Hey, Beautiful!
Having great lashes is a must. Bad clumpy, flakey mascara can ruin your look even if the rest of your eye makeup is flawless. Even if wearing a lot of makeup is not your thing a touch of the right mascara can really help make your eyes stand out.
I think a little mascara and a good organic lipstick are all you really need on a day to day basis.
Unfortunately, most popular mascara brands contain toxic and often irritating ingredients that you really don’t want anywhere near your eyes. Ingredients like coal tar dyes, parabens, phthalates, artificial colors and scents, petroleum byproducts. Luckily, there are some really great natural alternatives! This is what this blog is all about after all. Hee Hee. 😉
Here are some of my top picks.
This post may contain referral/affiliate links. If you buy something, The NMR may earn a commission.
[Updated July 2020]Overall Winner: Organic Mascara by Endlessly Beautiful
We chose the Organic Mascara by Endlessly Beautiful as the overall best natural, organic, vegan lengthening mascara!
Who doesn’t want long, healthy, lush lashes? With 100% natural and 85% organic ingredients including Chamomile and Vitamin E, Endlessly Beautiful has created the perfect natural mascara formula that actually works! With over 1,800 reviews on Amazon, this tried and true formula lengthens your lashes without clumping or flaking and will last all day long! It comes in two colors – black and brown – and not only makes your lashes look amazing, it also conditions and nourishes them too!
The Best Lengthening Mascaras 
If having super long, glossy, nicely separated lashes is your signature look then you will probably love these…
Ultra Lengthening Fruit Pigmented Mascara from 100% Pure Cosmetics
This mascara is colored with natural fruit and plant pigments just as the title says such as black tea, cocoa, and berries, and has zero chemical ingredients. It helps to condition, lengthen, and separate the lashes with minimal clumping, smudging or flaking. It rates as a 0 on Think Dirty and a 2 on EWG’s Skin Deep Database.
Available in 4 shades –
Black Tea (jet black)
Blueberry (deep midnight blue)
Blackberry (deep purple)
Dark Chocolate (deep brown)
Organic Herb Mascara 99% Food-Grade from Dab Herb Makeup
Image Source: Dab Herb Makeup on Etsy
If you are serious about avoiding chemicals in your cosmetics or are very chemically-sensitive then this is the mascara for you! Made with organic food-grade ingredients such as aloe vera, olive oil, and elderberry extract just to name a few, is handmade and colored with natural henna, indigo, and amla berry. This is one of my personal favorites that I use on a regular basis as you can see me wearing it here…
This mascara helps to lengthen, define, darken, and condition your lashes with pretty much zero clumping or flaking. It is also non-irritating and great for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers. It is available in a mini size for trial or travel purposes and in full size.
This product has not been rated on EWG or Think Dirty thus far. But I believe it would be a zero or one if it were. Comes in a pretty black-brown shade.
FlowerColor Natural Mascara from Ecco Bella
Image Source: EccoBella.com
The formula for this mascara is another very clean one. They leave out the lacquer, shellac, and alcohol and use natural clay and flower wax coated iron oxides instead. This mascara wraps around and to help lengthen lashes to their longest while providing good separating without clumping or flaking. It is water-resistant, but not waterproof and can be easily removed.
The packaging is really neat as it has a mirror on one side for easy on the go application. I think this is a really cool feature that I wish all mascaras came with. It is excellent for sensitive eyes as well. Vegan, gluten, fragrance, and paraben-free.
Available in two colors –
- black
- brown
This is rated as a 5 on Think Dirty because it does contain phenoxyethanol but EWG gives it a rating of only 1. So overall it is a clean product.
The Best Volumizing Mascaras
To get the thickest most gorgeous lashes naturally try out one of these brands…
100% Lash Natural & Organic Mascara from Root Cosmetics
Image Source: RootPretty.com
A bestseller and for good reason! This lovely mascara coats and thickens each lash while being smudge proof and water resistant. Woot! Plus, the no clumping or flaking formula is free of – artificial colors, preservatives, and fragrances making it ideal for sensitive eyes and/or contact lens wearers.
It comes in a sleek compact tube that contains just as much product as their competitors but in a smaller container that helps to keep the product from drying out. The short wand allows for precise control when applying so you don’t miss a lash or accidentally poke yourself in the eye (not that I have ever done that) …and it smells like a vanilla cupcake! Yum!
It has not been rated on Think Dirty or EWG yet (fail!) so they need to get on that!
This mascara comes in two shades – black and dark brown.
Infused Pure Soul Mascara from Afterglow Cosmetics
Image Source: Afterglowcosmetics.com
Made with certified organic and vegan ingredients this mascara will help give you lush flake and clump-free lashes for days. It is a rich buildable formula (which is always a good thing) for maximum volume. So, if you are a multiple-coats, kinda gal you may want to give this a try?
This formula is also –
- certified gluten-free
- cruelty-free
- soy-free
- hypoallergenic
- does not contain any bismuth-oxychloride, parabens, synthetic fragrances, dyes, etc.
This brand has also not yet been rated on EWG or any of the other apps. Bummer! But, it is a very clean product nonetheless.
