10 Best Tubing Mascaras for Smudge-Free Lashes

The best tubing mascaras give length and lift to your lashes with the added benefit of easy makeup removal. While TikTok introduced late millennials and early Gen Zers to the game-changing formula with a viral bang—countless videos show beauty influencers using just a splash warm water to remove their eye makeup—the truth is that tubing formulas have been around since the naughties (thank you, Kevyn Aucoin!). A little over two decades later, tubing mascaras have transformed from unsung makeup bag heroes to must-have mascara formulas.

Vogue’s Favorite Tubing Mascaras

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Pro makeup artist Rachel Singer Clark doesn’t hold back when asked if she’s a tubing mascaras fan—in fact, she wholeheartedly advocates for them. “Tubing mascaras are simply a fantastic idea for lengthening your existing lashes,” Singer Clark tells Vogue. “I’ve loved tubing formulas from the moment Kevin Aucoin launched his tubing mascara in the early 2000s. It was groundbreaking in that tubing formulas go a step further than a standard mascara by encapsulating each lash individually—you can build up the formula with additional swipes, making your lashes appear even longer, creating a special effect of seemingly growing the lash on application.”

Best for Lash Growth: Revitalash Length Define Tubing Mascara

• Why We Love It: Revitalash doesn’t only produce stellar lash growth serums—they also have a mascaras that helps to further promote your lash growth journey. The slightly curved wand coats each lash in nourishing ingredients—biotin helps to fortify lashes to protect against breakage, while antioxidant-rich ingredients like peptides, vitamin E, and panthenol help to condition and hydrate.
• Benefits: Lengthening, curling
• Key Ingredients: Peptides, biotin, vitamin E, pathenol
• Shades: 1

Best Clean Beauty: Merit Clean Lash Mascara

• Why We Love It: If you’re looking for a tubing mascara with 100% clean ingredients, look no further than Merit. A blend of rice bran, candelilla, and carnauba wax work in tandem with proprietary tubing technology to glide on without clumping. Meanwhile, olive oil esters not only condition lashes but also add a bit of luster.
• Benefits: Lengthening, defining, easy removal
• Key Ingredients: Rice bran wax, olive oil esters, candelilla wax, carnauba wax
• Shades: 1

Best Falsies Effect: Hourglass Cosmetics Unlocked Instant Extensions Mascara

• Why We Love It: To achieve the look of strip lashes (with no falsies necessary), Hourglass Cosmetics’s tubing mascara provides maximum length and lift for fanned-out, fluttery lashes. In addition to the formula’s tubing technology, Japanese camellia extract moisturizes and fortifies lashes alongside many antioxidant-rich ingredients. Plus, as a perk for animal lovers, Hourglass donates 5% of the net profits from its Unlocked product line to the Nonhuman Rights Project, a non-profit dedicated to animal rights.
• Benefits: Lifting, defining, lengthening, cruelty-free, vegan
• Key Ingredients: Glycerin, dimethicone, castor seed oil, shea butter, panthenol, vitamin E, Japanese camellia extract
• Shades: 1

Best Drugstore: Milani Highly Rated Mascara

• Why We Love It: Milani’s tubing mascara gives lashes length and lift at a drugstore price. The tapered wand coats each hair in the polymer-based formula, while nourishing your lashes with castor seed oil and shea butter.
• Benefits: Lengthening, lifting, flake-resistant, smudge-resistant
• Key Ingredients: Shea butter, castor seed oil
• Shades: 1

Best for Sensitive Eyes: Clinique Lash Power Tubing Mascara

• Why We Love It: Those with sensitive eyes need not miss out on the tubing mascara craze—Clinique’s formula is ophthalmologist- and allergy-tested. Aside from a list of vetted, non-irritating ingredients, the mascara’s detailing brush wand reaches even the shortest of lashes to lengthen and define.
• Benefits: Ophthalmologist tested, allergy tested, fragrance-free, safe for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers
• Key Ingredients: Carnauba wax, jojoba seed oil, dimethicone, vitamin E
• Shades: 1

Best Long-Wear: Milk Makeup Kush High Roll Tubing Mascara

• Why We Love It: Milk Makeup’s mascara achieves voluminous results thanks to a blend of carnauba and jojoba wax to boost texture and density. The skinny tapered nylon wand, which effortlessly defines each lash, adds to its high performance. Best of all, the brand’s Kush High Roll mascara boasts up to 24 hours of smudge-free wear.
• Benefits: Volumizing, lengthening, defining, vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, alcohol-free
• Key Ingredients: Hemp seed oil, castor oil, sunflower seed oil, carnauba wax, jojoba wax
• Shades: 1

Best Volumizing: Kulfi Badi Lash

• Why We Love It: Indie brand Kulfi’s Badi Lash is the perfect combination of tubing and volumizing. The unique, ball-tip mascara wand helps to volumize and separate even the shortest and straightest of lashes. Meanwhile, castor seed oil, rambutan extract, and a blend of peptides help to nourish your lashes while coating them with high-impact color. One swipe will give you a natural look, while a second borders lash extensions—in the best way.
• Benefits: Volumizing, lifting, lengthening, vegan, cruelty-free
• Key Ingredients: Peptides, rambutan extract, castor seed oil
• Shades: 1

Best Classic: Kevyn Aucoin The Curling Mascara

• Why We Love It: While tubing mascaras are one of the many beauty trends on fire at the moment, the late and great Kevyn Aucoin’s namesake brand has had its version since the Y2K era—and many users claim it’s their favorite mascara for two decades and counting. This mascara aims to amplify lift thanks to a mix of copolymers that create a long-lasting curl. Meanwhile, squalane and jojoba add hydration.
• Benefits: Curling, lengthening
• Key Ingredients: Squalane, jojoba oil
• Shades: 1

Best Budget: Essence Bye Bye Panda Eyes

• Why We Love It: Essence’s cheekily named tubing mascara is a no-brainer for lifted lashes at a fraction of the price (which explains its seemingly endless streak of virality on TikTok). You’ll get lengthened, volumized results for less than the cost of a latte.
• Benefits: Volumizing, defining, vegan, cruelty-free, paraben free, oil free
• Key Ingredients: Caranauba wax, synthetic beeswax, kaolin, vitamin E
• Shades: 1

Best Curling: Trish McEvoy High Volume Tubular Mascara

• Why We Love It: Trish McEvoy calls its bestselling tubing formula a “better-than-waterproof” mascara—offering all the benefits of long-lasting wear without the rough removal. The detailed curling brush works in tandem with copolymers to hold lash curl no matter what. Go on, get in your feelings at a wedding or special occasion—your mascara will not budge.
• Benefits: Curling, lifting, defining
• Key Ingredients: copernicia cerifera wax, squalane, silica
• Shades: 1

Everything You Need To Know