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Byrdie / Danie Drankwalter
Our obsession with eyebrows knows no bounds. In fact, we spend multiple hours a day looking, fluffing, filling, and setting our own—all in an attempt to hit Cara Delevigne's arch-angle status. But of course, not all of us are genetically blessed with the same fullness, so that’s where brow products come in.
Eyebrow pomades especially are excellent when it comes to creating shape, depth, and volume. According to makeup artist Melissa Hurkman, pomades are thick in viscosity, so they will make your brows appear fuller (in comparison to something like a brow gel). Hurkman explains that you can either opt for a tinted pomade to create tiny hair-like strokes or a clear pomade, which is intended to hold your brows in place. What you choose will be dependent on your brows and your desired makeup look, but either way, there’s a pomade product out there sure to change your brows (and quite possibly your life).
Keep scrolling to shop for the best eyebrow pomades on the market.
Best Overall
Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade
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Amazon
Natural-looking
Mimics hairlike texture
Waterproof
Long-lasting
Hard to remove
This is the stuff of eyebrow legend, and we can understand why. It’s smudge-proof, long-wearing, comes in a range of colors, and strikes the perfect balance in terms of pigment, making it a great choice for makeup professionals and novices alike. The comprehensive shade range is unbeatable, too.
Price at time of publish: $21
Finish: Textured, Matte | Shades: 11 | Size: 0.14 oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes
Best Budget
NYX Tame & Frame Brow Pomade
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Ulta
Smooth look
Good pigmentation
Affordable
Wears off easily
This matte cream works just as hard as its pricier counterparts. Try using an angled brush to build it up, working in tiny strokes along the length of the brow. Because it’s waxy, it will give your brow some hold as well.
Price at time of publish: $10
Finish: Matte | Shades: 5 | Size: 0.18 oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No
Best for Sparse Brows
Milani Cosmetics Stay Put Brow Color
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Amazon
16 hours of wear
Vegan
Has staying power
Can be a bit clumpy
Fake it ‘til you make it applies to many areas of life, but it rings especially true when it comes to brows. This pomade from Milani is excellent when it comes to turning a barely-there brow into something beautiful. Simply apply with the angled brush and comb through with a clean spoolie.
Price at time of publish: $9
Finish: Natural | Shades: 8 | Size: 0.09 oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No
Best Spoolie Brush
Glossier Boy Brow
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Glossier
Flexible hold
Moisturizing
Thickens the brows
Can be a bit sticky
Of course, it was Emily Weiss who thought to take thicker pomades and repurpose them into a tube-and-spoolie format. The result was Boy Brow, and it’s the gold standard when it comes to creating a full, natural, cool-girl brow look. Simply drag the tinted gel through your eyebrows, lifting them and allowing them to set.
Price at time of publish: $25
Finish: Matte | Shades: 5 | Size: 0.11 oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No
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Byrdie / Bianca Lambert
Best Packaging
Benefit Cosmetics Ka-BROW! Eyebrow Gel Color
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Courtesy of Sephora
Buildable
Rich color
Built-in hard-angled brush
Small size given its price
If the gel-cream formula of this product doesn’t win you over, the packaging will. It comes equipped with a tiny, dense angled brush that’s just the right size for painting in hair-like strokes. If you’re new to pomades, this is a nice place to start.
Price at time of publish: $24
Finish: Matte | Shades: 1 | Size: 0.05 oz. | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: No
Best for Statement Brows
KVD Vegan Beauty Super Pomade Vegan Eyeliner
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Sephora
Many shades to choose from
Creamy
Instantly bold pigment payoff
Dries quickly
Leave it to Kat Von D to give us brow pomade in red, green, and purple colorways. The waterproof formula works equally as well on lids and as a liner, making it a great multipurpose product for a stack of makeup looks. And for the minimalists, there are your regular taupes, blondes, ambers, and deep brown shades as well.
Price at time of publish: $23
Finish: Textured | Shades: 16 | Size: 0.18 oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No
Best for Natural Hold
Patrick Ta Major Brow Shaping Wax
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Rich in peptides
Conditioning
Protective
Leaves residue
Looking to fluff and tint the brows but not fill them in? This shaping wax from Partick Ta is seriously good stuff. Simply wet the product with a little setting mist before going in with the spoolie and combing through, lifting the brows up and out. Not only will you get a feathered finish, but some nourishment by way of glycerin, olive oil, and peptides.
Price at time of publish: $24
Finish: Natural | Shades: 2 | Size: 0.17 oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes
Best for Oily Skin
Tarte Cosmetics Frameworker Brow Pomade
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Courtesy of Sephora
Glides on
24-hour wear
Minimizes oil
Not completely true-to-color
This pomade from Tarte contains Amazonian clay, making it an ideal choice for oily skin types that find their brows seems to disappear after lunch. It’s waterproof, comes in eight versatile shades, and really grips the skin.
