RMS Beauty's Straight Up Mascara is a popular pick among clean beauty fans. I tried it an have some thoughts. Here is my honest review of RMS Beauty's mascara.
Finding a good mascara can be a chore, whether you're looking for a nontoxic product or not. When you need clean ingredients, too, it can make it even more difficult to find a product that gives you the performance you want in a safe formula. RMS Beauty has been a popular pick for clean mascara, so I decided to put it to the test. Would it live up to the hype? Here are my thoughts.
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Why You Need a Clean Mascara
Swiping on a coat or two of mascara is an easy way to look more awake and make your eyes pop. But some ingredients found in regular mascara are not only irritants to your eyes, making them red and itchy, but could be harmful to your health. Since mascara is applied so close to your eyes, it can easily get into your eyes and absorbed into your system. Some ingredients in conventional mascara to avoid include:
- Parabens - Commonly used in many personal care products and easily absorbed by the body, parabens are endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs)1 linked to breast cancer,2 thyroid problems, obesity, reproductive problems in both males and females,3 and early onset of puberty in girls.4
- BHT or BHA -These chemical preservatives are linked to endocrine disruption, cancer, skin reactions, and can be harmful to reproductive function and the organ system.5
- Formaldehyde and Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives - These chemicals are eye and skin irritants, and at higher levels or with prolonged exposure have been linked to cancer.6
- Coal Tar Dyes- Used as dyes to give mascara it's black tint, these petroleum-derived dyes are known carcinogens and could be contaminated with heavy metals, such as aluminum, which are toxic to the brain. They are also linked to skin and eye irriation.7
- Synthetic Fragrance - Yes, even mascara has synthetic fragrance. "fragrance" can be any number of chemicals that comanies are not required to disclose, and could cause allergies, skin irritation, and potentially even reproductive harm.8
The good news is that there are several clean alternatives to drugstore mascaras that perform beautifully without all the potentially harmful ingredients!
Clean, smudge-free mascara powered by peptides that lengthens and nourishes lashes.
Meet the Product: RMS Beauty Straight Up Volumizing Peptide Mascara
What It Is: A clean, volumizing, smudge-free mascara
What It Claims: "Delivers 12 hours of full lift and volume while it nourishes lashes. A pro peptide helps strengthen, revitalize, and thicken. Exclusive tri-locking system creates smudge-free, flake-free long wear. Plush brush lays on the drama." - RMS Beauty Website
RMS Beauty Straight Up Mascara: My Honest Review
Ingredients: 9/10
RMS Beauty formulates all of their products free of over 2,700 chemicals, including parabens, gluten, synthetic fragrances, GMOs, sulfate, phthalates, and talc, meeting the standards for the EU and Credo beauty's clean list. This mascara includes nourishing ingredients like Candelilla Wax, Carnauba Wax, and Shea Butter.
Experience: 3/10
I really wanted to love using this mascara, but I hated applying it. The big, full brush certainly looks like it will yield lush, voluminous lashes, but it ended up making a huge mess on my eyelids each time I applied it no matter what I did. So I ended up having to take a Q tip to my lids to wipe away the smudges, which not only removed my eyeshadow and liner that had already been applied, but the smudges also didn't come off cleanly. I only ended up with a huge mess. After about 5 times of the same song and dance, I ended up throwing the whole tube (which was a mini trial size) away. It was just too frustrating.
Performance: 6/10
IF you can get it cleanly applied, and that's a big IF, then the mascara gives you nice volume. My lashes looked full the couple of times I didn't have to go in and wipe away smudges. However, I noticed flaking if I touched my lashes even the slightest bit.
Value: 4/10
If you end up loving this mascara, the value isn't bad. The price point is in line with most other clean mascaras. However, I was so frustrated with this mascara that I ended up throwing out the small sample tube after only a few uses, so throwing out a full sized tube would have ended up a pretty pricey mistake. I do like that they offer a mini size, which is less risky if you want to try it without having to throw out a whole tube.
Overall: 5.5/10
Overall Impressions
I know there are plenty of people who love this RMS Beauty mascara, so my experience may be different than yours, but I just did not like it. It has great ingredients and wasn't physically irritating to my eyes. The huge, fluffy brush theoretically works great for volumizing, but it just made a mess all over my eyes pretty much every time I applied it. It was simply too annoying to even use, especially on days when I was in a hurry to get ready. I found that it flakes easily, too. For me, the smudge-free, flake-free claims simply didn't hold up. However, there are plenty of 5 star reviews on the RMS website, so maybe it's worth trying the mini size if you're really looking for dramatic volume and a clean formula.
As for me, I'll be sticking to my favorite clean mascara!
Buy It: RMS Beauty Straight Up Mascara
(Or try it using my link for $10 off from Credo Beauty!)
- Reviewer Stats
- Age: 30s
- Hair Type: Oily + Color Treated
- Skin Type: Oily/Combo
- Concern: Breakouts + Preventing fine lines
Resources
- Paraben Esters: Review of Recent Studies of Endocrine Toxicity, Absorption, Esterase and Human Exposure, and Discussion of Potential Human Health Risks ↩︎
- Parabens Can Enable Hallmarks and Characteristics of Cancer in Human Breast Epithelial Cells: a Review of the Literature with Reference to New Exposure Data and Regulatory Status ↩︎
- Parabens and Their Effects on the Endocrine System ↩︎
- Association of Phthalates, Parabens and Phenols Found in Personal Care Products with Pubertal Timing in Girls and Boys ↩︎
- Butylated Compounds ↩︎
- Contact allergy to and allergic contact dermatitis from formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasers: A clinical review and update ↩︎
- The Dirty Dozen: Coal Tar Dyes ↩︎
- Fragrance ↩︎
