Best Cruelty Free Mascaras 2026: Tubing, Volume & Color

Hello beautiful people! Today I’m sharing the best cruelty free mascaras 2026: tubing, volume, and color edition! I love mascaras but have often struggled with the formulas until I realized I need a combination of a great tubing formula and a brush that works for my eye shape. Now I’ve found that from multiple brands, which makes me happy!

Everything purchased by me and all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links, and I earn a small commission if you shop through them, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for shopping through my links and supporting my work!

Quick Picks

Here are my quick picks by type for the best cruelty free mascaras of 2026. Prices were accurate when I published this in November 2026.

• Best overall: Kiko Milano Maxi Mod Long Lasting Mascara, € 14,99
• Best tubing: Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara, $26
• Best drugstore: Essence Lash Princess False Lash Effect Mascara, $4.99
• Best drugstore tubing: Milani Highly Rated Lash Extensions Tubing Mascara, $13.80
• Best everyday color: Kiko Milano Maxi Mod Color Mascara, € 14,99
• Best colored tubing: Glisten Cosmetics Spectra Lash Mascara, €15,95
• Best color shift: VE Cosmetics Chroma Veil Coloured Mascara Dusk, €18,95
• Best waterproof: Kiko Milano Maxi Mod Waterproof Mascara, € 14,99
• Best splurge: Nabla Beyond Bold Mascara, €27,00
• The classic: Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara, $29

The 10 Best Cruelty Free Mascaras of 2026

I used to only wear black mascara, but over the past few decades I realized that other colors looked great with my blue-green eyes. I love a burgundy wine or plum shade to make my eye color pop. And I also enjoy a grey mascara when I want something understated. It’s great to have a blue hue that matches my hair, too.

1. Kiko Milano Maxi Mod Long Lasting Mascara – € 14,99

The Kiko Milano Maxi Mod Long Lasting Mascara is my new holy grail mascara! First, it has this amazing small wand that makes it easy to get my inner corner lashes as well as to fully coat them. Second, it’s a beautiful long-wear volumizing formula with a film-forming polymer that doesn’t flake or smudge on me. Third, it’s a true, deep, pitch black. Fourth, it’s around drugstore pricing for me, and less than my previous holy grail, the Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara. This is surprisingly NOT a tubing formula; previously I’ve gotten the best results with tubing. It does say up to 200% more volume, and I would agree with that. Also, this is not waterproof, but they do make a waterproof version if you’re looking for that. There are no animal-derived ingredients on the list, though Kiko doesn’t label it vegan.

2. Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara – $26

The Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara was my previous holy grail tubing mascara and it deserves to be highly ranked because of how amazing the formula is. It doesn’t flake or smudge. It lengthens and volumizes my lashes. The wand is also one of the best I’ve ever found for my eye shape, though the Kiko wand is the number 1. Thrive has also released it in fun colors like bright pink and blue, alongside black and brown. Vegan and cruelty free.

3. Kiko Milano Maxi Mod Color Mascara – € 14,99

I’m thrilled to have color mascara options again! Kiko’s formula is great, though I have experienced the 04 Metallic Green slightly smudging by the end of the night. I haven’t experienced 03 Plum or 01 Electric Blue smudging yet, so it might have been a one off experience. Plum is close to a burgundy wine, which is one of my favorite non-black mascara colors (see my cruelty free burgundy mascaras post). The Metallic Green is like an emerald teal green, very pretty, especially with my cyan eyes. And the Electric Blue is a bright bold blue, love it with my blue hair. Heads up for vegan readers: Kiko lists carmine (CI 75470) as a color additive in this line, so these aren’t vegan.

4. Glisten Cosmetics Spectra Lash Mascara – €15,95

Yes, there’s an indie brand that makes tubing mascara in all the colors of the rainbow and you need to know! The Glisten Cosmetics Spectra Lash Mascara is lovely and they come in all kinds of alternative colors! Berry Purple, Blood Red, Chartreuse, Cool Grey, Dusty Pink, Violet, Black, White, Auburn, Candy Floss, Coral Pink, Dark Brown, Forest Green, Fuchsia, Ginger, Green, Honey, Maroon, Blonde, Orange Red, Orange, Peach, Periwinkle, Pistachio, Purple, Rose Red, Royal Blue, Sea Blue, Sky Blue, Soybean, Teal, and Yellow. Glisten calls it a lengthening tubing formula, and it doesn’t clump on me. Vegan, according to the brand.