Price at time of publish: $19
Finish: Natural | Shades: 8 | Size: 0.14 oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes
Best for Fair Brows
Billion Dollar Brows Brow Butter Pomade
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Vegan
Smooth and buttery
Brows don't look penciled in
A bit sticky to some
This stuff comes in two versatile shades—Blonde and Taupe—making it an ideal pick for fair skin types or those with light brows. It’s emollient and creamy, so it applies easily, and because it’s not rich in pigment, your brows won’t ever look penciled in.
Price at time of publish: $24
Finish: Natural | Shades: 2 | Size: 0.15 oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Unknown
Best Shade Range
Morphe Brow Creme
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Super blendable
Silky feel
Buildable
Has a gray undertone to some
This affordable pomade is a really great all-rounder. The consistency is silky but pigmented, so you can build up as soft or strong a brow as you wish. But the real selling point is the shade range. There are 10 hues in total that cover every brow shade and skin tone under the sun. And to keep things simple, each shade is marked as a cool, neutral, or warm undertone.
Price at time of publish: $8
Finish: Matte | Shades: 10 | Size: 0.12 oz. | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: Yes
Best for Dark Brows
e.l.f. Cosmetics Lock on Liner and Brow Cream
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Multi-functional
Easy-match shades
Waterproof
Hard to apply
Cheap and cheerful e.l.f Cosmetics always get it right, this creamy brow pomade included. It’s quite malleable, so it is ace when it comes to a softer, more natural look. In fact, it even works on the eyelids for a uniform, polished finish. Available in three shades, this one is geared towards medium to deeper brows.
Price at time of publish: $5
Finish: Matte | Shades: 3 | Size: 0.19 oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes
Best for Microbladed Brows
MAC Fluidline Brow Gel Creme
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Dermatologist-tested
Bold color
Long-wearing
Very watery to some
This waterproof gel seems to dry down and grip the skin as opposed to actual hair, so it’s a really useful option for thin or tattooed/microbladed eyebrows. Like all MAC products, it packs in the pigment, so you only need a tiny bit to get a full, defined-but-natural finish. And the shades are all really cool in tone, so you won’t get that warm-ish fade out.
Price at time of publish: $19
Finish: Matte | Shades: 5 | Size: 0.1 oz. | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: Yes
Final Verdict
Given our obsession with brows, choosing a favorite here was no mean feat, but we’d be lying if we said we weren’t completely infatuated with the legend that is Anastasia Beverly Hills. Her Dip Brow Pomade (view at Ulta) is second to none and works across all skin types, makeup aesthetics, and brow hues. But after ABH comes Glossier's Boy Brow because it's foolproof, followed closely by Benefit's Ka-BROW! Eyebrow Gel Color (view at QVC) because it’s natural and difficult to stuff up!
What to Look for When Buying an Eyebrow Pomade
Shade Range
This is a big one, as the wrong shade will look unnatural (and nobody wants that). Hurkman’s advice is to go one shade lighter than your actual brow hair color: “This will keep the appearance of your brows soft and not too heavy or bulky.” She notes that picking a slightly lighter shade is also beneficial for getting used to using the product.
A Brow Routine
Are you a one-and-done pomade kinda’ person, or should you be looking to create more of a brow routine? Hurkman loves the idea of a tinted option for shape, definition, and filling in any gaps, and a clear for fluffing them up. If you’re after a little bit of both, definitely try out a combo of the two.
Ingredients
While not a major factor, consider your skin type and look out for ingredients that might align. Glycerin, oils, and butters do well on really dry skin types, whereas clays are great for mopping up excess shine around the brow area.
How We Researched & Tested
To compile this list, our team of editors and contributors spent hours researching the best products on the market in this category, evaluating their key features—like ingredients, shade range, or design—in addition to reviews from customers and other trusted sources. Our team also incorporated their own personal experiences testing products in their own lives. We then used these insights from our research and testing to assign a star rating from one to five (five being the best; one being the worst) to certain products on the list.
Why Trust Byrdie?
Saying that Emily Algar is heavily invested in her eyebrows would be a massive understatement. She has also checked in with makeup artist (and soap brow guru) Melissa Hurkman to chat us through all things eyebrow pomade, from shades to application tips.
Meet the Expert
Melissa Hurkman is a makeup artist that works in LA, Chicago, and New York. Plus, she's a soap brow guru.
According to our Diversity Pledge, 15% of products in our newly-published market roundups will feature Black-owned and/or Black-founded brands. At the time of publishing, we were not able to find any eyebrow pomades from a Black-owned and/or Black-founded business. If you know of one we should consider, please email us at contact@byrdie.com and we will evaluate the product ASAP.