What we put on and into our bodies these days is coming under more and more scrutiny as preventable diseases are on the rise. Women are making the switch to more natural cosmetic products these days as they discover just how plain awful those more conventional cosmetics can be.

Not only are there a ton of unknown chemicals and by products in plenty of the cosmetics on the market today, but several of these companies also practice testing on animals and are not “cruelty free”.

If you’re thinking about making the switch to natural mascara, you most likely are doing so as you want to choose a safer, healthier product for both yourself and the environment. The question is, is natural mascara just as effective as conventional mascaras?

Let’s face it we count on our mascara to stay on throughout the entire day. We don’t want it to flake off, smudge under our eyes, or to rub off. We want it to be water resistant, make our lashes longer, and thicken them. All of this, and we want the mascara to also come off easily and to condition our eyelashes too. That’s a whole lot of expectation on one single product!

Conventional cosmetics have pretty much mastered these things, though by use of synthetic and potentially hazardous products. Is it possible for a mascara made of pure ingredients – and that has not been tested on animals – to offer the same benefits?

Answer: Yes… almost. All mascaras, from the dawn of the creation of mascara, have been comprised of a few basic materials:

• Wax
• Oil
• Pigmentation

All three of these ingredients can and are naturally found in nature. Some natural waxes that you will find in natural mascara include: carnauba, beeswax, candelilla. Some natural oils that you will find include calendula and linseed oil, and mineral oxides are generally used to provide the coloring of the natural mascara.

The only thing that you will have a problem finding when it comes to natural mascara is finding a waterproof variety. There currently is no 100% natural mascara on the market that is waterproof, so if this is something that you certainly need you will need to look into which mascaras are the most natural and waterproof.

TIP: Some natural mascaras contain “parabens”, which are preservatives used to extend the shelf life of the product. Many argue that parabens are not a natural ingredient, so be sure to read the back of any product you pick up and make sure that you are buying exactly what you want.

The added benefit to using a natural mascara is that they are made of products that can be easily and safely absorbed through our skin. This means that we are not only not growing sick by using these cosmetic products, but we may actually be enjoying some health benefits as well!

Natural mascara also naturally condition and improve the quality of our eyelashes, so you need not worry about dried out eyelashes and eyelashes that may fall out as a result of mascara application.