100% Natural Nourishing Mascara, Black Brown vs Professional Makeup Worth The Hype Waterproof Mascara: which is safer?
Burt's Bees 100% Natural Nourishing Mascara, Black Brown is the clear pick. NYX Professional Makeup Worth The Hype Waterproof 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
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleFragrance allergens and undisclosed sensitizers
PossibleBacterial growth and contamination in wax formula
NYX
Professional Makeup Worth The Hype Waterproof Mascara
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleFragrance allergens and sensitizers
PossibleBacterial or fungal growth if tube is unmaintained or shared
LikelyUnspecified waterproofing agents (possible PFAS or synthetic coatings)
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 Fragrance allergens and sensitizers, Bacterial or fungal growth if tube is unmaintained or shared and Unspecified waterproofing agents (possible PFAS or synthetic coatings) 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 wax, film-forming polymers, waterproofing agent (unspecified), 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 35% 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