5. VE Cosmetics Chroma Veil Coloured Mascara Dusk – €18,95

This is an absolutely stunning blue-to-purple color-shifting mascara from VE Cosmetics, a vegan, cruelty free UK indie with a witchy streak I adore. Dusk moves between cool blue, violet and soft purple as your lashes catch the light. One coat gives a subtle twilight sheen; two or three build to a proper blue-purple. It’s a water-based, buildable formula with a slim silicone wand that keeps lashes separated, and it layers beautifully over black mascara for a foiled, dimensional effect. Dusk is part of VE’s new Chroma Veil line, which replaces their older colored mascaras, and the rest of the lineup covers metallic black, deep burgundy, pure white, green, metallic red, metallic green and metallic purple, all vegan.

6. Kiko Milano Maxi Mod Waterproof Mascara – € 14,99

Same mini wand as my holy grail, in a water-resistant formula that Kiko rates at +300% volume, where the original claims +200%. If you cry at weddings, swim, or live somewhere humid, this is the one. The trade-off is what it always is with true waterproof: it does not come off with a swipe. Use a bi-phase or oil-based remover, hold the pad against your lashes for a few seconds, and let it dissolve rather than scrubbing. Same argan oil base, made in Italy, and a six-month shelf life once opened like the rest of the Maxi Mod line. In the US it’s $18 at Ulta, online only. This one contains beeswax, so it isn’t vegan, and the base is isododecane rather than water, which is the whole reason it survives tears and resists removal.

7. Essence Lash Princess False Lash Effect Mascara – $4.99

So many of my friends swear by this one, and with more than 7,000 reviews at Ulta it’s the best-selling drugstore mascara that is actually cruelty free. The conical fiber brush is the trick: thick at the base for volume, tapered at the tip so you can reach the inner corners, and it builds to a false-lash look in two or three coats. The formula is fragrance free, oil free and paraben free, ophthalmologist tested, and made in Germany. Essence has moved it to a vegan formula, but older tubes with beeswax are still on shelves, so look for the vegan mark on the tube. Two things to know. It isn’t waterproof, though Essence makes a waterproof version in the black tube with blue lettering. And Essence says it hasn’t hypoallergenically tested this particular formula the way it has its other mascaras, so if your eyes are very reactive, pick one of their hypoallergenic-tested formulas instead. It also comes in burgundy for the same price, which is the cheapest way I know to try colored mascara. In Europe it runs about €4.

8. Milani Highly Rated Lash Extensions Tubing Mascara – $13.80

Milani’s answer to the tubing craze, and the drugstore tubing mascara I’d point you to first. The formula wraps each lash in polymer tubes for length and lift, so it doesn’t smudge or flake, and it comes off with warm water and no remover. Milani says 93% of testers saw instantly lifted, longer-looking lashes, and the formula carries shea butter and castor seed oil. It’s water resistant rather than waterproof: sweat, humidity and a few tears are fine, swimming is not. Because it’s water based, Milani also clears it for use over a lash lift. Shelf life is six months after opening. If you want volume more than length, there’s a newer XL Volumizing version, and the original also comes in brown. Milani labels it 100% vegan. In Europe it’s €18,95.

9. Nabla Beyond Bold Mascara – €27,00

Nabla is the Italian indie I’d pick for a splurge, and Beyond Bold is their big-volume mascara: extra volume and length in one coat, smudge proof and long wearing from morning to night. The brush is a high-precision elastomer with a little sphere on the tip, which is a genius detail. Drag the brush up from the roots in a zigzag for volume, then use the ball to catch the tiny inner-corner and lower lashes that most wands miss. The formula is wax based (rice bran and carnauba, with synthetic beeswax) backed by film-forming polymers for hold, so it reads rich and glossy rather than dry. Ophthalmologically tested. It comes in Black Ink, Deep Brown, Cherry Brown, Midnight Blue and Electric Purple, and Nabla matches the shades to its True Signature liners if you want a coordinated look. The purple shade is on my wish list! Vegan and cruelty free.

10. Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara – $29

Too Faced Better Than Sex is the only mascara from my 2014 list that made it to today, and Too Faced still calls it the number one selling prestige mascara in America, with more than 24,000 reviews at Ulta to back that up. The hourglass-shaped brush is still the star: it grabs, separates and curls, and the formula builds from a natural first coat to full drama by the third. The formula has moved on since 2014, though. Today it leans on film-forming polymers to lock the curl, acacia senegal extract to set the volume, and peptides to condition, and the current formula is vegan. It is not waterproof, so if you get transfer on your lid, use Too Faced’s own tip and do your lower lashes first. It now comes in Chocolate and a deep Burgundy (yes, color). There’s a Waterproof version, though that one contains real beeswax and isn’t vegan, and Naturally Better Than Sex is the 98% naturally derived, vegan, sensitive-eye version with bamboo fibers.

All 10 at a Glance

Mascara	Type	Vegan	Water resistance	Price
Kiko Maxi Mod Long Lasting	Volume, film formers	Not labeled	Not waterproof	€ 14,99
Thrive Liquid Lash Extensions	Tubing	Yes	Water resistant	$26
Kiko Maxi Mod Color	Color, film formers	No (carmine)	Not waterproof	€ 14,99
Glisten Spectra Lash	Color, sold as tubing	Yes	Not waterproof	€15,95
VE Chroma Veil Dusk	Color shift, film formers	Yes	Not waterproof	€18,95
Kiko Maxi Mod Waterproof	Volume, waterproof resin	No (beeswax)	Waterproof	€ 14,99
Essence Lash Princess False Lash Effect	Volume, film formers	Newest formula only	Not waterproof (separate waterproof version)	$4.99
Milani Highly Rated Lash Extensions	Tubing	Yes	Water resistant	$13.80
Nabla Beyond Bold	Volume, film formers	Yes	Smudge proof, not waterproof	€27,00
Too Faced Better Than Sex	Volume, film formers	Yes (original only)	Not waterproof (waterproof version isn’t vegan)	$29

Tubing Polymer vs. Film Formers: What’s Actually in These Mascaras

To understand what makes these mascaras work, I looked into the ingredients. Nine of the ten mascaras here have a film-forming polymer in them, and the polymer is what decides how a mascara wears and how it comes off. Here’s the plain-language version.

Tubing polymer. A true tubing mascara is water based and uses an acrylate polymer (on the label as acrylates/ethylhexyl acrylate copolymer) that dries into a flexible sleeve around each lash instead of a coating. The sleeves don’t smudge, flake or transfer, and warm water plus a little pressure softens them so they slide off whole. Thrive and Milani both use this exact polymer, which is why they behave so much alike.

Conventional film formers. Most other mascaras are wax based, with a polymer added to make the wax flexible and resistant to smudging and flaking: VP/eicosene or VP/hexadecene copolymer, acrylates copolymer, PVP, polyurethane-35 or polyvinyl alcohol. You get long wear and a clean lid, but they still need a remover at the end of the day. That’s what’s holding the Kiko Maxi Mod and Color, the VE Chroma Veil, Essence, Nabla and Too Faced in place.

Waterproof. The Kiko Waterproof swaps the water for isododecane and sets with a silicone resin (trimethylsiloxysilicate) and beeswax, so nothing water based will touch it. That’s the one that needs an oil or bi-phase remover.

The odd one out. Glisten sells Spectra Lash as a tubing formula, but its published ingredient list is a classic carnauba wax emulsion with no polymer listed at all. Either the list is incomplete or it’s simply a wax formula that wears well.

