Another ‘clean’ mascara hit the market. I rolled my eyes so hard.
The real test? The ingredient list — not the minimalist packaging.
Lash Flash Clean Volume Mascara from Ilia. $28. They claim it’s a “clean volume mascara” with a “clean” formula. Sure.
Plant-Based Waxes
Carnauba and sunflower wax for hold.
Tubing Technology
Wraps lashes in polymer tubes for removal with water.
Conditioning Blend
Argireline and provitamin B5 for lash care.
Photo: Anna Evans / Unsplash
The hero ingredients are fine — plant waxes, conditioning peptides. But ‘clean’ is a marketing term, not a legal one.
My issue? The preservative system. It uses phenoxyethanol — a totally safe, common preservative that many ‘clean’ brands still use but never highlight.
- Carnauba Wax: Gives structure and hold
- Argireline: A peptide that may condition
- Phenoxyethanol: The necessary preservative they don’t advertise
- Iron Oxides: For the black color
Photo: Glow Repose / Unsplash
The wand is a classic brush — not plastic. The formula is wet. Not gloopy, but you have to work fast.
By week two, I noticed it dries out quicker than my non-clean mascaras. A trade-off for fewer preservatives? Probably.
It gives decent, natural volume. Zero smudging — the tubing tech works. But ‘clean’? It’s cleaner, not pure. The greenwashing is in the implication of purity.
A solid mascara hiding behind a buzzy label. It works, but don’t buy it for the halo effect.