Gwyneth Paltrow Couldn’t Find A Non-Toxic Mascara — So She Made Her Own

Gwyneth Paltrow isn’t a “mascara person.” While that seems like an unlikely starting point for someone to create — spoiler alert — a mascara, I find it refreshing, not to mention, relatable. Countless mascaras I’ve tried smudge instantly or migrate around my orbital area, and that’s before I even get to the list of no-no ingredients that I wouldn’t want anywhere near my eyes. (My fiancé is an ophthalmologist, and let’s just say that he has seen some things.) 

All of which brings me to Goop, who is entering the eye makeup category in its signature Goop way with Featherlash, a serum-mascara hybrid that defines and lengthens lashes while conditioning and promoting growth over time. “At Goop, I try to only make things when I feel really passionate about them, and if it’s something that I need and there’s a white space,” Gwyneth Paltrow tells Refinery29. “I want it to be meaningful, and not just another product. There’s so many products on the market, there’s really no point in making something just for the sake of it.”

Featherlash may be Paltrow’s dream mascara, but one that she is proud to share with the world. “I’ve become more of a mascara person, especially as I’ve gotten older. It’s the one thing that my makeup artist, Georgie [Eisdell] said to me,” Paltrow explains. “And I do think it makes a big difference in making your eyes more defined and looking more awake.” However, Paltrow has a bone to pick with the “toxic” ingredients that find their way into tubes. But what makes a mascara “clean”? The notoriously vague term is confusing at best, but what does it mean to Goop? It’s a question I posed to Paltrow, who shared that Featherlash is made without coal-tar-combustion byproducts (also known as “carbon black,” a popular ingredient to give mascara its inky, dark pigment), in addition to petroleum-derived emollients and oils, synthetic bioaccumulative resins and polymers, animal-derived ingredients, and hormone disruptors. (Writer’s note: A 2023 NIH study maintains that carbon black — a group 2B carcinogen per the IARC — is safe to use in cosmetics on “healthy, intact skin,” and that any carcinogenic effects are a risk when the ingredient is inhaled in lung overdose amounts. That said, it’s a matter of personal preference if you want to avoid it altogether.) As for what is in the formula, it’s loaded with nourishing ingredients like vitamin E and a patented biotin peptide complex to strengthen the lash root and prevent fallout.

But at the end of the day, Paltrow is smart enough to know that a sophisticated formula is nothing if it doesn’t outperform the tubes of mascara littering our makeup bags. I was curious to find out, and eagerly embarked on testing it out ahead of our interview. 

I naturally have long, dark eyelashes and brows, so less is always more when it comes to mascara. I personally love lengthening, defining formulas that separate and lift my lashes to the high heavens, but can also be built up for added drama. After curling my lashes, I wiggled the wand close to the base of my lashes and combed it through with upward strokes. One coat added a veil of definition to my eyes, and I was able to build up more length on the outer corners (I like to create a subtle cat eye effect) with additional coats. I normally don’t like to pack on mascara, but Goop’s Featherlash didn’t clump or weigh down my lashes at all, no matter how many coats I added. I also loved it on my bottom lashes (which I usually keep mascara-free) since it is so weightless and subtle with a single coat. Gwyneth kindly beckoned me to show off my lashes over our video call, and I obliged; oohs and ahhs followed, and I had to admit: I was impressed, too. 

At $28, Goop’s mascara is priced comparably to other prestige brands, but with ingredients that go above and beyond your typical formula. (Paltrow is quick to clarify that Featherlash isn’t comparable to a prescription lash growth product, but that it still boasts impressive clinical results based on a four-week, third-party study of 34 women between the ages of 30 — 55.) “Especially for a minimalist like me, if I’m going to put something on my face, I want it to have a benefit,” she says. And while Paltrow’s search for a dream mascara might have ended (“Well, I guess technically I made it,” she quips), we hope it’s a sign of the times of safer, high-performance makeup for all.