• Tubing polymer: Thrive Liquid Lash Extensions, Milani Highly Rated Lash Extensions
• Conventional film formers: Kiko Maxi Mod, Kiko Maxi Mod Color, VE Chroma Veil Dusk, Essence Lash Princess, Nabla Beyond Bold, Too Faced Better Than Sex
• Waterproof resin: Kiko Maxi Mod Waterproof
• No polymer listed: Glisten Spectra Lash

How I Get the Most Out of Any Mascara

• Warm the tube first. I tuck the mascara tube between my legs to warm it up while I do the rest of my makeup. A warm formula goes on smoother and clumps less.
• Curl first, mascara second. Curling after mascara can crimp and break lashes, so I always curl first. I pump the curler gently as I go and curl at three points along the lash, base, middle and tip, for a real curve instead of a crimp.
• Wiggle at the roots, then pull through. I coat the tops of the lashes first, zigzagging and pulling up, then do the underside, wiggling at the root and zigzagging up. Two thin coats beat one thick one. Let each coat set before the next.
• Use a small wand or a ball tip for the inner corners. This is why the Kiko wand and the Nabla sphere earn their keep on my eye shape.
• Keep a metal lash comb handy. It’s my fix for clumps with a heavier formula like Better Than Sex.
• Color on dark lashes: black base, color on the tips, or Glisten’s White underneath for full-strength color. Layer VE’s Dusk over black for a foiled shift.
• Tubing comes off with warm water and gentle pressure. My exact removal routine is in the FAQ below.
• Never pump the wand, and replace mascara at six months. The 6M symbol on the packaging is the shelf life once opened.

Have Hooded Eyes? I Wrote the Book

If mascara transfer, vanishing lid space and tutorials that never look right on you sound familiar, my book, the Hooded Eyes Makeup Manual, walks you through eyeshadow placement, brushes and blending for hooded eyes, with step-by-step looks from everyday neutrals to full color. It’s everything I learned the hard way over a decade of doing my own hooded eyes, in one place. Not sure whether your eyes are hooded? Start with Do I Have Hooded Eyes?

Cruelty Free Mascaras FAQ

What makes a mascara cruelty free?

By my standard, a beauty brand that doesn’t test on animals at any stage, doesn’t pay anyone else to, and doesn’t sell in markets where animal testing is required is cruelty free. I’ve bought only cruelty free beauty since 2012, and every mascara on this list meets that bar. I use both Leaping Bunny and PETA to see if brands are cruelty free, and I reach out to brands directly to ask about their cruelty free status.

Is cruelty free the same as vegan?

No. Cruelty free is about testing; vegan is about ingredients. A mascara can be cruelty free and still contain beeswax, carmine or lanolin. I’m not vegan, so I treat vegan status as a bonus and note it where it applies.

Which of these mascaras are vegan?

Vegan by the brand’s own label: Thrive Liquid Lash Extensions, Glisten Spectra Lash, VE Chroma Veil, Milani Highly Rated Lash Extensions, Nabla Beyond Bold, and the current Too Faced Better Than Sex original formula. Essence Lash Princess is vegan in its newest formula, so check the tube. Not vegan: Kiko Maxi Mod Color, which uses carmine, and Kiko Maxi Mod Waterproof and Too Faced Better Than Sex Waterproof, which both contain beeswax. The black Kiko Maxi Mod lists no animal-derived ingredients, but Kiko doesn’t label it vegan.

Is Maybelline Sky High cruelty free? What about Lash Idôle, BADgal BANG and the other bestsellers?

No. Maybelline and L’Oréal Paris are L’Oréal brands that sell in mainland China, and the same goes for Lancôme, IT Cosmetics, Benefit, Clinique, MAC, YSL and Dior. Sephora Collection isn’t cruelty free either. Don’t trust a retailer badge: some European shops slap a “cruelty free” label on Maybelline, and Boozyshop lists Sky High with a “Cruelty Free, Free from Animal Testing” tag. That’s the retailer’s label, not a certification. Among the current Ulta and Sephora bestsellers, the cruelty free ones are Too Faced, Tarte, ILIA, Essence, Milani, Fenty Beauty, Rare Beauty, e.l.f., Hourglass, Glossier, Kosas and Buxom.

Which drugstore mascaras are cruelty free?

Essence, e.l.f., Milani, NYX, Wet n Wild, Pacifica, Physicians Formula, Catrice and CoverGirl are the ones I’d point you to, and Kiko Milano is drugstore priced even though it isn’t in US drugstores. Maybelline, L’Oréal, Rimmel and Revlon are not.

What is a tubing mascara, and is it better?

