Beauty Q & A: Do Curling Mascaras Work?

Daoyen Has A Question:
Hi! I was wondering if you could explain the marvel that is curling mascara– is it the formula, the curved brush, or just my own imagination that’s making my eyelashes look visible to the naked eye? Thanks a lot– I love your website!

The Right Brain Has An Answer:
In a previous post we wrote about the basic ingredients in mascara: the waxy base, the pigments, preservatives, etc. In addition to those ingredients “curling mascaras” have some other ingredients that help the eyelash hold it’s shape a little bit better.

Take a look at the ingredient list for the Body Shop’s Curling Mascara:

Water, Shellac, Glycerin, Cyclomethicone, Sclerocarya Birrea (Marula) Oil, Triethanolamine, Propylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate SE, PVP/VA Copolymer, Stearic Acid, Acacia Senegal Gum, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Beeswax, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Nylon-12, Polyethylene, Phenoxyethanol, Cetyl Alcohol, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Panthenol, Benzyl Alcohol, Methylparaben, Xanthan Gum, Propylene Carbonate, Copernica Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Ammonium Hydroxide, Cellulose Gum, Hydrolysed Wheat Protein PG-Propyl Silanetriol, Propylparaben, Acrylates/Steareth-20 Methacrylate Copolymer, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Iron Oxides.

Ok, that’s a mouthful. But look at the first ingredient after water: Shellac. Shellac is an old school hair spray ingredient. It forms a very tough film that helps hold hair strands in place. So, it makes sense that this ingredient could help keep the curl in your eyelash. This is similar in concept to how Blinc Mascara works.

The Brain’s Bottom Line:
While curling masacars won’t magically make your eyelashes curly, it is possible that the right formula could help them hold a curl.