The best mascaras add volume, definition and length to your lashes. But shopping for a formula can be tricky if you struggle with sensitive eyes, whether from hay fever, hormonal changes or being particularly prone to irritation.
Luckily, there’s been plenty of innovation in the industry to cater for sensitivity. These specially formulated mascaras still grip, separate and lift eyelashes, but also ease symptoms of sensitivity (think redness, itching, stinging, streaming and general soreness).
As someone with years of experience testing beauty products – and a lifelong struggle with sensitive eyes that water at the first hint of irritation – I know how hard it can be to find a mascara that truly performs without causing discomfort. That’s why I took on the task of testing dozens of formulas specifically suited for sensitive eyes, and what I discovered surprised even me.
The standout? It Cosmetics Hello Lashes+. Not only did it deliver impressive length and curl, but its unique wand reached even the tiniest lashes without clumping or smudging. Best of all, it stayed put all day without making my eyes sting or water.
Of course, no one mascara works for everyone, so I’ve included a variety in this roundup, from volumising picks to subtle, natural-looking options, so you can find the perfect one for your eyes, too.
How I tested
I spent weeks testing a wide range of mascaras to help narrow down the best ones for sensitive eyes. There were several key criteria I looked for, including:
- Ease of application: Applying mascara is an effective way to make your face appear more awakened. I used each of these formulas on both my top and bottom lashes, using long, slow strokes of the brush to create a volumised and lengthened look. I looked for well designed wands with soft bristles and well-spaced out brushes, so I could achieve that enviously fluttered finish.
- Value for money: I took into consideration both ends of the budget, testing pocket-friendly formulas and luxury buys that are worth every penny.
- Sensitive-friendly ingredients: I have sensitive eyes and the mascaras included are a list of my favourites that I’ve been using for several months, as well as newer finds. I looked for sensitive-friendly ingredients like natural wax (beeswax or carnauba) and soothing agents like aloe vera and glycerin. Plus, I noted if the formulas had been ophthalmologist-tested and allergy-tested.
- Performance: I also considered each mascara’s wand shape and lengthening effect, assessing the volume and definition each formula awarded my lashes.
- Staying power: I wanted each mascara to stay put throughout the day, without causing my easily irritated eyes to stream or sting. Above all, I didn’t want to end the day with panda eyes.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Helen Wilson-Beevers is a beauty expert and has written several guides for IndyBest, from the best eye creams, and the best tinted moisturisers to the best moisturisers for dry skin. When it came to testing mascara for sensitive eyes, Helen is well-placed as she’s someone that struggles with irritation herself. She knows the ingredients to look for to ease the symptoms and only recommends mascaras that are easy to apply. She has become a dab hand at quickly spotting the ones that deliver on length, volume and staying power.
The best mascaras for sensitive eyes for 2025 are:
- Best overall – It Cosmetics hello lashes+: £26, Johnlewis.com
- Best budget buy – L’Oreal lash paradise black mascara: £12.99, Boots.com
- Best buildable formula – Glossier lash slick: £20, Glossier.com
- Best for lash volume – La Roche Posay toleriane mascara: £20, Sephora.co.uk
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It Cosmetics hello lashes+
Best: Mascara for sensitive eyes overall
Colour: Black
Key ingredients: Biotin, argan oil and jojoba
Benefits: Length and volume
Why we love it
- Significantly lengthens lashes
- Didn’t run or make eyes sting
- Easy to reach tricky inner lashes
This shimmery pink tube is complete with a black textured grip coating, making it easier to hold the wand steady for smooth application. The bendy wand also features a ball tip, meaning we could grip trickier-to-reach inner eyelashes. Lash-nourishing ingredients include biotin, argan oil and jojoba oil, and the formula felt gentle to wear without causing any itchiness.
This is a tubing mascara, so lashes are wrapped in individual tubes of product. As a result, I saw significantly lengthened eyelashes that were spread upwards and outwards, creating a long-lasting babydoll look. Plus, the ophthalmologically tested mascara didn’t run or make our eyes sting when walking in windy weather.
