I’ll just cut to the chase and admit that I have never been a brow girl. That is until I began testing the best brow gel—or rather, until I had enough brow to properly shape, mold, and lift them.
My brow journey began in 2022, when I discovered the world of eyebrow growth serums—potent elixirs that promise to transform sparse, thin arches with consistent use. Surprise: They work! (If you have not read my full guide, I’d highly recommend.) Now that I finally had proper brows to play with, I’d finish my makeup and knew something looked off. My complexion was pore-less, my lashes were lengthened, but my brows looked meh. I dug through my beauty bag, frantically searching for something that would give my arches the oomph they deserved. Thankfully, a largely untouched tube of Jones Road brow gel that lay at the bottom of my bag came to the rescue. After just a few strokes, my brows appeared fluffy, defined, and groomed to natural-looking perfection.
While I was surprised with the results, this was hardly news to celebrity makeup artist Sean Harris. “A brow gel is great because it can easily create structure for the brow in a few swipes,” he says, nodding to the popularity of bushy, laminated shapes in 2024. The brow queen herself, Anastasia Soare, founder of Anastasia Beverly Hills, agrees. “Fuller-looking brows are still having their moment,” she tells Vogue, “Anything that looks fluffy and feathered for that natural look. And we are also seeing the laminated look trending for a lifted and locked-in look. Brow gel is a must-have product in achieving these trends because it is so versatile.”
Vogue’s Favorite Brow Gels
- Best Overall: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze Gel, $26
- Best Flexible Hold: Benefit Cosmetics 24-HR Brow Setter Clear Brow Gel, $26
- Best for Thick Brows: Refy Brow Sculpt Shape and Hold Gel, $24
- Best Tint: Glossier Boy Brow, $20
- Best Longwear: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze Brow Wax, $26
- Best for Fine Hair: Jones Road The Brow Gel, $24
- Best for Stubborn Brows: Ardell Brow Glue, $9
In This Story
- When Should You Use a Brow Gel?
- How to Apply Brow Gel
- Meet The Experts
By definition, “[a brow gel] will help to tame unruly hairs and allow you to create your desired shape,” Soare continues. “They can be used by themselves for a minimal brow look or used as the finishing step in your routine to lock in other brow products and color.” Simply put, they help lift, shape, and set brows in place. Not to mention, they’re easy to use alone or with a brow pencil for color, and they’re “great for anyone who wants maximum payoff with minimal effort,” Soare says.
Soare’s take on brow gels as a beauty product that requires minimal effort for maximum payoff is one I couldn’t agree with more. It was this ease of use that kept me coming back for more of my Jones Road brow gel—and ultimately inspired a deeper dive into the market’s best brow gels to give them a proper test. Out of the nearly 20 formulas I’ve tried thus far, these are the 11 worth considering—vetted by yours truly and cosigned by five makeup experts.
Best Overall: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze Gel
- Why We Love It: New to the scene, “Brow Freeze Gel gives you ultimate extreme hold and is applied as the finishing step in your brow routine,” Soare says of her brand’s latest launch. “Once it sets, your brows will not budge and last all day.” What makes it the best I’ve tried is that it aptly tames all brow hair types (from coarse to fine)—plus, the gel is so strong it can withstand humidity without flaking or being overly sticky. And it works just as well as alone or as a finishing step.
- Key Ingredients: Glycerin, sodium PCA, arginine, biotin
- Editor’s Note: Formula aside, the wand was the biggest selling point for me. The dual-action comb applicator features micro-bristles to coat each and every hair; it feels more like a tiny comb than a mascara wand. Here’s a quick application tip from Soare: “Using the long bristle side, start by applying in short, upward motions to brush product through and separate hairs. Next, flip to the short bristle side to shape and sculpt hairs into place, gently pressing down as you go.”
- Shades: One
Best Flexible Hold: Benefit Cosmetics 24-HR Brow Setter Clear Brow Gel
- Why We Love It: With a name like Brow Setter, I liken this Benefit Cosmetics formula to a setting spray for your brows. One of the things I love most about this gel, similar to my favorite setting sprays, is that it sits well on top of other makeup products without disturbing them. Can you imagine perfecting your brows with a pencil only to have your chosen gel smudge them? That nightmare never comes true with this bad boy—which is why it’s a staple in my makeup bag. Even Harris is a fan: “This is a great long-wearing gel that doesn’t flake and keeps brows in place all day.”
