---
title: Natural Petroleum-free Mascara
date: 2009-07-23T13:40:51Z
modified: 2009-07-23T13:40:51Z
permalink: "https://elizabethyarnell.com/natural-petroleum-free-mascara/"
type: post
status: publish
excerpt: ""
wpid: 1096
categories:
  - Living Naturally
  - Recommended Products
tags:
  - all natural mascara
  - almay mascara
  - campaign for safe cosmetics
  - Environmental Working Group
  - mascara
  - petroleum-free mascara
  - skin deep database
author: Elizabeth
---

I’ve been searching for a good mascara that wouldn’t coat my lashes with a film of petroleum. Recently, a salesclerk at Vitamin Cottage pointed me to [No Miss Natural Mascara](http://65.108.6.137/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=16399&cat=264&page=1 "natural mascara").

I have to say that I’ve been very pleased not only with how it goes on, but also with how it stays on _and_ how easily it comes off with soap and water.[![](http://65.108.6.137/xcart/product_image.php?imageid=2 "No Miss Natural Mascara")

](http://65.108.6.137/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=16399&cat=264&page=1)

Other natural mascaras I’ve tried have left me with heavy black smudges below my eyes as the makeup sank off of my lashes. Some have gone on so gloppy that I’ve had to use several cotton swabs to mop up the mess when my upper lashes flicked wetly against my eyelid.

While I confess that I am not a mascara expert — my lashes used to be so long and thick that they would brush the lenses of my sunglasses so I never wore mascara until recently! Alas, they thinned after childbearing. Sigh. — I have tried the top pick by many beauty magazines (Maybelline) and many other brands both conventional and natural (including Prescriptives, Aveda, CoverGirl, EyesLipsFace, Clinique, Loreal, etc.).

The thing is, I have been concerned about conventional mascaras for a while. Why? Let’s take Almay’s Amazing Lush Lash mascara, as an example. Almay claims to be “hypoallergenic,” which I have often interpreted as “cleaner.” My mistake.

This Almay mascara garners a 7 (10 being the most dangerous) in the [Campaign for Safe Cosmetics Skin Deep database of cosmetics](http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/product.php?prod_id=61142 "almay mascara safety") and includes this warning:



| **Ingredients in this product are linked to:** |  |
| --- | --- |
| ![yes](http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/images/x_on1.gif) | <a onmouseout="delayhidetip()" onmouseover="fixedtooltip('linked to cancer in government, industry, or academic studies or assessments.', this, event, '150px')">Cancer</a> |
| ![yes](http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/images/x_on.gif) | <a onmouseout="delayhidetip()" onmouseover="fixedtooltip('linked to developmental and reproductive toxicity, a broad class of health effects that can range from infertility and reproductive organ cancers to birth defects and developmental delays for children.', this, event, '150px')">Developmental/reproductive toxicity</a> |
| ![yes](http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/images/x_on.gif) | <a onmouseout="delayhidetip()" onmouseover="fixedtooltip('prohibited for use in cosmetics, or subject to concentration, use, or manufacturing method restrictions, according to industry safety guidelines and government requirements and guidance from the U.S., E.U., Japan, and Canada.', this, event, '150px')">Violations, restrictions & warnings</a> |
| ![yes](http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/images/x_on.gif) | <a onmouseout="delayhidetip()" onmouseover="fixedtooltip('linked to immunotoxicity, or harm to the immune system, a class of health problems that manifest as allergic reactions or an impaired capacity to fight disease and repair damaged tissues in the body.', this, event, '150px')">Allergies/immunotoxicity</a> |
| ![yes](http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/images/x_on.gif) | Other concerns for ingredients used in this product: <a onmouseout="delayhidetip()" onmouseover="fixedtooltip('linked to neurotoxicity, or harm to the brain and nervous system, a class of health problems that can range from subtle developmental delays to chronic nerve degeneration diseases.', this, event, '150px')">Neurotoxicity</a>, <a onmouseout="delayhidetip()" onmouseover="fixedtooltip('the body's natural hormones, the chemicals that carry messages across the body to manage growth, tissue repair, and reproduction.', this, event, '150px')">Endocrine disruption</a>, <a onmouseout="delayhidetip()" onmouseover="fixedtooltip('persistent and/or bioaccumulative, resisting normal chemical breakdown in the environment; building up in wildlife, the food chain, and people; and lingering in body tissues for years or even decades after exposure.', this, event, '150px')">Persistence and bioaccumulation</a>, <a onmouseout="delayhidetip()" onmouseover="fixedtooltip('linked to toxicity of one or more biological systems in the body (cardiovascular, stomach and digestive trace, respiratory system, etc.) through laboratory studies or studies of people.', this, event, '150px')">Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)</a>, <a onmouseout="delayhidetip()" onmouseover="fixedtooltip('also found as contaminants in tap water and food, as ingredients in other kinds of consumer products, or in people in biomonitoring studies that measure chemicals in blood, urine, and other fluids and tissues.', this, event, '150px')">Multiple, additive exposure sources</a>, <a onmouseout="delayhidetip()" onmouseover="fixedtooltip('linked to irritation of the skin, eyes, or lungs according to government assessments, industry reviews, and peer-reviewed studies.', this, event, '150px')">Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)</a>, <a onmouseout="delayhidetip()" onmouseover="fixedtooltip('an enhanced capacity to absorb through this skin by virtue of chemical properties like penetration enhancing abilities or small particle size (including nanoparticles), or by virtue of where it is applied on the body (on infant skin, lips, or damaged skin). ', this, event, '150px')">Enhanced skin absorption</a>, <a onmouseout="delayhidetip()" onmouseover="fixedtooltip('may be contaminated with toxic impurities, many of which are linked to cancer, according to government and cosmetic industry ingredient safety assessments or peer-reviewed studies.', this, event, '150px')">Contamination concerns</a>, <a onmouseout="delayhidetip()" onmouseover="fixedtooltip('linked to hazards for workers exposed on the job, including acute dangers from chemical handling, or longer term health effects from routine occupational exposures.', this, event, '150px')">Occupational hazards</a>, <a onmouseout="delayhidetip()" onmouseover="fixedtooltip('the ability to affect the body at a cellular or biochemical level that may have larger, but poorly understood health implications.', this, event, '150px')">Biochemical or cellular level changes</a> |

Yep: I find those pretty frightening words for something I intend to paint onto my eyelashes and let soak in all day. Hence my search for a better mascara.

No Miss All Natural Mascara is as good a product or better then the conventional kind, and ever so much better for my body and the environment. Let me know if you’ve found some other great natural mascaras!