The Best Clear Mascara

Maybelline Great Lash Washable Mascara

Born with it

This clear mascara provides definition and lifts lashes in a perfectly natural-looking way.

Best Overall

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When you want definition without the drama, this formula provides just enough gloss and separation to create a naturally gorgeous look. Your lashes and brows will be perfectly defined and conditioned, making this formula ideal as a base coat or left all on its own for an understated, fresh-faced look. We especially appreciate the application brush, as it de-clumps and defines lashes to create a smooth, no-fuss look on both the upper and lower lashes.

Pros:

• Safe for use with contact lenses
• Easily washes off
• Can be layered with darker mascara for a more dramatic look

Cons:

• Relatively heavy formula
• Make sure to dry between applications

Zuzu Luxe Clear Mascara

Cruelty-free and safe

This vegan clear mascara works to define naturally gorgeous lashes and brows.

Best Cruelty-Free

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Believe it or not, not all mascara is created with care. Finding good cruelty-free cosmetics isn’t always easy, but this mascara from Zuzu Luxe is a clear winner. The formula uses naturally derived ingredients like aloe and sea fennel to provide everything you need to give your eyelashes that effortlessly beautiful look. It’s a high-quality formula, and best of all, no animals were harmed in its creation.

Pros:

• 100% vegan, natural, and cruelty-free
• Nylon brush specifically engineered to create length and curl without clumping
• Ideal for sensitive eyes

Cons:

• A tad pricier than we’d like in a clear mascara, but worth the cost
• Best for use with naturally thick eyelashes

CoverGirl Professional Natural Lash Mascara

Bow to the brows

Bold, natural brows aren't going anywhere. This formula keeps them in line.

Best For Brows

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This clear mascara is ideal for creating natural-looking definition in lashes, brows, and face-framing baby hairs. CoverGirl has nailed a formula that’ll create a fresh, bright-eyed look with just one swipe. The included brush is meant to curl your lashes as you apply, and when combined with a lash curler or a coat of darker mascara, you can quickly create a dramatic, flawless look that you can dress up or down.

Pros:

• Brush is designed to curl and lift eyelashes
• Dries firm, keeping lashes and brows in place
• Easy to wash off

Cons:

• For best results, curl lashes after applying mascara
• Best for holding hairs in place, not really adding length or volume

E.l.f. Clear Brow and Lash Mascara

Lift, separate, and define

This versatile pick helps to create ideally defined brows and lashes with its dual-system formula.

Best Combo Formula

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If you’re on the fence about a clear mascara, this is one of those all-in-one formulas that make it easy to give it a shot since its versatility gets you more bang for your buck. With a two-sided tube that features a brow brush on one end and a lash brush on the other, you’ll have separation and definition — the key words for clear mascara — in seconds. For those mornings when you’re running late, it’s an easy-to-use combo that’s hard to beat.

Pros:

• Adds gloss and shine for brows and lashes
• Brush system provides optimal separation
• Excellent formula for sensitive skin or eyes

Cons:

• Very light formula, which doesn’t add much if you don’t have naturally thick lashes or brows
• Takes up to a few minutes to fully dry

Sky Organics Organic Castor Oil Eyelash Serum

Healthy and hydrated

Castor oil helps this moisturizing serum condition your brows and lashes.

Best Serum

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While this pick may look different than the other choices on our list, it’s a versatile option that’s well worth checking out. Including a bottle of castor oil serum, a dropper, a brow applicator, and also an eyelash brush applicator, this conditioning oil provides essential fatty acids for replenishing thin, dry, or lacking brows and eyelashes. Although specifically designed to provide nourishment, with the inclusion of a brow and lash brush, it can be used as a stand-alone product when needing a little definition on those natural, makeup-free days.

Pros:

• Beneficial for providing nourishment to damaged lashes and brows
• Ideal as a nighttime replenishing serum
• Contains high-quality, 100% USDA cold-pressed organic castor oil

Cons:

• Not for use with a traditional mascara, as the oil will remove any makeup
• This is a very thick formula, so a little goes a long way

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the point of clear mascara?
Clear mascara can create an open-eyed, fresh-faced look without the added drama of pigmented makeup. Not only does it provide separation and definition, but it also moisturizes and conditions both eyelashes and eyebrows. Although it’s transparent, the gloss helps to provide an illusion of both volume and length in a natural-looking way that lets your true beauty shine.

Does clear mascara damage eyelashes?
Many clear mascara formulas can actually work to heal your lashes since they’re designed to hydrate as well as define. A good clear mascara can provide moisture and nourishment all on its own. But if your lashes and brows are in need of some extra nourishment, aim for a moisturizing lash and brow mascara that acts as a serum, too.