Liz Loves Lovely Eyes So She Asks:
How do waterproof mascaras work?

The Right Brain’s Raccoon Eyed Response:
Before we talk about waterproof mascara, go read our description of how mascaras work so you understand the basics.

Did you read it?

Come on, did you REALLY read it?

OK, that’s better.

It’s easy to make a product like a mascara or a hairspray that is completely waterproof - you formulate it with ingredients that aren’t soluble in water and you leave out the detergent type ingredients that make it water washable. The problem with this kind of formula is that it would be really hard to wash off. The trick to making mascaras waterproof is to balance the oil and water soluble ingredients in the formula to give good resistance to water without making it too hard to remove.

It’s tough to tell from looking at the ingredient list how well the product will walk that fine line, but in general you can look for formulas that DON’T list water as the first ingredient. This isn’t a sure-fire way to tell, but it might help.

Looking at some of the products on the market, we heard good things about Revlon’s Lash Fantasy (which sounds like the title of a romance novel). It’s a two step process that supposedly gives great waterproofness (is that really a word?).

The Brain’s Bottom Line:
Waterproof mascaras work by balancing oil and water soluble ingredients to coat your eyelashes with a waxy coating that resists smudging but still washes away completely. If any of our Beauty Brainiacs would like to share their favorite products, please leave a comment.