Available in black and brown.
Mineral Fusion Volumizing Mascara
Image Source: mineralfusion.com
Now this mascara is actually EWG verified as you can see from the nifty little logo above. The entire brand is actually and what this means is that the ingredients used, fit the strict criteria laid out by the Environmental Working Group which you can read more about here. Yay!
This is a mineral pigmented mascara that comes in the nice packaging above with a luxurious full-bristled wand for thick lashes without being all clumpy or smudgy and what not. It is available in 3 shades –
- Jet (black)
- Midnight (dark navy)
- Chestnut (a rich brown)
It is also –
- talc-free
- gluten-free
- cruelty-free
- paraben-free
- fragrance-free
- phthalate-free
- free of any artificial dyes
- gentle and non-irritating
The Best Waterproof Mascaras
This is a must for weddings, graduations, funerals (sorry but it’s true), workouts, and fun in the sun at the lake or beach. Also great if you live in a hot humid climate where your makeup has a tendency to melt off as soon as you step outside… Florida! *Cough* *Cough*
It was actually quite a challenge to find a naturally formulated mascara of this type but I was able to find a couple!
Mineral Fusion Waterproof Mascara
Image Source: mineralfusion.com
This brand also makes a water-proof formula as you can see (I know, sorry! Duh!) that is, of course, EWG verified. It is formulated with a high amount of natural waxes to repel water naturally. It is made to be long-lasting while defining and conditioning the lashes with nourishing argan oil, aloe vera, and panthenol. It has a specially designed brush that helps give maximum length, volume, and separation.
Available in three colors –
- Raven (black)
- Cliff (black-brown)
- Cocoa (brown)
Naturally Rooted Premium Organic Water Resistant Mascara
I was pleasantly surprised to find this brand on Amazon, but hey! It’s nice to see that natural beauty is really starting to go mainstream. *Happy Dance*
This mascara is made in the USA with 85% organic ingredients and is paraben and cruelty-free. The nourishing formula contains chamomile and Sunflower Oils. Both are known for moisturizing and strengthening hair and the naturally enriched, moisturizing formula is long lasting and won’t clump. It is water-resistant but not waterproof.
Comes in a rich deep black shade.
Not yet rated on the apps.
The Best Natural Mascaras for Pale Lashes
For you pale lashed gals – the naturally very light blondes, strawberry blondes, and redheads dark brown and black mascara is harsh and unnatural looking against your beautiful delicate coloring. So, you are much better off choosing a light brown or auburn mascara. These may seem hard to find but I actually was able to successfully find a couple of natural ones that are made just for you. 🙂
Lengthening Mascara in Sable Brown from Real Purity Cosmetics
Designed to lengthen and darken eyelashes without coating them in irritating ingredients and designed to never clump or flake. The formula is paraben-free and hypoallergenic.
Aloe vera extract moisturizes and is calming and healing while organic jojoba seed oil (similar to the oil produced by your own skin) nourishes and improves the texture and application while beeswax, candelilla, and carnuba wax provide a barrier against irritants and environmental pollution.
Cucumber extract provides even more moisturizing and emollient properties, while argan oil, which is non-greasy and non-irritating, provides vitamin e and essential fatty acids.
This formula uses a sugar-derived, non-irritating preservative (the only preservative approved by Whole Foods by the way) that helps preserve the quality of the formula and extends its length of use. Sweet!
This is the perfect shade for those of you with blonde to light brown lashes.
Gingerlash Mascara from Redhead Revolution
Image Source: redheadrevolution.us
Gingerlash Mascara was made specifically for redheads! How cool is that?! It comes in three unique colors that were designed to offer a more natural lash tint and work with a redhead’s skin tone and coloring because let’s face it black or dark brown mascara just looks super harsh. These mascaras are the solution for the 2%!
The shades are –
- Honest Auburn (deep auburn)
- True Brown (light brown)
- Genuine Ginger (light brown with a red tint)
This mascara is smudge-proof, water resistant and formulated with 5 key ingredients:
- Organic Green Tea extract
- Organic Rosemary Extract
- Jojoba Oil
- Vitamin E
- Provitamin B5
It is also free of – parabens, mineral oils, fragrances or dyes and is cruelty-Free.
Now you don’t have to be a redhead to use these. These colors can look great on blondes and warm brunettes.
Tips for Beautiful Lashes:
- Curl your lashes first. Always do this prior to applying lash serums or mascara. Your lashes are more flexible and prone to breakage after applying serums or other lash products so if you curl always do that first.
- Apply lash serums before mascara. These not only help to condition your lashes but they also help make your curl and mascara last longer.
- Comb your lashes – apply one coat of mascara, comb your lashes and then proceed with a second or even third coat always combing between coats to prevent caking and clumping. You can also comb your lashes right before you curl them.
What is your favorite mascara? Leave us a comment! We love to hear from you.
Lora is a native Californian currently living in the Southeast. She is an artist, designer, blogger and nature lover. Her hobbies include herbalism, cooking, baking, creating DIY aromatherapy recipes, sipping wine and listening to music. She also loves to go hiking and camping.