IM Mexican Mascara Talks With Latin Times About Their All-Natural, Budget-Friendly Product [EXCLUSIVE]

Finding the perfect mascara can often be a lifelong pursuit, as long and voluminous lashes are coveted by women around the world. When it comes to lash-enhancing products, consumers do not shy away from splurging on high-end goods. Mascara junkies should know that there is an under-the-radar product from Mexico that is a cult favorite, made of 90 percent natural ingredients and has a small price tag: the Im Mascara Para Pestanas Con Aceeite de Hueso de Mamey.

Yes, the name is a mouthful, but the IM brand mascara has been gaining popularity and recognition after being featured in lifestyle website Refinery29 and name checked on the Beauty Banter by Michael Bastian’s Vice President, Eugenia Gonzalez Ruiz-Olloqui.

The brand’s cosmetic line was created in Mexico 25 years ago by Irma Miranda, using mamey seed oil as the key ingredient. “The main ingredient in the mascara is mamey seed oil which, alongside other ingredients like vegetables and oils, lets the product thicken, darken and lengthen even the thinnest eyelashes with no irritation,” said the company to Latin Times.

The mamey tree is native to South America and the West Indies and is used topically as an herbal remedy for a wide array of conditions. In Venezuela, the mamey seed is powdered to treat parasitic skin diseases, and in the Dominican Republic, mamey seeds are used to create a therapeutic shampoo to get rid of lice. Considered to be the most popular mascara in Mexico—it retails for roughly 22 pesos ($1.65, at 13.31 pesos to the dollar)—the product started being exported to United States, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panamá, Australia and Puerto Rico in 2006.

"It’s a natural, holistic mascara, made from a seed of a fruit,” vouched Ruiz-Olloqui to the Beauty Banter. “You can only find it in little supermarkets with the organic products in Mexico. It’s called Im Mascara Para Pestanas Con Aceeite de Hueso de Mamey. Mamey is a fruit and I don’t think it grows here in the US. It’s 22 pesos, which is equivalent to $2 and it’s amazing. It’s all organic and natural and it dissolves naturally when you remove it."