Are you worried about carnauba wax in mascara? Maybe you’ve got an allergy to it? Or your mascara has started making your eyes irritated?
I switched mascaras about a year after my little one was born.
At first, whenever I wore it I’d get a slightly irritated feeling… which I wrote off as me just getting the mascara on my eyelid in the wrong place. It couldn’t be an allergy – I’m not allergic to anything. But, I stopped wearing it as much as I was.
A month or two later I put it on again to record a video tutorial on my kid-free-Friday… and my eyes went crazy.
Inflamed, sore, weeping…
Ok. I thought. I’ll just take the mascara off and I’ll be fine.
Tried that.
Still inflamed and sore and itchy.
Maybe if I rinse my eyes out with an eye wash and took antihistamines?
Tried that.
No difference.
Maybe time would help?
Waited the whole weekend…
Still terrible.
Made a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday… went to my little one’s swimming lesson (scared all the kids :p) then went to the doc.
Diagnosis: carnauba wax allergy
Prescription: steroid drops (and no more mascara with carnauba wax… well, ok, he said no more mascara, but that’s tough…)
Oh and he also gave me a lovely warning that if I tried that mascara again my eyes would likely become ulcerated. Yeah, no thank you.
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The Problem With Carnauba Wax Allergy
Obviously mascaras with carnauba wax are out if you’re allergic.
Unfortunately, carnauba is incredibly popular in cosmetics and particularly mascara and eye liner. It’s also considered to be hypoallergenic and ‘safe’. So, you’ll find carnauba wax even in those mascaras for sensitive eyes.
Is Carnauba Wax Allergy Really an Allergy?
I personally think that my reaction was an allergic response.
However, I came across some information that talked about the issue with carnauba wax is it clogs your eye’s oil glands which can lead to dry eye disease – irritated, scratchy eyes.
Either way, I don’t want carnauba wax anywhere near my eyeballs ever again.
Why Cosmetic Companies Use Carnauba Wax in Mascara
I was surprised to find so many cosmetics companies use carnauba wax. This is because:
- it’s shiny
- it works as an emollient
- it’s hypoallergenic
- it helps thicken mascara without caking
My doctor would also add: it’s cheap. :/
Does this mean you have to give up on mascara?
I did, for a few months.
But, then life happened and I had a wedding to go to.
I probably could’ve had my eyelashes tinted now that I think about it…
Instead I went searching for a mascara that didn’t contain carnauba wax.
How to Know if Carnauba Wax is in Your Mascara Ingredients
You’re going to have to start reading labels. Yuck. Staring at tiny text and long scientific names of weird chemicals you put on your eyelashes isn’t anyone’s idea of a good time…
Here’s how to spot carnauba wax… because it likes to go by a few different names on mascara ingredients lists:
- Copernicia cerifera
- Carnauba wax
- Carnauba
- Cire de carnauba
- Copernicia cerifera cera
- Cera carnauba
on your mascara ingredients list.
The key words you’re looking for are copernicia and carnauba. The more helpful cosmetic brands will show more than one of these names to describe the ingredient.
What if You Can’t Find the Ingredients List of Your Mascara?
It’s so frustrating – you desperately need to know what’s in your mascara (or risk ulcerating your eyeballs) and you can’t find an ingredients list anywhere.
Here are some tips to help you find out what’s in your mascara:
- check online stores – many mascaras on sites like Amazon list their ingredients either in the sales listing or include a photo of the ingredients list.
- check the cosmetic brand’s website – most brands should list the ingredients on their site.
- go to a cosmetic store or department store and ask for help at the counter – the sales assistants should know their brands well and be able to find the information you need.
- ask the brand directly – in my research there were a handful of brands that acted like their ingredients list was a top secret plan for world domination that couldn’t fall in to enemy hands… sorry, but saying ‘our ingredients are all hypoallergenic and natural’ doesn’t cut it when you have an allergy to one of those ‘hypoallergenic’ ingredients. I prefer to avoid buying from these companies… but if you’re considering a mascara or eyeliner from one of these brands playing coy, reach out and ask them.
What Mascara Brands Don’t Contain Carnauba Wax?
It’s 2018.
I’m a millennial.
If I need to know something, Google’s got my back.
Except in this case.
A list of mascaras that don’t contain carnauba wax? Zilch. Nada.
Just ADS for mascaras that definitely DID contain carnauba wax. Boo.
Google, you let me down!
Next stop: Amazon. Surely if Carnauba wax is a ‘cheap’ ingredient, I can stroll on down to the luxury beauty section and buy without fear? Nope. A surprising number of luxury brands include Carnauba wax.
So, I’m writing that list for you now. I’m going to link directly to a particular product for each entry – chances are that brand may be a ‘safe’ brand but please do check the ingredients list for yourself before you buy. Case in point: I bought Urban Decay Cannonball from my local Mecca (it doesn’t contain carnauba wax) but some of their other mascaras do.
Also, formulas can change over time and, hey, I’m only human and could’ve missed something!
