I've Tested Countless Brow Serums — These Ones Actually Make A Difference
Here's exactly how to beef up your brows.
Konoly
mbg Beauty & Wellness Editor
mbg Beauty & Wellness Editor
Jamie Schneider is the Beauty & Wellness Editor at mindbodygreen, covering beauty and wellness. She has a B.A. in Organizational Studies and English from the University of Michigan, and her work has appeared in Coveteur, The Chill Times, and Wyld Skincare.
Image by o_nozdracheva / iStock
August 23, 2022
Our editors have independently chosen the products listed on this page. If you purchase something mentioned in this article, we may earn a small commission.
Whether you fell victim to the plucking craze of the '90s and early aughts or you just naturally have gappy brows (due to aging or genetics), a good brow growth serum is a worthy addition to your arsenal. Honestly, even if you have a feathery, full set of arches (very jealous), you might want to consider copping a nutrient-rich formula. Think about it: If you fill in your eyebrows with powders, pomades, and pencils and give them a proper cleanse each night, why wouldn't you coat them with moisture after the fact? Dry, brittle hair can thin over time, and brow serums feed those wisps with hair-healthy nutrients.
Regardless, we've rounded up the best picks for eyebrows in desperate need of TLC. Here's exactly how to beef up your brows, whether you have hairs thinning with age or you've gone a little too tweezer-happy.
mbg's picks for the best eyebrow growth serums of 2022
What do eyebrow growth serums do?
Brow serums are quite similar to hair growth serums in general: They don't necessarily spur regrowth at the follicles, but they do keep the tiny wisps you have healthy and moisturized, which can keep them fluffy and full.
Many brow serums contain castor oil or peptides, which feed the delicate brow hairs with nutrients; this, in turn, can help combat free radical damage and inflammation (and both are linked to hair aging and hair loss). However, you can find other fatty-acid- and antioxidant-rich oils, too, like jojoba or squalane, which are frequently touted to "help nourish and soften the brows," celebrity brow artist René de la Garza previously told mbg. Essentially, coating the brow hairs in moisture and protecting them with antioxidants can help them stay healthy—and healthy, thriving strands grow faster.
Just one caveat: If you have any scarred follicles (from, say, over-plucking, piercings, or burns), there's a solid chance those hairs won't grow back. "Plucking, tweezing, threading, and waxing all pull the hair from the root, and there's only so much trauma each root can take," notes board-certified dermatologist Whitney Bowe, M.D., about brow serums. "Repeating these insults to our hair root over time increases the likelihood that some hairs will never regrow, as too much damage has been done to the base of the root where the stem cells live." No brow serum can bring a dead follicle back to life.
However, assuming your follicles aren't dealing with any long-term trauma, they should be able to grow back naturally. And if they need a little encouragement in doing so, reach for a brow serum: These nourishing formulas can do a lot of the heavy lifting.
How we picked:
Each serum is of the highest quality, with clean ingredients and no artificial fragrance. If a formula does contain natural fragrance (via essential oils), we made sure to call it out for folks with sensitive skin.
People use brow serums for a variety of reasons: to calm inflammation from over-plucking, encourage growth in sparser areas, or simply to moisturize and protect the hairs. You'll find options for all brow goals here.
We sought out ingredients known for healthy hair growth, whether they're backed by scientific evidence or used for centuries for their hair-enhancing benefits.
Every serum on this list comes recommended by experts, real users, or editors. This beauty editor has naturally sparse, gappy brows, and I've tested (and loved) the majority of the products on this list.
mbg's picks for the best eyebrow growth serums of 2022
Pros
Can use on lashes and browsBig sizeConsiderations: Vegan, Cruelty-free, Fragrance-free
Active Ingredients: Aloe vera juice, Castor oil, Quadruple Peptide Complex, Coconut fruit extract, Chia seed extract, Panthenol
I have pretty wimpy eyebrows (read: gappy and thin), but with just a few weeks of using this serum, I noticed my sparse tails finally starting to grow in. Along with hydrating aloe, fatty acid-rich castor oil, and antioxidant-rich fruit extracts, it contains a patent-pending four-peptide complex to nourish the brows (and lashes) and accentuate fullness. Take it from someone who used it down to the very last drop: This formula provides noticeably denser arches.
