
Hi, if you haven’t been introduced to eyebrow tinting kits yet, get ready for me to change your life. Picture this: You’re about to do your makeup, which usually requires ten minutes of eyebrow pencils, brow gels, and positive thoughts. But instead of putting in all that effort to get Lily Collins-level brows, your eyebrows are already done before you even start. Welcome to the magic of eyebrow tinting, where a few minutes with an at-home tinting kit and some detailed instructions will give you semi-permanently dyed brows that can last anywhere from one day to three weeks. Yup, you'll literally be able to say you woke up like this.
But before we jump down the eyebrow tinting kit rabbit hole, pls take a beat. Although it may seem like a beauty treatment that's NBD, it's near your eyes, and right now, EU regulations concerning hair dye, including eyebrow dye, restrict the use of certain substances. "As of June 3, 2022, products containing 1,2,4-Trihydroxybenzene, 4-Amino-3-hydroxytoluene, and 2-[(4-Amino-2-nitrophenyl)-amino]-benzoic acid cannot be sold in the EU." While these regulations are generally followed in the UK, which no longer follows EU law directly, the same principles and restrictions often apply to products sold in the UK.
However, you have options if you choose to continue – either go to a top-rated professional or DIY tint your eyebrows at your own risk using a formula that's (1) made for your eyebrows, (2) free of icky ingredients, specifically ammonia, and (3) you do a patch test of the formula beforehand. To help, we've scoured all the best products and tips to get you started.
Our top eyebrow tinting kit picks of 2025
1
Best eyebrow tinting kit on Amazon
Ardell at Home Eyebrow Tint Kit
£11.95 at Amazon
£11.95 at Amazon
Read review
2
Best highstreet brow tint
Maybelline New York Tinta Sopracciglia Tattoo Brow Peel-Off
£9.27 at Amazon
£9.27 at Amazon
Read review
3
Most popular eyebrow tinting kit
Just For Men Moustache & Beard M45 - Dark Brown Black Dye
£8.40 at Amazon
£8.40 at Amazon
Read review
4
Best waterproof eyebrow tinting gel
WUNDERBROW Waterproof Eyebrow Gel, Blonde
£19.37 at Amazon
£19.37 at Amazon
Read review
5
Best brow shaping wax
PATRICK TA Major Brow Shaping Wax Tinted
Read review
6
7
Best tinted brow gel
KOSAS Air Brow Tinted Volumizing Treatment Gel 3.7g
Read review
8
Best tinted gel for fluffy brows
Em Cosmetics Micro-Fluff Sculpting Brow Cream
Read review
Each kit we've chosen is as safe a formula as you can find when it comes to DIY'ing your brows at home (see: ammonia-free formulas intended for your eyebrow area). Though, again, just because they're marketed as "safe" and free of some icky ingredients, before proceeding, know that the risks still remain. Got it? Cool, now keep reading for more information and the best way to apply eyebrow tints after you check out the products below.
1
Best eyebrow tinting kit on Amazon
Ardell at Home Eyebrow Tint Kit
£11.95 at Amazon
With thousands of views, this eyebrow tinting kit is an Amazon favourite for a reason: The colour lasts for a full two weeks, and it takes just a few minutes to do all three steps. Pro tip: For this kit (and really any eyebrow tinting kit), a little bit of Vaseline around the edges of your brows will prevent any staining on your skin – just make sure you don’t get it on your actual brow.
Shades: Four
Formula: Powder mix
Glowing Customer Review: "This is one of the best products I've used! I got so sick of drawing in my eyebrows every day. This can be easily applied, leave it on for 10 minutes and your eyebrows look great. Best of all this lasts at least 2 weeks, on my first try the color lasted almost a month!"
2
Best highstreet brow tint
Maybelline New York Tinta Sopracciglia Tattoo Brow Peel-Off
£9.27 at Amazon
This brow peel-off from Maybelline earns our number one highstreet pick because you get all the benefits of a traditional eyebrow tint, but it's totally safe because it's specially made to use on your eyebrows and acts more like a makeup stain rather than a traditional tint (despite its name). It's also mess-free because there is no DIY mixing required, and you don't need to rinse the tint off your eyebrows after 20 minutes. Just peel off the top layer of dried gel with your clean fingers and, boom – fully tinted brows for your entire weekend.