Buy now £26.00, Johnlewis.com
L’Oreal lash paradise black mascara
Best: Budget mascara for sensitive eyes
Colour: Black
Key ingredients: Castor oil
Benefits: Softening and volumising
Why we love it
- Soft, thick brush
Take note
- Wand isn’t precise for individual lashes
Presented in a pretty rose gold tube, this mascara has a thick brush that is soft on lashes. The wand isn’t precise for individual lashes, but we didn’t mind this because it creates instant eye-opening volume. My eyelashes felt supple too, and not at all spiky or tough to touch. This meant they were comfortable throughout the day, and we didn’t find ourselves rubbing or itching my eyes. This is an affordable castor oil-infused mascara that is both kind to eyes and big on lash-thickening.
Buy now £12.99, Boots.com
Glossier lash slick
Best: Buildable mascara for sensitive eyes
Colour: Black or brown
Key ingredients: Biotin
Benefits: Water-resistant, even coverage
Why we love it
- Gentle on super sensitive eyes
- Suitable for contact lens wearers
The sleek minimalist pink tube holds a slimline flexible brush that widens from its precise tip to a thicker base. Fragrance-free and ophthalmologist-tested, we found the lightweight formula to be gentle on our super sensitive eyes. This mascara gave an easily buildable look, with an eye-widening even coating across each individual lash that lasted all day without flaking. The fact that it’s water-resistant rather than waterproof means removal is easy without any harsh rubbing on irritable eyelids. Complete with conditioning biotin and black pigment highlighting polymers, it’s suitable for contact lens wearers too.
Buy now £18.00, Glossier.com
Green People volumising mascara
Best: Mascara for sensitive eyes with wand flexibility
Colour: Black
Key ingredients: Sunflower oil
Benefits: Lightweight, gentle, separates lashes
Why we love it
- Provides a subtle finish
This certified organic mascara has 98 per cent natural ingredients and is vegetarian. It’s user friendly even when you’re in a rush, and the lightweight formula doesn’t stick together or transfer. Buildable but not overly bold, I felt this pick was best for a no-make-up make-up day – it separates lashes evenly and gives quite a subtle lift. I appreciated its flexible wand head, which wasn’t likely to poke us in the eye. Components such as soothing sunflower oil are notable as the complete product does feel gentle on the eyes and surrounding skin.
Buy now £22.50, Greenpeople.co.uk
Chantecaille faux cils longest lash mascara
Best: Luxury mascara for sensitive eyes
Colour: Black
Key ingredients: Rose oil
Benefits: Lengthening and conditioning
Why we love it
- Formula contains no parabens
This mascara’s metallic tube has a premium look to match the price point. The brush is of medium thickness, and I felt its soft fibres effectively lengthened and volumised lashes. It also fanned out bottom eyelashes well, and I didn’t experience any clumping or product residue on our eyelids – because of this, you can build it up for a bolder look minus any messiness. The formula contains no parabens and is phthalate and fragrance free. Sensitive eye-friendly ingredients include rose oil, which helps it to feel comfortingly conditioning.
Buy now £57.80, Johnlewis.com
Perricone MD no makeup mascara
Best: Lengthening mascara for sensitive eyes
Colour: Black
Key ingredients: Vitamin E and biotin
Benefits: Grip, lifts and lengthens
Why we love it
- Gel serum consistency
- Dries quickly
This fragrance-free mascara has a gel serum consistency, containing biotin and vitamin E for nourishing lashes. The straight brush has tiny bristles that gripped our eyelashes, lifted them from the root upwards, and offered full coverage without stinging our eyes. We found that a single coat creates a lengthening effect, and our tester also saw significant length added to the lower lashes. Plus, it dries quickly.
Although one layer was enough for busy mornings with less time on our hands, we built this look up with extra coats when seeking extra eye make-up drama.
Buy now £25.75, Johnlewis.com
Lancome hypnose custom wear volumising mascara
Best: Mascara for sensitive eyes for individual lash definition
Colour: Black
Key ingredients: Vitamin B5
Benefits: Separating, buildable and flake-free
Why we love it
- Suitable for contact lens wearers
- The slim, wavy wand reaches inner lashes with ease
Suitable for contact lens wearers and sensitive eyes, this mascara has a curved tube that is ergonomically shaped and comfy to hold. We found that the slim, wavy wand could reach inner lashes, and our tester saw that it separated and individually defined each lash.
The brush felt soft while being strong enough to add sufficient grip. We also didn’t see any product transfer onto our eyelid or lash line. Even after building up our mascara look with lots of coats, our eyes still felt comfortable during long-lasting wear, and there was no flakiness either.
