8 Best Mascaras for Sensitive Eyes That Won’t Leave You Teary

As someone with very sensitive skin, I can hardly say it’s surprising that most mascaras leave my eyes teary and irritated. After all, a lot of the same ingredients that tick off your skin (like fragrances and dyes) can have the same effect on your eyes, Sonia Kelley, OD, MS, a medical editor for All About Vision and an optometrist based in Ohio, tells SELF. “These can all cause skin irritation and sometimes lead to an allergic reaction called contact dermatitis, resulting in redness or itching,” she says.

But you don’t have to leave your lashes untouched if your eyes are on the sensitive side—we’ve found lengthening, defining, and volumizing mascaras made with gentler ingredients (and without potential allergens). Some are even ophthalmologist- or allergy-tested, meaning a panel of experts has reviewed their ingredient lists for possible irritants. Others are marketed as hypoallergenic, meaning they’re less likely to contain allergens (just keep in mind that this term isn’t defined by the FDA, so hypoallergenic products may still cause a reaction).

We put some of the most popular mascaras to the test for a month and found some true standouts—one might even call them eye-opening. Find out which ones made the cut below, then read on to learn more about finding makeup that’ll play well with your eyes.

Our top picks

The best mascaras for sensitive eyes

It’s time to make your everyday makeup less of a pain (literally). Shop our favorite mascaras for sensitive eyes below.

Best Overall: Pacifica Stellar Gaze Length & Strength Mascara

The day Pacifica discontinues its Stellar Gaze mascara is the day I give up on eye makeup for good. It’s the only product I’ve tried that doesn’t immediately make my eyes look like I’ve been dicing onions, and it visibly lengthens and separates my lashes—the best of both worlds.

Its buildable formula contains vitamin E, a nourishing antioxidant that supports healthy eyelashes, Dr. Kelley says. And the brush is incredibly soft—if I’ve ever come close to stabbing myself with this wand, I haven’t noticed.

Best Budget Pick: Neutrogena Healthy Lengths Mascara

Our tester called this drugstore pick from Neutrogena an “instant holy grail” for her sensitive skin and watery eyes. “It goes on easily, doesn’t clump, looks super natural (especially in the brown/black color I tested), and stays put all day,” she says. “The brush is also pretty round and long, so it makes it easy to cover all of my lashes in under a minute.”

The Healthy Lengths Mascara’s formula is enriched with conditioners like vitamin E, olive oil, and rice protein, Dr. Spizuoco says. So you can feel good about its immediate effects and hydrating benefits in the longer term too.

Best Splurge: Lancôme Hypnôse Drama Extreme Volumizing Mascara

Our tester was quick to admit that $32 is a fair bit of money to spend on a single tube of mascara. But she added that the non-irritating formula of Lancôme’s Hypnôse Drama Extreme Volumizing Mascara makes its price tag “more palatable,” especially after seeing its staying power.

“I didn’t notice any flaking and it didn’t disappear over the course of the day,” she says. “It wasn’t too hard to take off, either: I washed my face and then used a makeup remover wipe to really wipe it off. I didn’t feel like my eyes got irritated, nor did I notice any redness throughout the day or after removing it.”

Best Tubing Mascara: Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara

If the process of removing your makeup further irritates your eyes, consider a tubing mascara, Amy Spizuoco, DO, FAOCD, a board-certified dermatologist and dermatopathologist based in New York City, tells SELF. Made to wrap around each individual lash and wash away with warm water, tubing mascaras don’t require much elbow grease to apply or remove. Take Thrive Causemetic’s best-selling Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara: Its formula adds a ton of length and lift to your eyelashes, then comes off with a few sweeps of a wet washcloth.

Pro tip: If you notice any smudging with this product (like our tester did), she recommends holding the wand out of the bottle for a minute or two before applying to give the product a little time to dry.

Best Waterproof Formula: La Roche-Posay Toleriane Waterproof Mascara

Waterproof mascaras are usually harder to remove, which can make them especially irritating for some people, Dr. Spizuoco says. For a mascara that won’t budge with a little moisture (but won’t feel harsh on your peepers, either), she recommends La Roche-Posay’s Toleriane Waterproof Mascara. It’s made with sensitive eyes in mind, so it’s easy to remove—but still smudge-resistant.

“I purchased this mascara post cataract surgery and it’s one of the best I’ve ever used,” one Amazon reviewer wrote. “It’s waterproof, buildable, and I didn’t have an issue with flaking or any kind of irritation.”

More great options

What’s another tube (or three)? These mascaras didn’t make it to our top picks, but they still impressed our testers and derms.

‌‌L’oréal Panorama Washable Mascara

L’Oréal Paris’s Voluminous Panorama Washable Mascara made our tester believe she could become a regular mascara wearer: “I never wear mascara day-to-day because of the task of removing it, but I actually might wear this more often, since it comes off so easily and didn’t bother my eyes,” she says. She adds that it’s a great option for a more natural, everyday look (but probably won’t look glam enough for a big event like a wedding).