So I was actually already using this mascara before I decided to go zero waste and cruelty free, after that decision I decided to see how this product measured up. It’s been a year since I wore black mascara, a friend gave me some electric blue she’d accidentally bought when my last tube ran out and I had no money to buy any more. I was hooked from then on, and soon found myself wearing several varieties of the NYX colour range. Electric blue, teal, pink and purple have been in my regular routine since I was given a ton of these for Christmas, and how smug I was to discover January’s Vogue predicting coloured eyelashes as a big trend of 2016 (You’re welcome world). If we’re just looking at the mascara itself, it’s great. The colour is amazingly bright and it lasts all day. If it’s colour you’re looking for, this is the place for you. But if this is a trend you’re looking to get involved with and be ethical, here’s an ethical unicorn investigation for you.

The good points:

– They’re definitely cruelty free.
NYX has been very clear on their no animal testing policy and even after their acquisition by L’oreal this has remained the same. Some people haven’t wanted to buy NYX because they’re under the ownership of non cruelty-free L’oreal, others have started buying more NYX in the hopes that it will show L’oreal that people prefer cruelty free, it’s up to you to make your own choices here, but any NYX product you buy definitely won’t have been tested on animals

– They ARE recyclable
This was a biggie for me. I checked my tube soon after my waste free decision and behold! The recyclable sign was there, so these can potentially be zero waste. There is however no specification for the exact type of plastic this tube is made of, so I’m still trying to find out if there is a better way to recycle these than just ordinary recycling (will keep you posted). In the mean time make sure you clean out your tube before you put it in with your recycling in order to prevent contamination of anything else in there, and keep hold of your mascara wands! You can repurpose them for all kinds of nifty things, saving you money AND saving the planet!

-They are cheaper.
NYX colour mascaras are super easy to get your hands on, you can get them in any Boots store, and at £5.50 per mascara they’re the same price, if not cheaper, than any other high street brand

The bad points:

-It’s made in Taiwan.
And there is little to no information on NYX’s factory in Taiwan or its working conditions; I don’t feel great about that. It’s hard to trust companies that aren’t transparent about their working conditions, and it’s even harder when a company proclaims they’re cruelty free to animals, but we have no idea how they’re treating people. And of course, Taiwan isn’t exactly local. That’s a lot of pollution through shipping across the world. Ick.

-Extra plastic.

Each mascara comes individually wrapped in plastic film. W H Y. It’s not as bad as some others that come in full packaging, but it’s still unecessary. I’m looking into methods of recycling this plastic at the moment as NYX aren’t the only culprit here.
At first glance, the good points outweigh the bad. The main problem here is that that top bad point is potentially REALLY bad. It’s really important to fight against animal testing, but it’s equally important to fight again unfair working conditions, and the difficulty with getting any information on this, doesn’t leave a good feeling with me. If you know anything about NYX’s factories, or ways to find out, please do let me know, but until I know more I don’t think I can continue buying this product. The good thing is that I can use the Christmas supply I already have and know I can recycle them, and I can always go to Lush for black mascara, but going forward I think it’s time to start looking for some more local colour.
If you have any information, suggestions or ideas on this, please do shoot them my way. Otherwise, stay magic y’all.