When EcoBrow came out with their Defining Wax (brow pomade) a couple years ago, I slowly became a fan but failed to write about it. Recently, the brand also released the convenient Defining Crayon pencil, and I quickly found there were obvious pros and cons when comparing both products that I believed were important to share. Read on for this tale of two EcoBrow products.
I initially picked this up from my local Sephora on a whim—basically to spend an old gift card and to test the waters on some clean products offered there. This is no longer sold on Sephora, but you can find it at Credo Beauty.
Packaging
The gel is packaged in a small, glass jar that feels tiny, but surprisingly has enough product to last quite a while. It’s not the most convenient packaging—very tiny to hold, but feels substantial enough in hand, but isn’t too bad.
Ingredients and Formula
There are now many brow products on the market with more transparency about where and how ingredients are derived and their uses. I’d like to see more upfront information from EcoBrow about their ingredients and if any, environmentally friendly practices or ways they give back to cement their brand as a sustainable, ethical beauty brand.
Some EcoBrow ingredients to be cautious of due to sensitivity and skin irritation are silica, lanolin oil, (a common makeup ingredient that’s derived from sheep), and dimethicone (often used as an emollient in creams and lotions). From personal research, I don’t think any of the other ingredients pose much harm to one’s skin nor much impact on the earth, though it would be helpful to hear more from the brand about their choices.
Due to many of the chemically-derived ingredients in this product, the formula has a very satisfying gel-like and waxy texture. It is the perfect texture to control brow hairs, precisely apply pigment, and outlast an entire day. The Defining Wax has the best staying power and hold of all the clean brow pomades I have tried.
Pigment
My perfect shade match in the Defining Wax is Liz, named after legendary screen goddess, Liz Taylor. It’s suggested for those with “chocolate to dark brown hair,” and specifically for “all skin tones with dark hair.” It’s a true, cool-toned deep brown, which melds perfectly with my dark brows, and looks very natural as opposed to a stark black shade. I like that this deep shade leans more cool-toned brown with a hint of ash-gray, rather than a true-black shade. The shade, Frida is one step darker than Liz, and is a true natural black shade.
Application
There is a learning curve to using this product and practice does make perfect. It’s not a product you can use if you’re rushing either. The waxy, drier gel texture makes this product easier to have control with. It applies more exactly and with more pigment, so a little bit goes a long way.
I also purchased the Defining Brush, and highly recommend it, not only for use with this product but as a high-end brow brush for your collection. The bristle length and density is short and stiff enough for exact control when applying, while the brow spoolie is the perfect size and shape for smoothing brow hairs and brushing in product.
$26 for 2.5g, also available at Credo Beauty and The Detox Market. The price is average for a luxury clean beauty product and for a brow pomade. I get a lot of use out of the amount, it seems to last forever! For the high-performance formula and stellar color variety, the price is worth it in my opinion. I only wish there were some bonus features, such as more soothing or hair-boosting properties (such as the Plume brow pomade).
EcoBrow’s latest offering aims to be a more convenient version of the Defining Wax, with a similar formula, more effortless application, and in the same 6 shades as the pomade. Being a brow pencil lover, I was immediately intrigued after seeing this on my Instagram feed and quickly purchased it.
Packaging
The Defining Crayon is two-sided, with the retractable and self-sharpening brow crayon on one end, and a spoolie brush on the other end. The packaging is made of a lightweight plastic, with the purpose to be durable but unfortunately, did not withstand a couple days of use.
Each of the caps of my Defining Crayon have completely cracked, and with each use the packaging feels more fragile and brittle. The crayon has also fallen out of the applicator so in order to use up the product, I have push it back in.
The spoolie brush feels too large and fluffy to effectively disperse product and comb brows. I thought I would like the unique slanted crayon side for ease in precision, but the width of the pencil was too thick for my liking.
Ingredients and Formula
The ingredients in this product are slightly different from those included in the pomade, and some choices make sense for the crayon. This product includes hydrogenated soybean oil and hydrogenated coco-glycerides (both used to make products have more of a slip and to apply smoothly). The crayon has the same gel-like, waxy texture as the Defining Wax. It does feel slightly soft, but applies with more give than the Defining Wax, which makes it a bit more difficult to apply initially.
Right-Left: Defining Crayon applied lightly, applied heavier, Defining Wax.
Pigment
The Defining Crayon pigment matches exactly with it’s counterpart shade in the Defining Wax. This product does apply thicker due to the crayon’s thickness and shape, and the formula skips often when applying. You’ll get a more consistent pigment and application with the Defining Wax. In my opinion, there is also a bit more effort required in applying the crayon onto brows compared to the wax, which always makes it result in thicker, darker brows.
Application
While the brand states that the Defining Crayon was created to be a product that provides more effortless application, I feel as though the Defining Wax formula provides a more sleek and exact application.
The Defining Crayon does also has a similar waxy texture for great hold, and a natural matte finish, yet the pigment is lighter and application requires more product. This coupled with the slanted crayon shape, didn’t work well for me. It resulted in less control and a much thicker, less controlled application, which meant thicker, less natural looking brows. The pencil and packaging altogether just feel clunky and clumsy, rather than more exact and convenient.
$26 for 0.25g, also available at Credo Beauty and The Detox Market.
Bottom line
I much prefer the Defining Wax to the Crayon. The Crayon could have been gamechanging, but did not live up to expectations. Rather than being easy and convenient to use, the cheap packaging and less than perfect formula hold back the efficiency. The Defining Wax takes time and effort to use but overall, is a far superior product in helping create more natural looking, polished brows with long lasting hold and pigment.
Have you tried EcoBrow products? What is your favorite green beauty brow product to use?
*Product kindly provided for consideration. however, all words and opinions are my own. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. This post contains affiliate links, if you purchase through the links I will receive a small commission for referring you.