Shades: Four
Formula: Gel
Glowing Customer Review: "So I don’t normally write reviews but… this product changed my life. I’ve always had very thin eyebrows and oily skin. I’ve been told by cosmetic tattooists that I couldn’t get microblading because the ink wouldn’t take to my skin. I had a professional eyebrow tint done for $40 that lasted me less than a day. I was sick of using brow pens and pomades, as the oil on my skin would cause them to rub off. So, of course, I had to try this for $15. The photo is me wearing the stain after a full 9-hour work day AND a 3-mile hike. I am literally in AWE. My brows do not rub off at all, and I can finally feel confident throughout my workday that my brows aren’t melting off my face lol."
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3
Most popular eyebrow tinting kit
Just For Men Moustache & Beard M45 - Dark Brown Black Dye
Now 15% Off
£8.40 at Amazon
Ideally, you'd go to a professional to get your eyebrows tinted or pick one of the kits specifically made for your brows on this list. But because I know you've likely seen this Just for Men kit promoted everywhere when searching for the best eyebrow tints, at least proceed with caution if you want to try it for yourself, k? Thankfully, this hair dye kit is indeed ammonia-free (a big no-no ingredient when it comes to any dye near your face) and contains good-for-your-hair ingredients like hydrating aloe, strengthening biotin, and emollient, coconut oil, so while colour is setting, it's also preventing dryness. Though it's not designed for brows, it's a popular pick because of its affordable price, wide shade range, and easy application.
Shades: 12
Formula: Lotion
Glowing Customer Review: "Just For Men Mustache & Beard in Light-Medium Brown (M-30) is a game-changer for tinting eyebrows. The brush included makes application a breeze, ensuring precise results. Enriched with Biotin, Aloe, and Coconut Oil, it colors and nourishes brow hair, promoting healthy growth. The shade blends seamlessly, giving a natural look that lasts. Perfect for anyone looking to enhance their brows effortlessly and effectively."
4
Best waterproof eyebrow tinting gel
WUNDERBROW Waterproof Eyebrow Gel, Blonde
£19.37 at Amazon
Rain, showers, and sweat cannot compete against this waterproof eyebrow tint, which goes on like a regular eyebrow gel but stays for up to three days. One reviewer says they showered, washed their face, and, at one point, mindlessly rubbed their eyebrows, and the tint still didn't smear, flake, or budge. I mean, that's freaking great waterproof makeup, IMO.
Shades: Six
Formula: Gel
Glowing Customer Review: "Where the hell has this been my whole life? Love this product! It is so easy to use, long-lasting, and buildable. I use the brush to apply product on a straight line on the underside of my brow then the spoolie to feather and distribute it out. At the front and top of my brows I use the brush to create hair-like lines then the spoolie again to blend. I would 100000% recommend this product!"
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Looking for both tint and shape without the commitment? Pick up this wax-based formula with a spoolie, and comb it through your brows to give your lil hairs the structure and hold they need to not only stay in place but look darker and fuller too. (And even though you’re here for ~the tint~, it also comes in clear, FWIW).
Shades: Clear, tint
Formula: Wax
Glowing Customer Review: "Love this product! Does not feel heavy, has the perfect amount of tint, and creates results that are really easy to get after you watch him use the product the way he designed it to be used."
On clean, oil-free brows (so skip your face oil this time), paint this eyebrow tint carefully over your brow hairs. If you only need a little bit of colour, you can leave this on for just 30 minutes. For a more intense pigmented result, leave it on overnight and wash it off in the morning for fully darkened brows, which, FYI, is not directed on the label, but is my personal hack for a long-lasting tint.
