100% Natural Nourishing Mascara, Black Brown vs Professional Makeup Worth The Hype Mascara: which is safer?

Burt's Bees 100% Natural Nourishing Mascara, Black Brown is the clear pick. NYX Professional Makeup Worth The Hype 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

NYX Professional Makeup Worth The Hype Mascara

NYX

Professional Makeup Worth The Hype Mascara

PFAS grade

Poor 30/100

Overall grade

Bad 0/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 4

Material

Film-forming polymers, waterproof film-former

Confidence

45%

LikelyPFAS (fluorinated waterproofing agents)

Possible1,4-dioxane (synthetic polymer contaminant)

PossibleFragrance allergens

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 NYX.
  • We flag PFAS (fluorinated waterproofing agents), 1,4-dioxane (synthetic polymer contaminant), Fragrance allergens and Bacterial or fungal growth if tube is not maintained on the NYX and not on the Burt's Bees.
  • The Burt's Bees is Wax, pigments, natural oils (typical mascara base) where the NYX is Film-forming polymers, waterproof film-former, 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 NYX grade, at 45% confidence against 78%, because it discloses less.

Both products run through the same public rubric: 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