Chromaline Gel - Hi-Def Cyan vs Colour Excess Gel Pencil Eye Liner: which is safer?
Chromaline Gel - Hi-Def Cyan is the clear pick. MAC Colour Excess Gel Pencil Eye Liner carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.
Our pick
MAC
Chromaline Gel - Hi-Def Cyan
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleHeavy metals in colorants (iron oxides, titanium dioxide, mica)
PossibleFormaldehyde releasers (preservative system)
Possible1,4-dioxane (contaminant in polyethylene glycol or emulsifiers)
MAC
Colour Excess Gel Pencil Eye Liner
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleFragrance allergens or undisclosed fragrance components
PossibleBacterial or mold growth in pencil packaging
LikelyPFAS in waterproofing agents
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Heavy metals in colorants (iron oxides, titanium dioxide, mica), Formaldehyde releasers (preservative system), 1,4-dioxane (contaminant in polyethylene glycol or emulsifiers) and Eye irritation from film formers or fragrance compounds on the MAC and not on the MAC.
- We flag Fragrance allergens or undisclosed fragrance components, Bacterial or mold growth in pencil packaging and PFAS in waterproofing agents on the MAC and not on the MAC.
- The MAC is gel pigment formulation (primary ingredients not publicly disclosed for proprietary reasons) where the MAC is gel pencil with waterproof formula, 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 MAC is the one to buy.
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 eyeliner: see the full ranking