Buy now £22.50, Boots.com
La Roche Posay toleriane mascara
Best: Volumising mascara for sensitive eyes
Colour: Black
Key ingredients: Panthenol
Benefits: Impressive thickness and strongly pigmented finish
Why we love it
- Delivers voluminous lash results
- Creates a dramatic eye make-up look with minimum effort
An allergy-tested mascara suitable for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers, this is a mid-price mascara that delivers voluminous lash results. The fluffy brush grabs lashes and adds impressive thickness, and we saw a strongly pigmented finish. Because of this intense black coating, our tester noted the mascara creates a dramatic eye make-up look with minimum effort.
Key ingredients include moisturising panthenol, and lashes looked thicker and had noticeable volume, without feeling stiff or uncomfortable. There were no smudges left on skin either, and our tester’s eyes didn’t sting when out in the fresh air. Plus, the formula stayed in place throughout a long day’s wear.
Buy now £20.00, Sephora.co.uk
Clinique high impact zero gravity mascara
Best: Mascara for sensitive eyes with a curved brush applicator
Colour: Black
Key ingredients: Simmondsia chinensis seed oil
Benefits: Soothing and lengthening
This allergy-tested mascara is suitable if you wear contact lenses or have sensitive eyes, and it’s been ophthalmologist tested too. Key ingredients include moisturising simmondsia chinensis seed oil. The curved brush mirrors the eye shape, meaning we could grip and lift lashes without much effort. That was a big bonus for us, as too much faffing about with mascara can make our eyes sore. We saw significantly lengthened eyelashes, and the gel mascara formula is soothing to wear. Plus, it stayed put well into the evening.
We used only warm water for removal, which minimised any potential irritation, and the formula gently wiped away.
Buy now £22.95, Boots.com
Mii superboost lash lover two-in-one conditioning and growth boosting serum mascara
Best: Mascara for sensitive eyes with pigment intensity
Colour: Black
Key ingredients: Castor oil and sunflower seed oil
Benefits: Conditioning, softening and thickening
Why we love it
- Intense black pigment
- Feels softening
- Easy to remove
We were instantly wowed by the intense black pigment added to our lashes by this vegan-friendly mascara. The tapered brush fans eyelashes out smoothly, achieving both thickness and length, without our tester needing to add many coats.
As the formula is a serum for conditioning lashes and includes ingredients like castor oil and sunflower seed oil, it felt softening too. We saw fuller-looking eyelashes without product heaviness, and our tester didn’t find it difficult to remove either.
Buy now £18.00, Amazon.co.uk
Merit clean lash lengthening mascara, perfect black
Best: Mascara for sensitive eyes for a natural look
Colour: Black
Key ingredients: Olive oil esters, omega fatty acids and vitamin B5
Benefits: Weightless, gentle lash lift
Why we love it
- Gentle on irritated eyes
- Slimline brush makes for easy application
This tubing mascara contains conditioning ingredients, including vitamin B5, omega fatty acids and olive oil esters. Our tester has been wearing the Merit mascara for several months, since the brand’s UK launch, and finds it to be gentle on her easily irritated eyes, while providing a natural lash look with subtle length and volume. Our tester also rates this mascara’s slimline brush for application ease and full lash coverage. The black and gold packaging looks particularly luxe too.
Buy now £23.00, Meritbeauty.com
Tarte lights, camera, lashes four-in-one mascara
Best: Mascara for sensitive eyes for top and bottom lashes
Colour: Black
Key ingredients: Olive esters and rice bran
Benefits: Thickening, lengthening and volumising
Why we love it
- Vegan-friendly mascara
- Formula conditions lashes
Tarte is a cult-classic make-up brand that is now available to buy in the UK, thanks to Sephora’s launch earlier in the year. Our tester has been using this vegan-friendly mascara for several years, and never experiences any eye irritation. Its medium-sized brush effectively grips and coats lashes, creating length and volume. Olive oil esters are included to condition lashes, while rice bran contains moisturising vitamin E. Our tester found it held in place well throughout the day, without any smudges or flakiness appearing. They’re a big fan of the purple glittery case too.
Buy now £23.00, Sephora.co.uk
What is the best mascara for sensitive eyes?
My overall favourite is It Cosmetics’ hello lashes+ for significantly lengthened lashes, smooth application and no stinging. Or, if you’re looking for volumised and thickened lashes that stay soft to the touch, I’d strongly recommend TARTE’s lights, camera, lashes 4-in-1 mascara.
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