When it comes to “clean” makeup, I love it when I’m able to find a product that’s great but I don’t obsess over a clean label. That’s mostly because clean means something different to every brand. With Kosas, you forget that it’s clean because it’s just really great makeup. That’s why I was so excited when Kosas announced its first-ever mascara, The Big Clean Mascara. It promises big, fluffy lashes with hair care ingredients that will help support the natural hair growth and repair cycle. It’s like mascara and lash serum in one.
After losing some lashes during pregnancy, founder Sheena Yaitanes stopped wearing mascara until she was able to create her own with the ingredients she wanted. That includes moisturizing castor oil, strengthening provitamin B5 and biotinyl tripeptide and volumizing botanical waxes and shea butter. What ingredients are not in it? Well, Kosas abides by both the Sephora and Credo clean label, shunning more than 2,700 ingredients including parabens, talc, sulfates and aluminum.
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Kosas.
Now, let’s get to how it performs. First, I want to talk about what I liked. It has my favorite type of brush: a big, rounded bristle brush. It really does catch even the tiniest hairs and coats them with jet black. The formula feels lightweight but buildable. Sometimes clean mascara delivers a more “natural” (a.k.a. boring) look, but this one goes big and bold, which is impressive. I applied it to one eye (the left, below) to really be able to see the difference.
Elizabeth Denton.
After finishing both sides, I powdered under my eyes and set off to walk about a mile to Target. It’s hot in Los Angeles so I’m wearing even less makeup than usual (with my mask). Unfortunately, I found the formula smeared under my eyes and didn’t last through all my errands. This isn’t a common occurrence for me but because it is almost 100 degrees out, I tried it again for a few days in a row. When I stayed inside in the air conditioning, I found it held up a lot better. After speaking with a few friends who were also testing it, I found they had the same experience.
What does this mean? Well, it might be worth it for you. If you want these hair-healthy ingredients, a little smearing in the heat might not bother you. Clean up under your eyes, pop on a few more layers and you’re good to go. But if you’re looking for a mascara to wear while hanging out by the pool this summer, this probably isn’t the one for you.