Is Maybelline mascara clean? 2 of 59 US mascaras pass our check

Updated 2026-10-19 · Based on 4158 screened products

Short answer: mostly not, by our definition. We checked 59 Maybelline mascaras and lash products with a US ingredient list from maybelline.com: 2 are clean (Green Edition Mega Mousse Mascara Eye Makeup and The Falsies Lash Mask Eyelash Conditioner) and 57 list at least one watchlist ingredient: titanium dioxide (53), parabens (25), talc (12), formaldehyde / formaldehyde releasers (6), carbon black (4) (a product can have more than one flag). 25 of them are flagged for titanium dioxide alone. We also hold 20 older or non-US Maybelline mascara records from Open Beauty Facts, of which 4 are clean; formulas differ by country, so check the label of the version you buy. For comparison, L'Oréal Paris Volume Liberté Volumizing Mascara is clean in our data, as are 14 of the 22 L'Oréal Paris US mascara records (see is L'Oréal mascara clean?).

Every result below comes from the ingredient list on each product page, including the "+/- may contain" colour line. The full Maybelline range (foundations, concealers, lip and brow products) is on is Maybelline clean?; mascaras from other brands, grouped by type, are on clean mascara alternatives.

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Why Maybelline mascaras get flagged

Titanium dioxide: 53 of 59 US mascaras. Parabens: 25 of 59 US mascaras. Talc: 12 of 59 US mascaras. Formaldehyde / formaldehyde releasers: 6 of 59 US mascaras. Carbon black: 4 of 59 US mascaras. In every one of the 53 mascaras flagged for titanium dioxide (CI 77891), it appears only in the "may contain" line, where Maybelline names the colourants used across all shades. IARC classifies titanium dioxide as Group 2B ("possibly carcinogenic to humans", Monograph Vol. 93; IARC Monographs – List of Classifications); the classification concerns inhaled powder, so it matters most for sprays and loose powders rather than lotions. On labels it appears as "titanium dioxide" or CI 77891. A flag means the ingredient is on the list, not a measured risk for that mascara. Parabens are on our watchlist because the EU bans or restricts some of them (see parabens); our group also flags methylparaben, which the EU allows within limits. Talc is on it because IARC classified it as probably carcinogenic (Group 2A) in 2024 (see talc), and carbon black (CI 77266) because IARC classifies it as Group 2B (see carbon black).

Washable vs waterproof

In our data, many Maybelline mascaras appear as a washable and a waterproof version, each with its own ingredient list. Of the 28 US mascaras with "washable" in the name, 0 are clean; flags: titanium dioxide (28), parabens (10), formaldehyde / formaldehyde releasers (5), carbon black (3), talc (1). Of the 25 with "waterproof" in the name, 0 are clean; flags: titanium dioxide (23), parabens (14), talc (11), formaldehyde / formaldehyde releasers (1). Grouping by name only; we did not test water resistance.

Every Maybelline mascara we checked (59 US lists)

Open Beauty Facts records (20)

Older records and versions sold outside the US (marked "EU formula" or "Australia formula" by the country prefix of their barcode). Their ingredient lists come from Open Beauty Facts and can differ from the current US lists above.

Not counted here: Express Brow Fast Sculpt Clear Gel Brow Mascara and Express Brow Fast Sculpt Gel Brow Mascara (brow mascaras, listed with eye makeup; flagged); The Falsies Black Drama Washable Mascara, whose page showed no ingredient list when we checked; and maybelline.com addresses that redirected to other pages (for example Clear Mascara and Lash Sensational Curvitude Washable Mascara). See is Maybelline clean? for the full coverage note. Where to buy: Maybelline New York has an official brand store on Amazon, so Amazon buttons go to that store (affiliate tag); we hold no verified Amazon product ID for any Maybelline mascara.

Clean mascaras from other brands

Clean US mascaras from other brands in our database, ordered by our data score (methodology), clear and brow mascaras excluded. They are not presented as equivalents: we have not tested them. For more, grouped by type (volumizing, waterproof, lengthening, tubing), see clean mascara alternatives and best non-toxic mascara.

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FAQ

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• Is Maybelline clean? Every product we checked
• Clean mascara alternatives to drugstore mascaras
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• Best non-toxic mascara
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• Is L'Oréal mascara clean? Every L'Oréal mascara we checked
• L'Oréal Paris Volume Liberté Volumizing Mascara
• Titanium dioxide
• All clean mascaras

Hazard is not risk. An IARC classification says whether a substance can cause cancer under some conditions (e.g. titanium dioxide is classified for inhaled powder), not that a cosmetic containing it is harmful at normal use. EU restrictions set use limits. This page is informational, not medical advice; talk to a dermatologist about your own skin.