Heat, sweat, and ocean water are the main culprits of smearing mascara in the approaching summer season. On the market, mascaras promote themselves as smear-proof, waterproof, or long-lasting, but not all live up to their name. Personally, I have tried the mid-range, popular Benefit They’re Real! Lengthening and Volumizing Mascara, as well as drugstore Maybelline’s Great Lash Waterproof Mascara, only to find them unable to live up to their claims under hot, humid weather. Within a couple hours, the mascara has smeared under my eyes and my lashes no longer hold their curl and length. To choose the most effective waterproof mascara, it is important to understand the quality of their ingredients that provide the waterproof ability.
Mascara is a mixture of waxes, polymers, pigments, emollients, and thickeners that allow our lashes to appear thicker and more defined. The waxes and polymers have water-resistant properties that are key to creating a waterproof mascara. Quality waterproof mascaras not only adhere to lashes, but also provide emollient ingredients that prevent flaking or clumping.
A reputable waterproof mascara is the Diorshow Waterproof Mascara ($29.50 USD). It contains thickening and film-forming waxes and polymers such as carnauba wax, VP/Eicosen copolymer, castor oil, and two other film-forming agents. Furthermore, the mascara contains emollient ingredients such as glyceryl hydrogenated rosinate and candelilla wax to the mascara from over-drying and flaking.
A drugstore counterpart known for its waterproofing abilities is the L’Oreal Voluminous Volume Building Waterproof Mascara ($5.84). Like Diorshow Waterproof Mascaa, L’Oreal’s mascara contains beeswax and carnauba wax, both emollient and film-forming agents. However, it contains two other polymer ingredients for its waterproofing abilities. With a short list of 10 ingredients, L’Oreal’s mascara contains very few emollient ingredients that will condition the lashes and prevent the mascara from drying out. Furthermore, alcohol is a cost-efficient ingredient that is added to decrease viscosity, but this ingredient can be a potential contributor to clumping and overly dry mascara. With a break down of its ingredients, it is clear that the L’Oreal mascara only contains the essential components of a waterproof mascara that minimizes costs while Diorshow mascara aims to provide a much more luxurious experience with a blend of film-forming agents, emollients, and texture enhancers.
While Diorshow is a high-end mascara that uses lots of high quality ingredients and L’Oreal is a drugstore mascara that is composed of the essential characteristics of a waterproof mascara, Too Faced Better Than Sex Waterproof Mascara is a mid-range mascara that is highly advertised and is also known for waterproof ability ($12 USD). Like Diorshow, it contains a fair amount of emollient ingredients such as beeswax, cyclopentasiloxane, and Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (one of the best emollient and moisturizing ingredients available according to Paula’s Choice) to provide a pleasant consumer experience. This mascara is sold at a much lower cost compared to Diorshow because its main wax ingredient is paraffin, a petroleum-based product. Paraffin substitutes more expensive, organic waxes like carnauba wax (which is further down the ingredient list).
A foreign brand waterproof mascara that is well-known across Korea, Japan, China, and Taiwan, is the Isehan Kiss Me Heroine Make Volume and Curl Super Waterproof mascara ($12 USD). There are two main film-forming agents that coat and define the lashes: polyisobutene and propylene carbonate. The rest of the ingredients are emollients, skin-softening agents, and moisturizers such as Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, and Camellia Japonica Seed oil, as well as a high-quality ingredient, Squalane.
Analyzing the ingredients of cost-efficient, mid-range, and luxury brand mascaras, it is clear that the cost depends on the amount of natural waxes in the ingredients as well as the polymer content. Diorshow contained 3 natural wax ingredients that are among the first 5 ingredients, meaning that the wax content is high. Lots of emollient agents were included to provide a luxurious, smooth application experience. Mid-range mascaras seek to reduce cost by replacing expensive natural waxes with cheaper waxes such as paraffin, or simply lower the wax content of the mascara and use thickening agents instead. Drugstore mascaras minimize costs by containing only essential compositions of mascara, such as beeswax, polymers, and thickeners. Ingredients used for emollient purposes were eliminated completely.
To combat the sweat, heat, and water that is ever-present during the summer to melt your mascara, look out for the types of waxes and polymers in the ingredients list! Are natural waxes in the beginning of the ingredients list? How much emollient or moisturizing ingredients are present? Asking these simple questions can help you find your favorite waterproof mascara!
References:
Vivid Cosmetics 