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The best vegan mascaras for guilt-free, fluttery lashes

Eye makeup with a conscience

By Briar Clark

BEAUTYcrew Beauty Editor / February 26 2021

If we were stuck on a desert island and there was only one makeup item we could take with us, it would be mascara.

The eye-opening, drama-inducing lash definer is a mainstay in our routine and can completely overhaul a look, taking us from low-energy to ‘on’ with just a few expertly maneuvered strokes.

But by the same token, traditional formulas are somewhat unkind to our furry friends and an animal product-free way of living, with a tendency to favour non-vegan friendly ingredients.

Thankfully though, there are a collection of brands taking the initiative to give us guilt-free, high-performing formulas. Here are some vegan-friendly mascara offerings your lashes will love.

MARC JACOBS BEAUTY At Lash’d Lifting & Volumizing Mascara

Need your mascara to last through a day at work and maybe a sweat sesh at the gym too? This long-wearing, flake and smudge-free formula is for you. Lengthening and curling, this good-looker contains lash conditioning biotin peptide and provitamin B5 that strengthens and enhances the appearance of lashes. And if you were wondering where all that volume was coming from,lightweight vegan plant waxes are the culprit. Sorry, not sorry.

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MECCA MAX Wink Ink Super Mascara

We’re chomping at the bit to hand over the crisp $20 it costs for this wink-widening mascara. Flake-free and 100 per cent vegan and cruelty-free, this little guy can be layered easily, making it the perfect pick for your makeup bag. Ideal for touch-ups on-the-go or switching from daytime to evening looks, think lengthened and volumised lashes, all night long.

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ICONIC London Triple Threat Mascara

We’ve got a true triple threat on our hands here; we’re talking lift, volume and length coming your way with just a few swipes of the low profile wand on this bad-boy. Say buh-bye to regular lash lift or extension appointments and forget the falsies on a night out – this is all you’re gonna need from here on out kids.

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BITE BEAUTY Upswing Full Volume Mascara

Look, we might be a bit biased about this one (it’s our pick for a full face of vegan makeup) but the chunky wand on this bronzed beauty is genius, delivering standout voluminous lashes with just a few swipes. Intensely black and infused with vegan tree berry wax, this will build lightweight volume that’s smudge and flake-resistant for reliable wear.

Shop now.

Love a vegan-friendly beauty buy? Here are 18 popular beauty brands you didn’t know were vegan.

Main image credit: @meccamax

Briar Clark

Briar Clark got her start in the media industry in 2017, as an intern for Marie Claire and InStyle. Since then, her keen interest in fashion and beauty has landed her gigs as a Digital Content Producer and Beauty Editor with titles like Girlfriend, Refinery29, BEAUTYcrew and beautyheaven. She loves the way seemingly innocuous topics like skin care and style have the ability to put a smile on people’s faces or make them think about themselves a little differently. A big believer in self love and experimentation, Briar has made a point of becoming the Australian beauty industry’s unofficial guinea pig for unusual treatments and daring hair trends. When she’s not testing out the latest beauty launches, Briar is big on broadening her horizons, mostly in the form of food but she’s also partial to travelling to new destinations both near and far (and of course, allocating an extra bag to bring their best beauty offerings home with her).