Mascara is typically made of a combination of ingredients that broadly fall under the categories of oils, pigments, emollients, and preservatives. Common ingredients found in mascara include carbon black or iron oxide pigment, polymers, preservatives, and various waxes such as beeswax, carnauba wax, and candelilla wax. Other ingredients may include glycerin, lanolin, panthenol, shellac, and parabens. Some mascaras also contain teflon, formaldehyde, coal tar dyes, synthetic dyes, and aluminum powder, which have been proven carcinogenic
. Vegan formulations exclude animal-origin ingredients and stick to non-animal origin waxes and oils such as paraffin, vegetable oils and fats, carnauba wax, and candelilla wax
. It's important to be aware of the ingredients in mascara, especially if you have specific preferences or sensitivities.
