100% Natural Nourishing Mascara, Black Brown vs Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Waterproof Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara: which is safer?

Burt's Bees 100% Natural Nourishing Mascara, Black Brown is the clear pick. Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Waterproof Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.

Our pick

Burt's Bees 100% Natural Nourishing Mascara, Black Brown

Burt's Bees

100% Natural Nourishing Mascara, Black Brown

PFAS grade

Excellent 75/100

Overall grade

Good 67/100

Verdict

Buy

Hazard flags

⚑ 2

Material

Wax, pigments, natural oils (typical mascara base)

Confidence

78%

PossibleFragrance allergens and undisclosed sensitizers

PossibleBacterial growth and contamination in wax formula

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Waterproof Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara

Estée Lauder

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Waterproof Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara

PFAS grade

Poor 30/100

Overall grade

Bad 18/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

proprietary cosmetic blend with waterproofing agent

Confidence

35%

Possible1,4-dioxane contamination

PossibleFragrance allergens

PossibleMicroplastic particle release during wear

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Fragrance allergens and undisclosed sensitizers and Bacterial growth and contamination in wax formula on the Burt's Bees and not on the Estée Lauder.
  • We flag 1,4-dioxane contamination, Fragrance allergens and Microplastic particle release during wear on the Estée Lauder and not on the Burt's Bees.
  • The Burt's Bees is Wax, pigments, natural oils (typical mascara base) where the Estée Lauder is proprietary cosmetic blend with waterproofing agent, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • The gap is 45 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Burt's Bees is the one to buy.
  • We are less certain about the Estée Lauder grade, at 35% confidence against 78%, because it discloses less.

Both products run through the same public rubric, which covers materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →

More waterproof mascara, see the full ranking