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While everyone deserves the occasional luxury beauty splurge, true makeup lovers know that drugstore mascaras are the heavy-weight champions of affordable beauty products: deserving of top-shelf space in your bathroom.

The best drugstore mascaras, which start as low as $4 and top off around $20, come in an abundance of cutting-edge formulas that lengthen, curl, and lift the lashes. In terms of wand types, these range from fluffy brushes to spindly silicone bristles for different lash effects. These days, you can find completely vegan and clean mascaras from brands like Covergirl that don’t skimp on the drama, and the market is also chock-full of tubing mascaras that grant covetable results while going easy on your wallet.

One thing to note while embarking on your drugstore mascara shopping? Not all tubes are created equal. “Think about what you want the finish to look like and what your goals are for your lashes,” says celebrity makeup artist Katie Mellinger, who’s painted the faces of A-listers like Sofia Coppola, Chloë Sevigny, and Emma Watson. “For example, L’Oreal Paris’ Voluminous Original Mascara is going to build a lot of volume and make them look thicker, whereas Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara is going to focus more on lengthening the lash.” Mascaras vary in quality regardless of their price tag, and in most cases, you don’t have to invest upwards of $30 for eye-opening results. “I don’t find any difference between a drugstore mascara and prestige brands as far as wearability and longevity,” Mellinger shares with WWD.

To help you lock down a drugstore mascara you’ll want to stick with for years to come, we enlisted a panel of five testers who conducted hands-on evaluations of 38 top-rated selections. We narrowed these down to a tight roster of nine favorites that are just as easy to put on as they are to take off at the end of long (and glamorous!) evenings. Our picks also performed the best when it came to lengthening, volume, color payoff, wear time, and lift.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends replacing eye makeup every three months, so let that be your excuse for shopping our roundup with abandon — stocking up on products and brands that will become your lifelong go-tos. And don’t let their name fool you: Drugstore mascaras can be shopped outside of your local brick-and-mortar store. Indeed, our nine winners are available at the biggest online retailers and will be at your door in the blink of an eye (get it?).

Cheers to the health and beauty of your lashes!

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What to Look for in the Best Drugstore Mascaras

Wand type: Mascara wands come in a wide variety of options for different lash effects. There are bristle wands, which are reminiscent in texture to boar bristle hair brushes and coat eyelashes with a dense amount of product. These can be thick and oversized, dip in the middle like an hourglass, curve in a “C” shape, or look long and skinny with separated teeth. Mascara wands may also be plastic or silicone, which have stiffer bristles that separate lashes from the root while depositing a controlled amount of product. Other mascara wand variations include conic shapes that taper to a tip or ball-ended wands that allow you to coat fine lashes in the inner and outer corner of the eye.

Formula type: When you’re selecting a drugstore mascara, it’s important to pay attention to your lash type and intended effect. For example, short lash types will see the most transformation from a lengthening mascara, while thin lashes will benefit from a thickening formula. If your lashes grow straight out, opt for a curling mascara. Lengthening mascaras often come in wet formulas, while volumizing mascaras are developed with thick or dry textures. Many mascaras are designed to perform two or more of these lash effects, such as lengthen and thicken at the same time. “If you want your mascara to wear longer, you should probably look into tubing or waterproof mascara,” suggests Mellinger. “If you want something that looks super natural, then you might want a mascara that claims to separate [the lashes].”

Flexible hold vs. waterproof formulas: “In general, any sort of waterproof mascara tends to wear longer and smudge less,” Mellinger tells us. It’s a particularly good option for those who prefer to wear mascara on their lower lash line, because ingredients in other under-eye products you may wear will likely cause the mascara there to smudge. If this tends to occur, Mellinger offers a quick solution. “You absolutely need to set your concealer under your eye,” she says. “If you don’t set your concealer and you wear mascara on your bottom lash (even if it’s just your top lash), there will be a transfer. Use a fluffy brush to apply a very light dusting of setting powder underneath the eye after you’ve applied concealer and before you apply mascara.” She also recommends to avoid applying eye cream close to the lash line during the day: “The more emollient that area is, the more transfer you’re going to get.” If you have oily skin, you’ll want to select a mascara that promises a smudge-proof formulation. A flexible hold or conditioning mascara is best for those who wear glasses or have a tendency to rub their eyes, ensuring it won’t flake onto the cheeks throughout the day.

