Google searches for burgundy mascara have surged by 124 per cent over the past year as beauty consumers seek an alternative to black eye makeup.
Data from beauty platform Fresha shows that online interest in deep red lashes has climbed rapidly over the last twelve months. The rise follows an earlier trend for brown mascara, which shoppers chose for a softer appearance than classic black formulas.
The popularity of burgundy mascara is due in part to British designer Victoria Beckham. During her autumn-winter 2025-2026 runway show at Paris Fashion Week, Beckham presented new additions to her beauty brand on the catwalk.
Makeup artist Lucia Pica styled the runway models in wine-red beauty looks that extended from mascara to eyeshadow. The presentation reinterpreted the traditional smoky eye, swapping out classic dark shadows for deep berry shades to create a warmer frame around the eyes.
Beckham rose to international fame as a member of the Spice Girls before establishing her eponymous fashion house in 2008 and expanding into luxury cosmetics in 2019. Pica, an Italian makeup artist who previously directed global colour design for French luxury brand Chanel, is celebrated across the fashion industry for using unexpected shades on the runway.
Paris Fashion Week is one of the world's leading fashion showcases, held twice a year in the French capital to set international style trends. The traditional smoky eye, long a fixture of runway beauty and evening makeup, typically relies on heavy black kohl and charcoal eyeshadow.
The runway show helped bring wine-toned eye makeup to wider notice following earlier industry coverage highlighting the top volumising mascaras on the market.
Suitability for different eye colours
Unlike bright blue or green mascaras, burgundy and its related shades flatter many different eye colours. Beauty professionals say this versatility explains why the colour has gained traction with mainstream shoppers looking for a subtle change.
Bryan Authier, a makeup artist for Italian cosmetics company Kiko Milano, said burgundy mascara was an excellent choice for enhancing the eyes and adding an original touch to daily makeup. He explained that burgundy was ideal for green and hazel eyes because it brought out their natural brightness.
For brown eyes, Authier said the colour provided a more intense and mysterious tone without looking too harsh. His key recommendation for intensifying the effect was to apply a white building base mascara first, followed by the burgundy coat to achieve a more captivating finish.
In colour theory, red and green sit opposite each other on the colour wheel, which explains why reddish pigments create a natural contrast that highlights hazel and green irises. White lash primers provide an opaque base over dark natural lashes, allowing coloured pigments to show their true shade rather than blending into dark hair.
Luxury formulas and botanical ingredients
Victoria Beckham released her own Future Lash Mascara in a burgundy shade several weeks ago, priced at 39 euros through her brand's website. The product promises the same performance as the black version, which has become a bestseller for the label. It uses a micro-bristle brush to deliver volume to all lash types, including the finest hairs.
French luxury house Hermès has introduced Trait d'Hermès, a revitalising care mascara in the shade Rouge, priced at 66 euros at department store Printemps. Like other cosmetics from the design house, the formula focuses on lash care, using 97 per cent naturally derived ingredients.
The Hermès formula combines millet seed extract, which protects and lengthens the lashes, with nourishing shea butter and moringa butter. Together, the plant-based ingredients condition the lashes while adding volume, length, and a protective coating.
Hermès was founded in Paris in 1837 as a maker of harnesses and saddles before growing into an international luxury house known for leather goods and silk scarves. Shea butter is extracted from the nuts of the African shea tree and is widely used in cosmetics to soften hair fibres, while moringa butter provides essential fatty acids that support lash condition.
High street options and long-wearing formulas
At a lower price point, Kiko Milano offers its Maxi Mod Colour Mascara for 14.99 euros through Kiko Cosmetics. The brand promises a 200 per cent increase in lash volume along with 10 hours of wear. The formula contains soothing argan oil to nourish lashes during the day.
Kiko Milano was founded in Milan in 1997 and has built a large international retail presence by offering accessible cosmetics inspired by Italian fashion trends. Argan oil, harvested from the kernels of Moroccan argan trees, is rich in vitamin E and fatty acids that help condition lashes and prevent product flaking.
San Francisco brand Benefit Cosmetics produces BADgal BANG! mascara, which sells for 32 euros at Sephora. The formula is infused with provitamin B5 to add thickness to the lashes. Its tapered brush is designed to build volume and density across the lash line for up to 36 hours.
Benefit Cosmetics was founded in 1976 by twin sisters Jean and Jane Ford, building a worldwide reputation for quick-fix beauty solutions and lash products. Provitamin B5, known in cosmetic science as panthenol, functions as a humectant that attracts moisture to hair shafts, expanding individual lashes to create a thicker appearance.
Cult beauty products and retail discounts
American beauty brand Clinique has launched a limited edition version of its High Impact Mascara in Black Honey, priced at 35 euros at Sephora. The mascara delivers the same burgundy tone with a light brown undertone as the brand's viral Black Honey lip balm, promising a 51 per cent volume increase in a single stroke.
Clinique introduced its original Black Honey Almost Lipstick in 1971, where it earned a dedicated following for its semi-sheer finish that adapts to different skin tones. The shade saw an enormous resurgence in recent years on social media platforms, leading the company to expand the colour into eye makeup.
French cosmetics manufacturer L'Oréal Paris offers its Paradise Mascara Couleur in Forbidden Berry, sold on Amazon for 9 euros after a 10 per cent reduction from its original 10-euro price tag. The mascara brush is shaped to catch every lash in one stroke, coating the hairs evenly to provide maximum volume.
Sephora Collection has also seen strong online demand for its Size Up Mascara, which appears brown in the tube but leaves a deep burgundy veil once brushed onto the lashes. The formula promises a 180 per cent volume increase in a few strokes, helping drive its popularity on social media. The mascara is currently discounted by 20 per cent at Sephora, marked down from 14.99 euros to 11.99 euros.
