-selling Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara: Its formula adds a ton of length and lift to your eyelashes, then comes off with a few sweeps of a wet washcloth.
Pro tip: If you notice any smudging with this product (like our tester did), she recommends holding the wand out of the bottle for a minute or two before applying to give the product a little time to dry.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Gentle, easy-to-remove formula | More expensive than our overall pick |
| Ophthalmologist-tested | May smudge |
| Available in six shades |
Other notable ingredients
Soothing and nourishing shea butter, castor oil (keeps eyelashes healthy and hydrated, as SELF has previously reported), panthenol
Best Waterproof Formula: La Roche-Posay Toleriane Waterproof Mascara
Waterproof mascaras are usually harder to remove, which can make them especially irritating for some people, Dr. Spizuoco says. For a mascara that won’t budge with a little moisture (but won’t feel harsh on your peepers, either), she recommends La Roche-Posay’s Toleriane Waterproof Mascara. It’s made with sensitive eyes in mind, so it’s easy to remove—but still smudge-resistant.
“I purchased this mascara post cataract surgery and it’s one of the best I’ve ever used,” one Amazon reviewer wrote. “It’s waterproof, buildable, and I didn’t have an issue with flaking or any kind of irritation.”
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Fragrance-free | Over $25 |
| Ophthalmologist-tested | |
| Easy to take off (with a waterproof makeup remover or cleansing balm) |
Other notable ingredients
Glycerin
More great options
What’s another tube (or three)? These mascaras didn’t make it to our top picks, but they still impressed our testers and derms.
L’oréal Panorama Washable Mascara
L'Oréal Paris’s Voluminous Panorama Washable Mascara made our tester believe she could become a regular mascara wearer: “I never wear mascara day-to-day because of the task of removing it, but I actually might wear this more often, since it comes off so easily and didn’t bother my eyes,” she says. She adds that it’s a great option for a more natural, everyday look (but probably won’t look glam enough for a big event like a wedding).
Our tester did note a slight downside in how easily this mascara comes off. “It’s definitely washable. Maybe to a fault? I found it just naturally came off throughout the day, but it didn’t smear or look bad,” she says. So, if you like the formula but want all-day-long effects, be prepared to reapply.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Rubber wand curls lashes well | Not especially long-lasting—gradually wears off throughout the day |
| Easy to remove | Doesn’t deliver especially dramatic effects |
| Under $20 |
Other notable ingredients
Glycerin
Clinique High Impact High-Fi Full Volume Mascara
Here’s another solid choice for everyday wear, according to Dr. Spizuoco. The High Impact High-Fi Full Volume Mascara from Clinique has a lightweight consistency and an impressively rich formula. Its ingredients include a blend of coconut, argan, and moringa oils that strengthen and soften eyelashes at the same time, and its tapered wand makes it easy to coat every lash—even the ones in the corner of your eye.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Fragrance-free | Over $25 |
| Ophthalmologist-tested | |
| Buildable formula |
Other notable ingredients
Castor oil, vitamin E
Almay Length & Lift Mascara
Almay is known for its sensitive skin-friendly cosmetics that perform really well—which is why Dr. Spizuoco likes its Length & Lift Mascara. It’s buildable, hypoallergenic, and available at a drugstore price point. Its plant-based ingredients help your eyelashes stay strong and smooth, and the brush (which is also made from plant-derived materials) leaves an even, buildable coat on your lashes with every swoop.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Fragrance-free | Tends to flake, according to Amazon reviewers |
| Ophthalmologist-tested | |
| Under $15 |
Other notable ingredients
Olive oil, panthenol
FAQs about mascaras for sensitive eyes
What can make mascara irritating in the first place?
In addition to added fragrances and harsh dyes, mascaras can contain potentially irritating preservatives like sodium benzoate and parabens. These ingredients are generally considered safe, but may cause allergic reactions for folks with especially sensitive skin or conditions like eczema or psoriasis.
When these ingredients show up in a mascara, they may have a greater effect than in products used elsewhere on your body, Emilie Fowler, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Schweiger Dermatology Group in New York City, tells SELF. “Eyelid skin is the thinnest skin on the body, so when we have a sensitivity or an allergy to an ingredient in our skin care, it can show up here first,” she explains. She adds that reactions to mascara usually involve redness, puffiness, itching, or flaking (or some combination of these) in and around the eye area.
The way you apply mascara can inflame your eyes even more, Dr. Kelley says. “Applying mascara too close to your eyelashes can block the tiny glands that help keep your eyes moist, making them feel dry and uncomfortable,” she says, so leave a little room between the wand and the root of your lashes.
What to look for when shopping for mascaras for sensitive eyes
Like we mentioned earlier, it’s a great first step to look for products labeled as hypoallergenic or ophthalmologist-tested. Also, keep an eye out for fragrance-free and gentle formulas with simpler ingredient lists, Dr. Spizuoco says, adding that water-based products tend to be less irritating than ones made with petroleum.
While you browse, take “natural” cosmetic claims with a grain of salt, Dr. Fowler says: “Some ingredients considered ‘natural’ that come from plants can actually be very irritating and a source of many contact allergies.” Same goes for “clean” beauty products—these terms aren’t federally defined or regulated, so they don’t guarantee that a product will be better for your skin than others.
And even if you feel confident that your eyes will tolerate a new mascara, you should still patch test it first, just to make sure it won’t trigger an allergic reaction. Giving an old mascara another try? Check that it hasn’t expired or been open for too long. Old eye makeup can grow harmful bacteria that causes irritation, Dr. Spizuoco says.
Related:
- Kiss Dry, Flaky Lips Goodbye With These Soothing Masks
- 11 Retinol Serums We Rely on for Smooth, Glowy Skin
- The Best Hydrating Serums for Dryness, Dullness, Fine Lines, and More
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