Shades: Four
Formula: Liquid
Glowing Customer Review: "Love this product. It dyes brows nicely and doesn't dye the skin—didn't cause any irritation"
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If dyeing your eyebrows sounds too intimidating, a tinted brow gel is the next best thing. And even though it’s not semi-permanent like actual eyebrow tinting, it’s still less maintenance than filling in your brows with an eyebrow pencil (although, for bold, va-va-voom brows, start by filling in sparse spots with a pencil and follow up with the gel), and safer than some of the DIY kits.
Shades: 10
Formula: Gel
Glowing Customer Review: "Unfortunately, 4 weeks post lamination, my brows are soooo dry (even after moisturizing daily) and breaking off to where there are noticeable sparse spots! Of course, after freaking out I got recommended this. Makes my brows look like they are full and like they never left! Amazing plus for castor oil in it too!"
Not into the stiff, crunchy brows that some gels give you? Opt for this cream-based formula that coats your brow hairs in pigment while lifting and sculpting them into your desired shape. For a light layer of colour, brush the spoolie through your brow hairs in the direction of the hair growth. And for ultra-fluffy brows, brush the spoolie against the grain of your brows first – wait, hear me out – and then go back in the direction of hair growth with the spoolie. Trust me, it’s one of the eyebrow tricks I live by.
Shades: Five
Formula: Cream
Glowing Customer Review: "Been using this eyebrow cream for a couple of years now - have used taupe, espresso, and now soft ebony. It holds hair in place without being stiff/crunchy staying flexible, the perfect amount of product each application, and so many things I love about this!"
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How do you use eyebrow tinting kits?
Let's first start with what these kits actually are – eyebrow tinting kits semi-permanently dye your eyebrows for up to a few days or a few weeks, depending on the kit, so you can skip the brow pencils and gels every day. You'll need to follow the instructions that come with your kit very carefully (since every kit is a little bit different), but generally, you'll paint the dye across your clean, dry eyebrow in the direction of your hair growth, covering any area you would normally cover with a brow gel or pencil.
Then, after letting the dye sit for anywhere from 20 minutes to overnight, depending on the instructions and how dark you want your brows, you'll either rinse your brows or peel off the hardened dye coating. My advice? Start with letting the dye sit for the shortest amount of time, as advised on your kit, and see how dark they get. You can always apply it again for more colour, but you can't exactly hit the rewind button once that dye is set.
How to choose the best eyebrow tinting kit:
Ensure it's safe for your eye area
When it comes to using any kind of dye, you want to make sure you’re getting the safest formula with the longest-lasting results – a tall order when every kit on Google claims to be the very best. First things first: Make sure the kit is actually made for eyebrows. As in, don't think you can just sub in your at-home box dye because "hair is hair." Nope. As Malynda Vigliotti of Boom Boom Brow Bar in New York City has previously told Cosmopolitan, hair dye contains ammonia, which is dangerous for your eyes and the sensitive skin around them. Instead, eyebrow tinting kits tend to be made with natural, vegetable-based formulas.
The fewer steps, the better
Instead of experimenting with a 12-piece tinting kit that makes you feel like a mad scientist, go for the low-stress kits that come with just a dye, an activator, and a few tools for application, or try the peel-off formulas that just require painting over your brows, letting them dry, and then gently peeling off the coating. Or, if you just want to test out some temporary one-day tints, go for a wash-off brow gel or coloured brow wax.
From: Cosmopolitan US
Siena Gagliano
Associate Editor
Siena Gagliano is the associate editor at Cosmopolitan, where she primarily covers beauty, fashion, travel, and lifestyle. Wanna know how to get the best brows of your life? gotchu. What about how to find the best fashion deals of the season, the softest sheets on the market, or exactly how to use retinol without irritating your skin? Check, check, and check. Before joining Cosmopolitan, Siena was a writer at Bustle and several other media outlets. As her 2024 goal, she has vowed to find the best (extra) dirty martini NYC has to offer—and yes, that means ~attempting~ to try every cute cocktail spot in the city (hit her up with some recs, pls). Follow Siena on Instagram for a behind-the-scenes look at that magazine life.
Sami Roberts
Sami Roberts was the previous beauty assistant at Cosmopolitan. Keep up with her cat-filled life in New York on Instagram.