A tubing formula wraps each lash in a flexible polymer sleeve instead of coating it in wax. That’s why it doesn’t smudge, flake or transfer onto your lid, and why it comes off with warm water instead of remover. It’s my pick for hooded and deep-set eyes and anyone who ends up with raccoon eyes by lunch. Brands market three of the ten here as tubing formulas: Thrive Liquid Lash Extensions, the Glisten Spectra Lash and the Milani Highly Rated Lash Extensions, and the polymer section above covers what’s actually in each. One warning for label readers: Maybelline Sky High isn’t tubing, and Maybelline’s own answer is that it’s “not a tubing type of mascara”. Sky Tubes is, but neither is cruelty free.

How do I remove tubing mascara?

Warm water and a little patience. Hold a warm, wet cotton pad or washcloth against your closed lashes for ten to twenty seconds, then slide it down. The tubes come off whole, which is normal and not your lashes falling out. Don’t rub. The shower does the job too. My own routine: I use a bi-phase makeup remover on a Makeup Eraser cloth, hold it on my eyes for about 30 seconds, tap my fingers gently like I’m playing a piano while I wait for the tubing formula to let go, then gently pull down to remove the makeup.

Does tubing mascara pull out your lashes?

Not if you remove it with warm water. Lash loss comes from rubbing a dry formula off, or from scrubbing waterproof mascara off with a cotton pad. You shed a few lashes a day naturally, and seeing them inside the black tubes just makes it visible.

Why does my mascara smudge or flake, and how do I stop it?

The usual culprits: eye cream that hasn’t absorbed, oily lids, curling after mascara, more than two or three coats, or a tube that’s older than six months. Set the lid and under-eye with powder before mascara, let each coat dry, and switch to a tubing or film-forming formula if your eyes water or your lids are oily. You can also lightly dust loose setting powder on your lashes before you apply mascara to help prevent smudging.

What’s the best cruelty free mascara for hooded eyes?

Hooded eyes need two things: a formula that won’t transfer onto the hood when you blink, and a wand small enough to reach the inner corner and the roots. That’s why the Kiko Maxi Mod’s mini wand and the tubing formulas rank so high for me. Curl first, wiggle at the roots, and keep the volume on the outer two thirds so the lid doesn’t look heavier. If you’re not sure whether your eyes are hooded, start with Do I Have Hooded Eyes?, and my book, the Hooded Eyes Makeup Manual, covers the full routine.

Are these safe for sensitive eyes and contact lenses?

Look for ophthalmologist-tested and fragrance-free formulas; Kiko tests the Maxi Mod on sensitive eyes and labels it suitable for contact lens wearers. Tubing formulas tend to be kinder on removal because there’s no scrubbing. Replace mascara every three to six months, never share it, and don’t pump the wand, which pushes air in and dries the formula out.

Do colored mascaras show up on dark lashes?

The bright and metallic shades do: electric blue, teal, metallic green and fuchsia read clearly over black lashes in daylight. Deeper shades like plum, burgundy and forest green show as a tint on dark lashes, so apply them on the tips over black, or wear them on their own on lighter lashes. For full-strength color, a white or light base coat underneath (Glisten makes one) makes any shade pop. On my blue-green eyes, plum, burgundy and teal make the color pop. Purple and navy flatter brown eyes, and forest green and burgundy bring out hazel. For more wine shades, see my cruelty free burgundy mascaras post.

Is waterproof mascara bad for your lashes?

The formula isn’t; the removal is. If you need waterproof for swimming, a wedding or humid travel, take it off with a bi-phase or oil remover, hold the pad for a few seconds, and let it dissolve rather than rubbing. For everyday smudge-proofing, tubing gets you most of the way there with none of the removal fight.

Do lash serums actually work?

I’ve never found a lash serum that made my lashes grow longer, which is what I would like. I have found lash conditioners that make my lashes stronger and healthier. I believe there are lash serums approved for growth available by prescription, but I have never tried them. I’d love to find one that’s approved here in Europe.

What are your picks for the best cruelty free mascaras? Any I need to try?

More to See

• Do I Have Hooded Eyes?
• Best Alternative Makeup Brands
• Best Bright and Colorful Eyeshadow Palettes 2026
• Pick Three: There Is No Cruelty-Free Fair Olive Foundation for Dry Skin at the Drugstore