Chromaline Gel - Hi-Def Cyan vs Line Express Sharpenable Wood Pencil Eyeliner: which is safer?

Chromaline Gel - Hi-Def Cyan is the clear pick. Maybelline Line Express Sharpenable Wood Pencil Eyeliner carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.

Our pick

Chromaline Gel - Hi-Def Cyan

MAC

Chromaline Gel - Hi-Def Cyan

PFAS grade

Excellent 75/100

Overall grade

Good 53/100

Verdict

Buy

Hazard flags

⚑ 4

Material

gel pigment formulation (primary ingredients not publicly disclosed for proprietary reasons)

Confidence

65%

PossibleHeavy metals in colorants (iron oxides, titanium dioxide, mica)

PossibleFormaldehyde releasers (preservative system)

Possible1,4-dioxane (contaminant in polyethylene glycol or emulsifiers)

Maybelline Line Express Sharpenable Wood Pencil Eyeliner

Maybelline

Line Express Sharpenable Wood Pencil Eyeliner

PFAS grade

Poor 30/100

Overall grade

Bad 4/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 5

Material

wood pencil with presumed waterproof pigment/wax formulation

Confidence

35%

PossibleHeavy metals in synthetic colorants

PossibleFragrance allergens and sensitizers

PossibleBacterial contamination from wood casing and sharpening

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 Maybelline.
  • We flag Heavy metals in synthetic colorants, Fragrance allergens and sensitizers, Bacterial contamination from wood casing and sharpening and Undisclosed waterproofing agents (likely PFAS) on the Maybelline and not on the MAC.
  • The MAC is gel pigment formulation (primary ingredients not publicly disclosed for proprietary reasons) where the Maybelline is wood pencil with presumed waterproof pigment/wax formulation, 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.
  • We are less certain about the Maybelline grade, at 35% confidence against 65%, 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 →

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