I Wore Only Clean Mascara for a Month, and These Are the Best

They're just as good as traditional formulas.

I Wore Only Clean Mascara for a Month, and These Are the Best

These days, it's easy to find clean makeup that's as sophisticated as other products. But finding the best clean mascara that stands up to standard formulas is trickier. While what makes a product clean isn't cut and dry across the board—the term isn't regulated by the FDA so most brands and retailers use their own guidelines—most mascaras use ingredients that fall under these “no lists.” Things like parabens, phthalates, silicones, and synthetic dyes and fragrances are all common in your drugstore tubes of mascara. While clean beauty enthusiasts are weary of some of these ingredients, they've historically also been crucial for giving your lashes the length, volume, and pigment you crave.

Until now. Over the past few years, the category has evolved from granola attempts to fluttery results rivaling our old standbys. And while I personally am not a clean beauty enthusiast (in fact, one could call me a skeptic), I'm always on the hunt for the next best mascara—plus, I've probably swiped more mascara wands across my lashes than the rest of the Glamour team combined. So keeping the spirit of discovery in mind, I used exclusively clean formulas for a month. Here are the best clean mascara options I found.

Best Overall Clean Mascara: Roen Cake Mascara

OK, confession, this one isn't exactly a new discovery. I've been obsessed with Roen's Cake Mascara since it launched last year, and consider it the standard for any clean or traditional mascara I try. One coat is pretty, but once I layer up to two or three, my lashes get to insane levels of thickness and length. I like that it's almost chunky in an intentional way the more you apply (check out the campaign imagery to see how far you can take it), and that it never fully dries down so you can add more throughout the day without clumps. Despite that, it doesn't flake, smear, or smudge, but easily rinses off when you want it too. I also love that the fluffy brush really fans out my lashes, and makes them look so full and pretty.

Roen Beauty Cake Mascara

$28Roen BeautyBuy Now

Best for Clean Mascara for Length: Ilia Limitless Lash Lengthening Mascara

The brush on this guy really stands out for me. It's spiky plastic, with one side of the bristles more densely packed, and the other side spaced out like a comb. It definitely gives more of a natural look than the Roen, but still brings a bit of drama with the length. I love how it lifts and separates my lashes, and I'll definitely grab for it on my more low-key days.

ILIA Limitless Lash Lengthening Mascara

$28ILIABuy Now

Best Luxury Clean Mascara: Westman Atelier Eye Love You Volumizing Mascara

I wouldn't be lying if I said I wanted to try this mascara because of the packaging—which is so fancy and heavy—but what's inside holds up too. The brush is fluffy but stiff, and distributes the formula beautifully. It has a rich texture that feels like it's good for your lashes and is super black. I would like a little more in the length department but it gave my lashes a nice heft. I did find it flaked a bit thought the day as well, so keep that in mind.

Westman Atelier Eye Love You Volumizing Mascara

$58Westman AtelierBuy Now

Best Natural Mascara: Burt's Bees Natural Nourishing Mascara

It's great to see clean options at the drugstore, and this formula is 100% natural as well. It definitely gave my lashes a soft, slightly enhanced look. I like how well it separated my lashes, so despite not adding tons of volume it still emphasized each and every lash. The staying power is great—no flaking, smudging, or running—and I like that the formula contains jojoba oil and glycerine to condition lashes while you wear it.

Burt's Bees 100% Natural Nourishing Mascara

$13Burt's BeesBuy Now

Best Drugstore Clean Mascara: Covergirl Lash Blast Clean Volume Mascara

Lash Blast was the first mascara I ever bought (influenced by America's Next Top Model, obviously) so it will forever hold a special place in my heart. I'm happy to report that the new-ish clean version holds up. This made my lashes look so long and fluttery, almost like I had extensions on. I love how even though it gave me a good amount of drama, every lash felt very separated and lifted. It also stayed on all day with minimal issues.

CoverGirl Lash Blast Clean Volume Mascara

$11CoverGirlBuy Now

Best Clean Mascara for Lift: Saie Mascara 101 Lengthening and Lifting

Saie is one of my favorite cool new beauty brands, and this mascara is one of the products that really sold me on it. The brush is really amazing, it piles on product but still lifts and separates lashes, and the spiky tip is perfect for coating lower lashes or corners. One coat gives you a pretty, natural look, but I like to layer up a few for a thicker look. It never gets crunchy because the formula contains shea butter, but also doesn't smudge around either. All around, it's a pretty great mascara.

Saie Mascara 101 Lengthening and Lifting

$24SaieBuy Now

Best for Volumizing Clean Mascara: Jones Road The Mascara

I'm really impressed by everything from Jones Road, a new brand by beauty legend and inventor of no-makeup-makeup Bobbi Brown, but this mascara may be the standout. It's curved fluffy brush feels sort of retro, but gives me huge Muppet-level lashes in just a few swipes (it's fabulous for layering). I love how inky black it is, and the formula has almost a fluffy texture so you can really see it build up lashes. Since the brush is curved, it curls lashes (no tools required) and gives me that wide-awake dolly look. Obsessed.