- Key Ingredients: Panthenol, cotton extract
- Editor’s Note: I quite enjoy how flexible this wand is; it kind of moves with you to adequately coat all your brow hairs in one stroke. This wand is dual-sided—I like to use the short end to brush up the front of my brows, then the long bristle side to shape the fluffier ends of my brows.
- Shades: One
Best for Thick Brows: Refy Brow Sculpt Shape and Hold Gel
- Why We Love It: You likely have strong memories of the Refy Brow Sculpt gracing your social feed—with brand founder and influencer Jess Hunt laying her notably thick brows down to a laminated, soap-brow-esque finish with ease. It was this social takeover that led me to try the styler in the first place; the videos are both mesmerizing and convincing. If they can style Hunt’s brows, they surely can shape mine, I thought. And I would be correct. Now that my brows are in their thickest shape ever, this is my go-to brow gel for anything other than my everyday makeup.
- Key Ingredients: Carnauba and candelilla wax
- Editor’s Note: Refy describes this as a sort of wax-meets-gel, and I couldn’t agree more. Though it’s certainly one of the longest-hold products on the market, you have enough time to shape and mold brows before the product sets, which is why the double-ended brush comes in handy for added styling capabilities. (The brow wand is quite long, so you may prefer the brush end. Or if you’re like me, you’ll simply use the tip of the wand.)
- Shades: One
Best Drugstore: NYX The Brow Glue
- Why We Love It: Of course you can find cult-favorites at the drugstore, and one of my top choices is NYX’s brow glue. Available in four natural tints and one clear hue, this is a foolproof brow gel. The formula delivers flake-resistant wear and 16-hour hold. What’s not to love?
- Key Ingredients: Glycerin, castor oil
- Editor’s Note: Those new to the brow game, or simply applying on the go (I love a drugstore formula for travel), should consider the clear shade. It’s my favorite because it dries down transparently. The tints are a little more tricky, as the pigments are richer and can get clumpy. If that happens, use the small wand to disperse the tint or dab off a bit with your finger.
- Shades: Five (one clear, four tinted)
Best for Fine Hair: Jones Road The Brow Gel
- Why We Love It: If you have fine hairs or sparse brows, you likely don’t want a thick gel that could damage or inadvertently pull out your precious hairs when you take your makeup off at night. Jones Road’s brow gel is just the ticket. With one clear formula and five tints, each hue is subtle but buildable. Plus, the gels are packed with glycerin and panthenol to properly condition brow hairs to your liking.
- Key Ingredients: Glycerin, panthenol
- Editor’s Note: Designed for easy application, this features a medium-size spoolie brush able to shape and define brows from head to tail in seconds.
- Shades: Six (one clear, five tints)
Best Tint: Glossier Boy Brow
- Why We Love It: Almost ten years after its release, Glossier’s Boy Brow is still one of the industry’s favorite formulas. In typical Glossier fashion, the formula is packed with thoughtful ingredients, like hyaluronic acid and oleic acid, to give your arches the TLC they deserve. These nourishing agents are whipped into a thick gel texture (inspired by the formula of mustache pomades) that gently coats brows for a barely there tint. Dare we say, it’s the no-makeup makeup of brows?
- Key Ingredients: Beeswax, carnauba wax, hyaluronic acid, oleic acid, lecithin
- Editor’s Note: I am obsessed with the tiny applicator wand of Boy Brow. This gives me the flexibility to groom my arches without too much precision.
- Shades: Seven (one clear, six tints)
Best Longwear: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze Brow Wax
- Why We Love It: “With our clear gel formulas, I wanted to provide a lot of options for our customers,” says Soare. “Whether for your specific brow concern or brow style, we have one for you. Brow Freeze is unique in that it can be used first or last because it is a flexible formula.” I like to think of this as the ultimate brow shaper—the clear wax acts almost like an edge-control to lift and feather even coarse brows with ease. In my research (TikTok makeup videos or Vogue Beauty Secrets), I’ve noticed that the most powerful, bushy, and laminated brows are often created with this wax.
