Eye makeup, especially mascara, can irritate eyes or skin if it contains ingredients that you’re allergic or sensitive to, or if it flakes or migrates off of your lashes and into eyes. And if you wear contact lenses, the situation can worsen if mascara gets trapped between your lens and eye (ouch!). The solution? Mascaras specially formulated for sensitive eyes, which are less likely to irritate than traditional formulas.
BEST OVERALL HYPOALLERGENIC MASCARA FOR SENSITIVE EYES
A Good Housekeeping Seal star and one of the GH Beauty Lab’s top-tested mascaras of all time, this does-it-all CoverGirl mascara is also hypoallergenic. GH experts used the Lab’s Visia Complexion Analyzer device to measure transformation in length and volume through magnified before-and-after photos, and it scored high with consumer testers for going on smoothly, volumizing, lengthening, and separating lashes. The formula also earned near-perfect marks in water-resistance tests — no smearing, smudging, or running after testers splashed their faces 10 times with warm H2O. That means that even if tears come, the mascara will stay put.
Ophthalmologically-tested, Essence’s tapered wand was a winner and best bargain drugstore mascara of a past GH Beauty Lab test. It received top ranking in Lab evaluations for lengthening, volumizing, and curling lashes. “My new go-to mascara,” a tester said. It made lashes fuller, longer, and darker.
