Rimmel Kind & Free Was a Rare Gem—Here’s Why That Matters
Mascara: it’s the one product many of us wear even when we’re “not wearing makeup.” It’s also the first to smudge, flake, or migrate straight into our tear ducts—so you’d think that of all things, mascara would be among the first to go clean. But at the drugstore? That’s still a tall order.
Enter: Rimmel Kind & Free Clean Mascara. One of the cleanest, most affordable mascaras ever stocked in the drugstore beauty aisle. No microplastics. No unnecessary additives. Just a smooth, conditioning formula with glycerin, radish root ferment, shea butter, and carnauba wax—the kind of ingredients you’d expect from a $28 tube at Sephora, not a Rimmel label under $10.
And now? It’s officially discontinued.
We Asked—Here’s What Rimmel (aka Coty Consumer Affairs) Told Us
We reached out to Rimmel directly, and the response came from Coty, the global beauty conglomerate that owns both Rimmel and CoverGirl. The reply confirmed that Kind & Free Clean Mascara has been discontinued, with a recommendation to try CoverGirl Lash Blast Cleantopia Supercloud Mascara instead.
Why Its Disappearance Matters
No, beauty execs probably aren’t sitting in a boardroom chanting, “The people demand polyethylene!” But decisions like these sometimes make you wonder. Because from the outside, it feels simple: make a gentle, effective formula with thoughtful ingredients, keep it affordable, and keep it accessible.
Instead, clean drugstore options remain scarce, and when one finally appears and actually works, it disappears.
What This Tells Us About “Accessible” Clean Beauty
We don’t all have $30 to drop on a mascara every few weeks. Clean beauty shouldn’t require a line of credit.
Yes, many prestige brands have perfected their clean formulas—but finding a genuinely transparent, responsible product at the drugstore signals progress. It means clean beauty is becoming part of the everyday routine, not a luxury niche.
That’s why Rimmel Kind & Free mattered. Because it worked. Because it was honest. Because it was widely available—until it wasn’t.
Editor’s Note — October 2025
Coty Inc., the parent company of COVERGIRL, is reportedly considering the sale or spinoff of its mass-market beauty portfolio, which includes COVERGIRL and Rimmel. The company has increasingly focused on expanding its prestige fragrance and skincare divisions, signaling a strategic shift away from the traditional drugstore segment.
[…] long ago, Rimmel Kind & Free Clean Mascara set a new standard for clean drugstore beauty. Affordable, plant-powered, and free from […]