Brown mascara may have been around for decades, but, like many underrated, classic makeup products, it’s found newfound fame in 2023 thanks to TikTok. While mascara is an everyday staple in my makeup routine, I’ve always worn black mascaras—so when I started to see brown mascara videos popping up on my TikTok FYP, I naturally disregarded them. But, the thing about TikTok is that once you’ve seen one brown mascara video, you’ll see five, then ten, and the next thing you know you’re Googling ‘best brown mascaras’ and hitting an ‘order now’ button…
I’m now a total brown mascara convert, and I’m not alone—with over 43 million views on TikTok (and counting) brown mascara is a key part of the ‘no makeup-makeup’ or ‘clean girl‘ trend that defines so many makeup tutorials on the app. This trend is all about enhancing your natural features—think, lightweight skin tints that allow your freckles to show through, cream blushers and highlighters that give skin a dewy finish, and lip oils, which tint (while nourishing) lips. Since brown mascara offers a softer, more natural-looking alternative to black mascara, its current popularity totally makes sense.
