Your eyes are incredibly sensitive so it makes sense to take extra precaution when choosing eye creams and the makeup you’re using around your eye area. If you've already made the switch to clean mascara, it's time to trade in your old pencils for these makeup-artist recommended natural eyeliner picks.
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Meet the Experts
- Kerrin Jackson, makeup artist and creator of The Makeup Refinery
- Matthew Waitesmith, makeup artist and co-founder of Artis
- Hadley King, M.D., a dermatologist at Skinney Med Spa and instructor at Cornell University
- Mary Winkenwerder, make-up artist
Why Clean Eyeliner?
Opting for clean beauty is a wise decision, particularly when it comes to the makeup you’re using around your eye area, such as eyeliner. The eye area itself is incredibly sensitive, especially the skin around the eye, which is very thin, fragile, and prone to dehydration.
“Since eyeliner products are used so close to the eye, and considering how important it is to protect this area, you should avoid any ingredients that you may have established a sensitivity to and have a reaction to,” says makeup artist and co-founder of Artis, Matthew Waitesmith. “You can find products that either avoid traditional preservative ingredients or keep them at a minimum.”
If you're not into DIY-ing eyeliner, here are some hand-picked clean eyeliners recommended by the makeup artists we interviewed.
Best Pencil Eyeliner
The list of ingredients in a product starts with the ingredient having the largest quantity, so it’s nice to see that castor seed oil is the first in this eye pencil. Castor seed oil is safe when used in small doses and is a natural emollient. It’s rich in ricinoleic acid, a type of monounsaturated fatty acid [source], so it helps prevent dryness around your eye area.
And, whenever possible, Jackson recommends purchasing eyeliners that contain plant-based waxes instead of synthetics. “The Rhus Verniciflua Peel Wax found in W3LL People’s Fresh Lines Eyeliner Pencil is a known alternative to beeswax, for example,” she says. “Jojoba seed oil, which is found in both the W3LL People Pencil I mentioned and products from Honest Beauty, is known to treat and condition the skin.”
This natural eyeliner is also vegan and formulated without the use of harsh chemicals or preservatives.
Best Budget Buy
This inexpensive high-quality pencil eyeliner is made without harmful chemicals like carbon black pigment, which has been found to have carcinogenic properties.
“Honest really does live up to its name with complete transparency about what’s in and what isn’t in its products,” says Jackson. “What I love about Honest is that, despite using plant-based ingredients and few synthetic chemicals, there is no compromise on quality—and they are still affordable as well.”
Best Liquid Liner
If you enjoy wearing highly defined lines around your eyes, Winkenwerder recommends this clean eyeliner, which can be worn on bare eyes or drawn over completed eye shadow statements. “All your clean beauty and high-fashion eyeliner expectations come true with this product,” she says. It’s free of parabens, gluten, fragrance, SLS, PEG, and the list goes on. It’s also cruelty-free and vegan.
More Clean Eyeliners
In addition to being free of parabens, phthalates, and cyclical silicones, this self-sharpening gel eyeliner pencil is top-notch in terms of its performance.
“It maintains a fine tip for precise and easy application, and the waterproof formulation stays on for long wear,” says Hadley King, M.D., a dermatologist at Skinney Med Spa and clinical instructor of dermatology at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University. “The formulation includes moisturizing ingredients like sunflower seed oil, vitamin E, and panthenol to support the delicate skin of the eyelids.”
Make-up artist Mary Winkenwerder is a big fan of this pencil eyeliner that produces rich color without fading, wears well for a long time, and has a flawless application. “While liquid eyeliner is more popular with high-fashion stencil eye designs, this one steps in and produces a usable fill-in for basic stencil eye lining designs,” she adds.
This eyeliner bears the EWG VERIFIED™ mark, which means it meets the Environmental Working Group’s strict standards for health and safety—avoiding any and all ingredients on their “Unacceptable List.”
Dr. King is a fan of the ingredients it does use, including cornflower water, which soothes the skin, and iron oxide, which provides natural pigment. “This product is cruelty-free and free of parabens, phthalates, and cyclical silicones,” she says. “It also has a precise tip for easy application and doesn’t smudge.”
If you’re more of a liquid eyeliner person, this one has a smooth and creamy texture and a flexible precision tip, which makes for easy application. “In addition to being vegan, cruelty-free, and paraben-free, this one uses the natural ingredient glycerin, which hydrates the skin, and polymers that add to its durability,” says Dr. King. It’s also water-resistant, which is ideal for long wear.
What to Look for in Clean Eyeliner
According to beauty experts, if you’re shopping for an eyeliner that falls under the category of “clean,” here are a few things you should be looking for.
Free from harmful chemicals: The laundry list of chemicals to look out for to ensure your eyeliner is clean is quite long—it includes parabens, aluminum, formaldehyde (yes, like in embalming), petroleum, talc, triclosan, and silica, just to name a few. Research, including one study published in the journal, Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, has linked parabens to a myriad of hormonal disorders, including cancer [source].
Organic, when possible: Seek out the title “organic” in your clean eyeliners. If eyeliner is certified organic, at least 95 percent of the materials used are organic compliant per the USDA. This means they are handled and manufactured in an organic manner that does not use any genetically modified organisms. It’s worth pointing out that this certification is quite pricey, so just because a clean beauty product isn’t “organic” per its label doesn’t mean it’s not actually organic by USDA standards.
Vegan and cruelty-free: It’s a great thing when a clean beauty product, such as eyeliner, is vegan and cruelty-free. This means the products were not tested on animals and do not contain any animal by-products (beeswax, lanolin, honey, tallow).
Sustainability: A quality clean product should be sustainable, meaning that its manufacturing and packaging are not causing harm to the planet. Most sustainable beauty products come in biodegradable or recycled packaging and contribute to a TerraCycle program.
Ophthalmologist-tested: Eyeliners that are hypo-allergenic and ophthalmologist tested are the safest for your eye area.” This means that the odds of your eyes reacting to the product are minimized and that a product is fragrance-free,” says Jackson.
FAQ
Can I still use natural eyeliner for creating different eyeliner styles, such as a winged look?
Yes, you can definitely create various eyeliner styles using natural organic eyeliners. For looks that call for crisp, clean lines, choose a liquid eyeliner. And for those that are softer and smokier, choose a pencil or pressed eyeliner.
How do I remove natural eyeliner at the end of the day?
Natural organic eyeliners can usually be removed using a gentle makeup remover or a natural oil like coconut oil or jojoba oil. Apply a small amount to a cotton pad or cloth and gently wipe away the eyeliner. Always be gentle around the delicate eye area.
What color eyeliner should I use for a natural look?
If you're aiming for the most natural look possible, using a soft brown or taupe eyeliner can work well across all eye colors. These shades mimic the natural shadows around the eyes and create definition without being overly noticeable.
How do I apply eyeliner and make it look natural?
When going for a natural look, opt for a thin line close to the lash line, focusing on the outer two-thirds of your eyes. You can smudge the eyeliner slightly using a smudging brush or your fingertip to soften the edges and make it look even more subtle. Remember, the key is to enhance your features rather than drastically change them. Choose an eyeliner color that complements your eyes and skin tone, and apply it with a light hand to make it look effortless.
Photos by Sujeeth Potla and Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
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