I Tried The World’s First “Zero-Waste” Mascara

Mascara is an essential, but that doesn't mean it's always exciting. Formula aside, it's almost all the same: a plastic tube with a spiky wand inside. But when there's a packaging innovation, like a tube that trades plastic for reusable stainless steel, all of a sudden your everyday makeup staple carries a little more weight.

Izzy is a new sustainable beauty brand, and the Zero Waste Mascara is its very first product. The skinny metal tube is one part minimalist chic — like the mascara equivalent of a moisturizer wrapped in aluminum — but more functionally, it's refillable, designed to be used, returned, sterilized, replenished, then shipped right back to you.

Izzy even offers a subscription service that makes the whole return-for-refill process easy and cost-effective. You can subscribe, become a "Zero Waste" member, and automatically receive a sterilized and refilled mascara every three months with a prepaid, reusable return mailer to send back your empty one. If you see yourself sticking to it, the subscription option makes a lot of sense, saving you $20 every refill as compared to a single one-time purchase.

More than just an eco-friendly shopping concept, the mascara formula itself is really great. It's clean, vegan, and, in my opinion, ideal for summer when I want that your-lashes-but-better aesthetic — like the most subtle lift and extension that I can swipe on in the morning and forget about all day.

I've been using my Izzy mascara for a few weeks now and it hasn't faltered, even on a 90-degree Saturday that had me sweating through my sundress. Better still, the guidance on the amount of time you should use use a single mascara is three months, which means I can use mine for the whole summer — it'll make a chic addition to my travel makeup bag — and send out for a refresh before Labor Day. I'm wearing the classic black shade at the moment, but brand founder Shannon Goldberg says she's currently formulating a brown, so I'll likely opt for that one with my refill... and there will be a refill.