Best for sensitive skin: Vegamour GRO+ Advanced Brow Serum
Vegamour GRO+ Advanced Brow Serum
Pros
Non-irritating yet effectiveConsiderations: Vegan, Cruelty-free, Fragrance-free
Active Ingredients: Peptides, Glycerin, CBD, Mung bean extract, Red clover extract
You may be familiar with the brand’s beloved original GRO Brow Serum, but their advanced formula takes it to a whole new level for those with inflamed or irritated arches. With microencapsulated, broad-spectrum CBD, it helps calm and soothe the skin as the brow-enhancing actives (peptides, mung bean extract, red clover extract) get to work.
Pros
Lightweight & non greasyCons
Contains butylene glycolConsiderations: Vegan, Cruelty-free, Fragrance-free
Active Ingredients: Panthenol, Peptides, Glycerin, Caffeine, Green tea extract
This $15 formula comes infused with hi-quality peptide technology, green tea extract, and panthenol to moisturize the strands, as well as high-solubility caffeine to stimulate the follicles. In fact, one 2018 study shows that a caffeine-based liquid topical can be just as effective as Minoxidil, active in brands like Rogaine and the traditional topical treatment for hair loss.
Pros
Safe for brows and lashesCons
Contains butylene glycolConsiderations: Vegan, Cruelty-free, Fragrance-free
Active Ingredients: Panthenol, Peptides, Vegan keratin, Hyaluronic acid
A trio of peptides, vegan keratin, hyaluronic acid, and panthenol make this 97% naturally-derived formula oh-so nourishing. Plus, it’s ophthalmologist-tested and safety-tested to be safe for sensitive skin and eyes. In just 12 weeks, it can improve the length and health of your arches—and in the meantime, Kosas’ peptide-infused Air Brow can help you fake a lush brow look.
Pros
LightweightGreat for recovering overworked browsCons
Can be difficult to get product on the wandConsiderations: Vegan, Cruelty-free, Fragrance-free
Active Ingredients: Panthenol, Peptides, Hyaluronic acid, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, White tea extract, Licorice extract, Eyebright extract, Rose flower water, Hydrolyzed wheat protein
This luxe, potent formula is an antioxidant-rich powerhouse: It includes panthenol, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin C, white tea extract, licorice extract, eyebright extract, and rose flower water to protect the brows against free radicals, while peptides, hyaluronic acid, and hydrolyzed wheat protein help moisturize and encourage fullness. Not to mention, anything formulated by eyebrow expert Joey Healy is a safe bet—he’s a true artist when it comes to maximizing the look and feel of your eyebrows, and his high-quality products don’t disappoint.
Pros
Ophthalmologist-tested & safe for sensitive eyesCons
Contains butylene glycolConsiderations: Vegan, Cruelty-free, Fragrance-free
Active Ingredients: Aloe vera juice, Peptides, Hemp-derived cannabis seed extract, Hydrolyzed quinoa
As a general rule, any brow serum also marketed as a lash serum should be safe to use on both regions (bonus points if it’s ophthalmologist-tested, like Milk Makeup’s formula), but the teeny applicator on this 90% naturally-derived serum makes it A+ for coating the lash line. And if you have specific brow gaps you’d like to target, the brush makes it easy to create short, hair-like wisps in whatever areas you please. Perfect for those with sparser tails looking for precision.
Pros
Super moisturizingKeeps brows protected all day or nightCons
Packaging can leakContains essential oilsConsiderations: Vegan, Cruelty-free
Active Ingredients: Castor oil, Jojoba oil, Moringa oil, Frankincense oil, Geranium oil
This all-natural number contains just five ingredients: jojoba oil, moringa oil, castor oil, frankincense oil, and geranium oil. If your brittle brow hairs are in desperate need of all-day moisture, you can’t go wrong with this conditioning pick. Bonus: The dense oils can help coax your brows into shape, too.
