Exploring Mascaras
There's a reason mascara remains one of the most purchased products in colour cosmetics year after year: it does something nothing else can, and it does it in seconds.
Kaidron Community Insights, Mascara Preferences
Mascara is the one product that almost everyone wears, and almost everyone has a very specific way of using it.
There's a reason mascara remains one of the most purchased products in colour cosmetics year after year: it does something nothing else can, and it does it in seconds. This week's survey explored how our community approaches the ritual, from the wand they reach for to the number of coats they swear by, and the formulas they trust to last.
What emerges is a portrait of a highly habituated category. The vast majority wear mascara daily, two coats is the near-universal standard, and the technique is considered, wiggling at the roots leads by a margin that reveals how much this community has refined their application. All-in-one formulas dominate, but the underlying demand is simple: good results and wear that lasts. Everything else is a distant secondary consideration.
The most surprising finding sits in colour: an extraordinary majority are very open to experimenting with coloured mascaras, making this one of the most opportunity-rich categories in the survey. For brand partners, the message is clear, this community is expert, opinionated, and ready to be delighted by something new.
The Daily Habit & What Mascara Is Really For
Daily use is the overwhelming norm. And the primary reason the community reaches for mascara isn't lash darkening or eye enlargement, it's overall enhancement.
Main reason for wearing mascara
Results and longevity are the only things that truly matter. Everything else is a bonus."
Formula, Finish & the Waterproof Question
All-in-one leads formula preference by a clear margin, the community wants one product that does it all. And the preference for waterproof or smudge-proof is overwhelming.
Formula preference
Waterproof preference
The Application Ritual, Brush, Coats & Technique
Two coats, a thick or curved brush, and a root-first wiggling technique, the community has a very considered approach to application that goes well beyond simply dragging the wand through their lashes.
Preferred brush type
Application technique
Colour Openness & Mascara Primers
The data on coloured mascaras is one of the most striking findings in this survey, this community is not just open to colour experimentation, it actively welcomes it.
Openness to coloured mascaras
Mascara primer & lash base usage
Removal and replacement tell the story of a community that treats its mascara with care, and cycles through products regularly.
Community Brand Preferences
Community members named their favourite mascara brands in their own words. Maybelline and Lancôme lead, a striking pairing of mass-market and prestige. Rimmel, Benefit, and L'Oréal complete the top five.
Brand mention bars show relative popularity, indexed to Maybelline as the most-mentioned brand. Based on open-text responses; brands named alongside others are counted individually. Approximate figures only.
Source: Kaidron Community Survey, Mascara Preferences (Survey ID 1782395906331). Data expressed as percentages of total responses per question. Multi-select question (Q426) expressed as share of total selections. Brand mentions (Q434) are open-text responses counted individually; approximate figures only. Minor rounding variance may apply.