Xtreme Lashes Volumizing Mascara
Ingredients list in images.
Katherine Cosmetics Everyday Mascara
Ingredients list here.
100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Ultra Lengthening Mascara
Ingredients list here.
Bella Mari Natural Mascara
When you’ve read as many mascara ingredients lists as I have, you get used to them being super long. Not this one – this brand has only a handful of ingredients which makes me really like it 🙂 I might try it next!
Ingredients list here.
Cleure Luxury Hypoallergenic Mascara
Ingredients list here.
Eyeko Yoga Waterproof Mascara
Ingredients list here.
Kanebo 38C
No image – but check it out here.
NARS Audacious Black Moon
Ingredients list was found here.
Neutrogena Weightless Wax-Free Mascara
Maybelline New York Snapscara
Happy Hunting!
To be honest, I’m shocked that I only found 10 mascara brands that didn’t contain carnauba wax. If you have any doubt about whether a mascara contains carnauba wax don’t buy it. It’s in practically every mascara and it’s just not worth taking the risk.
I hope you find a good match for you in this list! And if you find any that I haven’t included, drop me the link below and I’ll check them out.
Celeste
Saturday 29th of June 2019
Hi! I have been having eye irritation for 4 months since now and havent found a cure. But I have noticed when I dont use makeup, my eyes are not as red. I was diagnosed with dry eyes so I am thinking ingredients in my makeup is causing this! Many of my makeup had carauba wax, bismuth oxychloride, and mica. I need to make sure this is my problem ! How has your irritation been now using the carauba wax free mascara? :)
Cath
Sunday 30th of June 2019
Hi Celeste My reaction to carnauba wax was pretty extreme - I stopped using any makeup around my eyes for quite a while, first so it could heal and then because I was scared of it happening again! So my eyes definitely had a chance to have a break from the irritation. I've had zero reactions to the carnauba free mascara. I'm a bit more sparing about how frequently I wear mascara (and makeup in general) these days though - just because there's so many weird chemicals in it. Hope that helps and that you find something that works for you!
Deborah
Monday 4th of March 2019
Cath--THANK YOU for putting together this list!
I've recently developed dry eye and eye gland problems and need to find a mascara that won't irritate my eyes. After much research, I put together this list of things to AVOID around the eyes:
Parabens (interfere with oil glands and promote dry eye) Synthetic Dyes Thimerosal Aluminum (LB pigment 5 or pigment metal) Nickel, Chrome and other heavy metals Formaldehyde (Quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, or Urea) Retini Acetate (Vitamin A acetate or retinal palmitate. Vitamin A affects oil glands) Imidazolindiny Urea Carbon Black (D&C Black No. 2, acetylene black, channel black, furnace black, coal, lamp or thermal black) Ethanolamine compounds (DEA, TEA, MEA) Benzalkonium Chloride (BAK) (particularly problematic for Blephartis sufferers) (Quaternium-15 or guar hydropropyltrimonium) Carnuba Wax (Prime Yellow and/or Copernicia) (clogs the oil glands and leads to dry eye) (Most waxes are problematic except Japan wax) Titanium dioxide (TiO2)
TIPS:
Avoid waterproof make-up Use coconut oil to remove makeup Hypoallergenic doesn’t mean it’s free of the above ingredients—neither does “natural” or “organic”
As you know, it's next to impossible to find mascara without wax, or titanium dioxide, or some of these other ingredients. So I'm going to drill down this list of yours a little further to see if any "make the cut!"
You've saved me a lot of work and hopefully, my eyes!
Blessings to you.
Deborah
Cath
Thursday 14th of March 2019
Hi Deborah - you're welcome! I'm sorry you're experiencing these issues with mascara too. I must admit I was totally taken aback by how many weird ingredients are in a product that goes on your eyes... Love your tips! Definitely agree - hypoallergenic / natural / organic... all meaningless when it comes to these ingredients. Good luck with your search :)
Jessica
Friday 8th of February 2019
Thank you so much for putting this list together! I just purchased the 100% pure fruit pigment mascara through amazon. Also found a nice lip gloss by Kopari which looks good! Now on to eyeliner! I'm avoiding carnauba wax and beeswax. So far, I think most of Bare Minerals and Taste are safe, but I'm still checking around!
Cath
Sunday 10th of February 2019
You're so welcome :) You'll have to let me know how the mascara goes - it sounds lovely! Thanks for the tip on Bare Minerals and Taste. I'll have to check them out!
janie jackson
Monday 4th of February 2019
Are any of these waterproof? If not, have you found one that is waterproof? Thanks so much for your article.
Cath
Wednesday 6th of February 2019
Hi Janie, the one I purchased recently was the Urban Decay Cannonball and it is waterproof... however, I'm in Australia and it seems that this brand may no longer be carnauba wax free. It's not easy to find a waterproof mascara without it! I'll see if I can come back to you with any recommendations. Ok, so of this list the only one that states its waterproof is the Eyeko brand.