Ingredients: Mascara compositions may at first appear as a confusing jumble of chemical names, but many mascaras share the same common ingredients depending on their intended lash effect. Some thickening agents in popular mascara formulas include beeswax, lanolin (derived from sheep wool), castor oil, and mineral oil, which provide long-wear holds and voluminous effects. Glycerin, along with a variety waxes, such as paraffin and plant-based carnauba wax, are used to moisturize and protect the lashes — creating a smooth yet sticky consistency for pigments to adhere to natural hair. Black and brown mascara pigments are commonly blended with ingredients like iron oxide and carbon black. Tubing or fiber mascaras use nylon, rayon, and silk microfibers as tiny lash extensions. Waterproof formulations include higher amounts of waxes and silicones, such as isododecane, dimethicone copolyol, and cyclopentasiloxane. There are potentially irritating ingredients that may be included in mascara formulations, like shellac or thimerosal, so those with sensitive eyes will be safest selecting a mascara that is marked paraben-free or vegan.

How We Tested & Reviewed the Best Drugstore Mascaras

A total of 38 mascara formulations were trialed among a team of WWD product testers in order to curate this best drugstore mascara shopping guide. The affordable mascaras were put to the test for a duration of eight to 18 hours per day.

To make the selections on this list, we assessed key factors of the mascaras throughout our testing periods, including lash effects, overall formulation, color payoff, wear time, application efficiency, wand function, packaging, and ease of removal. We also made sure to compare special features in formulation to determine the highest-quality options available, such as the hot-right-now tubing mascaras. The drugstore mascaras included in this article were tested across a variety of eyelash types, occasions, and functions, so you can feel confident about your next drugstore mascara beauty buy. 

Below are the criteria our panel of testers considered while trying out drugstore mascara formulas:

Packaging: The formulation of a product is paramount, but its packaging largely impacts usability. We evaluated each mascara tube in terms of weight, grip comfort, wand length, and wand flexibility. We also assessed the amount of product each wand deposits, whether product builds up on the neck of the tube, and if the formula is prone to leaking out of its packaging.

Application: We judged the application of a drugstore mascara by counting the number of coats necessary to deliver ample intensity, examining whether the wand fit comfortably under the lash line, and analyzing the ability of its bristles to comb and grip each lash. Our testers also took note of any clumping, smudging, flaking, or drooping that occurred in the process and whether the formulas were buildable in a reasonable timeframe.

Wear time: The staying power of a mascara refers to how long its shape will hold or whether it runs or transforms throughout the day. We tested these drugstore mascaras in eight- to 18-hour time frames in a variety of settings, including different climates, outdoor activities, regular days at the office, and even red-eye flights. These trials were also combined with different types of face serums, moisturizers, and concealers to assess compatibility.

Ease of removal: After each testing period, our testers removed mascaras with makeup remover wipes, microfiber makeup removing cloths, face wash for oily skin and dry skin, as well as micellar water. This was done to pinpoint the product’s ability to cleanly wipe away or dissolve. Any formulas that required more than one wash or extra scrubbing (that nevertheless left pesky residue behind) were cut from our list.

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Meet the Expert

Katie Mellinger is a bicoastal makeup artist who specializes in flawless skin. She has worked with clients such as Sofia Coppola, Emma Watson, Chloë Sevigny, and more. Her work has been featured in major publications including W, Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar, and i-D, to name a few.

Meet the Testers and Authors

Olivia Cigliano was a Commerce Writer & Producer at Footwear News and WWD, where she wrote and edited shopping content across fashion, beauty, footwear, TikTok style trends, and more. Cigliano received her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Emerson College, and her byline can be found in publications including Elite Daily and CR Fashion Book. She is currently based in New York City. At WWD, she regularly tested and reviewed top-rated and TikTok-famous products like drugstore mascaras. She updated this shopping guide in July 2024 with new releases and additional editor-tested mascara reviews.

Claire Sullivan was the Senior Beauty and Lifestyle Commerce Editor for Footwear News and WWD, where she wrote and edited beauty, fashion and lifestyle stories. She has over eight years of experience as a writer and editor for national media outlets including Martha Stewart Living, Martha Stewart Weddings, InStyle, and Byrdie. She’s tested hundreds of products during her time as an editor, so she’s well-versed in selecting the best drugstore mascaras. Sullivan contributed to the August 2024 update of this article on drugstore mascaras with new findings after an additional round of product testing.

Stacia Datskovska is a Senior Commerce Writer at WWD. Previously, she worked at ELLE DECOR as an assistant digital editor, covering all things luxury, culture, and lifestyle through a design lens. Her bylines over the past five years have appeared in USA Today, Baltimore Sun, Teen Vogue, Boston Globe, Food & Wine, and more. Prior to joining ELLE DECOR, Datskovska learned the ins and outs of e-commerce at Mashable, where she tested products, covered tentpole sales events, and curated gift guide roundups. She graduated from NYU with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and international relations. Datskovska regularly reports on buzzy beauty products that live up to their marketing claims and are well worth readers’ money.