The 12 Best Eyebrow Gels for Bold and Beautiful Brows

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Model Alisha Nesvat with thick eyebrows to illustrate a guide to the best eyebrow gels
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Brow trends change ceaselessly from generation to generation. Thin brows dominated in the early 2000s; a decade later, beauty devotees turned to bushy eyebrows à la Cara Delevigne, causing volume-enhancing eyebrow pencils and eyebrow growth serums to fly off shelves. More recently, defined looks including soap brows, microblading, and brow tinting have taken the beauty world by storm. Through all these ever-changing trends, the best brow gels have reigned supreme because of their simplicity and versatility.

A great brow gel has long-lasting appeal in your beauty routine, celebrity makeup artist Samantha Lau tells Marie Claire: No matter which brow style is trending, “Eyebrow gels can shape and set your brows.” Tinted versions fill in sparse areas, volumizing formulas create a more full look, and some gels are even infused with ingredients promoting hair growth. From clean formulas by Merit and Charlotte Tilbury to Glossier’s cult-favorite gel, each of the best brow gels holds your preferred shape precisely in place—and keeps it there all day. 

Whether you’re sticking with the same brow shape you’ve always had or you’re test-driving an eyebrow trend, the best brow gels are a great final flourish for any makeup routine. Shop 12 must-have versions ahead, each selected based on Lau’s recommendations, rigorous editor testing, and reviews from other well-groomed shoppers.

The Best Brow Gels

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How to Find and Eyebrow Gel

All of the best brow gels add volume and tint, support brow growth, and simply keep brows in place. With so many formulas to achieve those effects, the brow gel suited to your beauty routine depends largely on personal preference. Lau mentions there are a few qualities that set high-quality brow gels apart.

“What I look for in an eyebrow gel is a product that locks the brow hair in place without flaking," she explains. "As a makeup artist, I need products to be malleable yet long-lasting. I tend to avoid any brow gels that are too heavy, in product and color.” 

Meet the Expert

Samantha Lau
Samantha Lau

Samantha Lau is a celebrity makeup artist with an innovative approach to beauty inspired by her background in fine art. She has worked with brands like Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Lanvin, Elie Saab, Balmain, Rochas, Marc Jacobs, Marc by Marc Jacobs, and more. She is currently based in New York City.

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Gabrielle Ulubay
Beauty Writer

Gabrielle Ulubay is a Beauty Writer at Marie Claire. She has also written about sexual wellness, politics, culture, and fashion at Marie Claire and at publications including The New York Times, HuffPost Personal, Bustle, Alma, Muskrat Magazine, O'Bheal, and elsewhere. Her personal essay in The New York Times' Modern Love column kickstarted her professional writing career in 2018, and that piece has since been printed in the 2019 revised edition of the Modern Love book. Having studied history, international relations, and film, she has made films on politics and gender equity in addition to writing about cinema for Film Ireland, University College Cork, and on her personal blog, gabrielleulubay.medium.com. Before working with Marie Claire, Gabrielle worked in local government, higher education, and sales, and has resided in four countries and counting. She has worked extensively in the e-commerce and sales spaces since 2020, and spent two years at Drizly, where she developed an expertise in finding the best, highest quality goods and experiences money can buy.

Deeply political, she believes that skincare, haircare, and sexual wellness are central tenets to one's overall health and fights for them to be taken seriously, especially for people of color. She also loves studying makeup as a means of artistic expression, drawing on her experience as an artist in her analysis of beauty trends. She's based in New York City, where she can be found watching movies or running her art business when she isn't writing. Find her on Twitter at @GabrielleUlubay or on Instagram at @gabrielle.ulubay, or follow her art at @suburban.graffiti.art