Pros
Guaranteed to noticeably thicken sparse browsConsiderations: Vegan, Cruelty-free, Fragrance-free
Active Ingredients: Castor oil, Panthenol, Glycerin, Caffeine, ProCelinyl, Aloe vera extract, Resveratrol
The star of the show here is ProCelinyl, a hi-tech ingredient that has been shown to actually reactivate dormant hair follicles and promote hair growth (you’ll also find it in the brand’s Hair Revival Serum). The ingredient fights hair loss at the source, and it has been shown to enhance brow thickness in six to eight weeks. The brand is so confident in its efficacy, in fact, that if you don't start seeing results after 90 days, they’ll refund your purchase.
How to choose.
Now that you have a list of options to choose from, how do you decide which brow serum to snag? Given that it can take around six to eight weeks to see results, you'll want to do your research beforehand and make sure you invest in the right formula.
Of course, your budget plays a role, but it's also important to seek out ingredients that meet your specific brow goals. Read: Someone with aging brows might want a different formula from someone with over-plucked brows looking to soothe the area.
Here are some of the most common players you'll find:
FAQs
How often should you apply a growth serum?
Many of the brow serums above can be applied twice a day, morning and night, and recommend doing so for the best results. However, if a formula is especially thick and goopy, you might want to apply only in the evenings, especially if you’re partial to brow pomades and powders during the day. If you do have a lightweight option, simply wait until it fully dries down before moving onto makeup.
Can you use an eyelash serum on eyebrows?
Not always. Many brow and eyelash serums contain overlapping ingredients—especially in the clean and natural space—and if an eyelash serum is marketed for lashes and brows, you can go ahead and assume that the brand has tested the formula for both areas. Still, it’s important to check the ingredients list for anything that might irritate the area.
The eyes tend to be more sensitive than brows, so if an eyelash serum is gentle enough for your flutters, you can probably apply it on your brow hairs, too. But just because a brow serum works wonders for your arches doesn’t mean you should coat your lashes—with the eye area, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
How long until I see results?
Hair growth is a tricky subject, and everyone’s follicles are influenced by different factors. Generally, though, you can start to see potential brow regrowth within 2 to 3 months—after you've stopped plucking, of course. "Eyebrows have a three- to four-month growth cycle, so you need to wait at least two to three months to see if they will regrow after you stop plucking them," William Yates, M.D., an American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery hair expert and the founder of the haircare brand Dr. Yates MD Hair + Science once shared with mbg.
Are there any risks with eyebrow serums?
As with any new skin care product you introduce into your routine, there’s always risk for irritation. Make sure to do a patch test before applying the serum directly onto your eyebrows, just to be certain you don’t have a negative reaction to any of the ingredients. And if you do face any itching, burning, stinging, etc., when using a brow serum, stop using it and see a derm.
mbg review process.
At mbg, high standards are earned and there are no shortcuts. Our beauty editors stay up to date on the latest ingredient research and innovation. It's a dynamic, continuously evolving space, and it's important we look into the science so we can make informed choices about which formulas earn our stamp of approval (figuratively speaking).
Our high standards also come from testing products—many, many products. Our editors and writers rigorously test and research the products featured in our roundups to offer you the best, most informed recommendations. When we write reviews, you can trust we spend quality time with the formulas: We don't simply rave about products we've slathered on the back of our hand. We endorse products we've tried and loved.
Learn more about our testing process and clean beauty standards here.
The takeaway.
Brows come in all shapes and sizes, but you can help them grow to their fullest potential. You might think that brow growth serums are all anecdotal, but we can't ignore their ability to moisturize and condition the hairs (which, in turn, can encourage a denser eyebrow). Nourishing the wisps is never a bad idea, and while you're waiting for your set to thicken up, there's always brow-enhancing makeup or dye to fake a fuller look.