- Key Ingredients: Glycerin
- Editor’s Note: I’d argue that the ABH Brow Freeze comes with the largest learning curve. As the wax arrives alone in a little tub, a beginner would likely ponder how to actually apply it. The best practice is to use the brand’s dual-ended applicator—using a combination of the spatula and spoolie ends to get brows flat. Or use your own spoolie (I’ve even seen someone use the end of a makeup brush). The choice is yours.
- Shades: One
Best for Layering: Chanel Le Gel Sourcils Longwear Eyebrow Gel
- Why We Love It: Chanel brow expert Jimena Garcia considers this Chanel formula to be her favorite. “It’s lightweight, never flakes, and can be used on its own or to build over powder or pencil,” she says. “It’s my go-to for grooming unruly brows, holding in place wild brows, and all the while (and it’ll last a long while) it gives a natural look. And if you’re looking for a brush of color, it comes in a range of options.”
- Key Ingredients: Glycerin
- Editor’s Note: The clear gel is my favorite here (though I would be intrigued if Chanel were to introduce a black shade). The wand is on the medium size—large enough to coat the entire brow, yet small enough to deposit the formula to thinner arches and the ends of the brow. Because the gel offers a flexible hold, it layers well with a brow pencil or tint.
- Shades: Three (one clear, two tinted)
Best Shades: Kosas Air Brow Tinted
- Why We Love It: I trust Kosas with my brows; mostly because they crafted my favorite eyebrow growth serum—GrowPotion. Luckily, Air Brow is full of other good-for-brow-hair ingredients, like castor oil, panthenol, and peptides, to keep hairs conditioned while coating them with a natural-looking tint. Speaking of, there are 10 shades to choose from to suit a wide range of hair tones and hues—think honey blonde, grey, and auburn.
- Key Ingredients: Castor oil, panthenol, provitamin B5, biotinoyl tripeptide-1
- Editor’s Note: With its mousse-like texture and rich pigments, the Kosas Air Brow makes it easy to fill in sparse areas. Depending on how dark I want my brows, I wipe excess gel off the applicator first before swiping.
- Shades: 10
Best Clean Brow Gel: Ilia In Frame Brow Gel
- Why We Love It: Prioritizing clean ingredients doesn’t mean your brows will go rogue. Powered by a hair renewal complex and hydrolyzed quinoa, Ilia’s In Frame Brow Gel not only strengthens and conditions, but also lays brows in place for up to eight hours.
- Key Ingredients: Hydrolyzed quinoa, hair renewal complex, glycerin, larix europaea wood extract, camellia sinensis leaf extract
- Editor’s Note: You’ll notice this gel comes out of its tube white, but trust it dries down clear. Expect a lightweight, flexible hold (read: not hard).
- Shades: One
Best for Stubborn Brows: Ardell Brow Glue
- Why We Love It: Ardell Brow Glue is the go-to product for professional makeup artists Kelly Howard and El DeBratto when all else fails for impossibly stubborn brows. “If you have stubborn brow hairs, I haven’t met a brow gel that holds better than this. It’s affordable, easy to throw in your bag, and always does the job for a laminated brow look. Plus, this vegan and cruelty-free product features a small half-rounded, half-flat-sided spoolie that makes for a lethally perfect combo to brush those stubborn brows into place,” DeBratto tells Vogue. “This gel formula is much stickier than most on the market and dries down clear. Once it sets, you don’t have a lot of malleability, so this is the perfect option for those of us with very thick or long brow hairs that have a hard time staying in place throughout the day.”
- Key Ingredients: Glycerin, panthenol, acrylates copolymer
- Editor’s Note: In my experience, a little bit of this product goes a long way. Use the spoolie attached to the cap to brush outward towards the tail of your brows, then upwards. Brush using either side of the included dual-ended flat brush and brow comb to seal brows into place for a laminated look.
- Shades: 1
When Should You Use a Brow Gel?
A good brow gel is a makeup bag staple because it truly has versatile uses. When we asked Garcia when you should use a gel versus some other brow product, she outlined five reasons, listed below.
