Merit Clean Volume Tubing Mascara Review: Worth the Hype?

Bottom line: who this tubing mascara is for

Merit’s Clean Volume Volumising Tubing Mascara is a Japanese-made tubing mascara that aims to combine long-wear, volumising lift, and easy removal by forming flexible tubes around each lash that resist smudging yet wash off with minimal effort.

After extended daily wear, this is a rare tubing mascara review where the product lives up to its marketing: strong lift, believable volume, and no panda eyes. It is made for people who want a clean, feathery, everyday lash look that can be dialled up without crossing into heavy, crunchy territory. At £24, it sits in the premium-but-not-luxury bracket, and the performance matches that positioning. If you want huge, dramatic nightclub lashes, this will feel too subtle. But if your ideal mascara looks like great lashes rather than obvious makeup, this is one of the best options you can buy.

Formula, brush and tubing tech

This second Merit mascara launch uses a Japanese-made volumizing mascara formula that creates flexible tubes around each lash, locking in curl and shape without heaviness, smudging, or flaking. Texture-wise, the formula is drier than many classic mascaras, which helps keep clumps at bay and means you do not have to let it sit and thicken before first use.

The brush is smaller and more compact than many volume-focused wands, which may worry anyone used to fat fibre brushes, but in practice it delivers fine separation and precise application, especially at the lash base. Tubing mascara technology is the main differentiator here: these formulas are known for long wear and ease of removal, resisting smudging and flaking through the day yet coming off with warm water rather than a complicated removal routine. You also get both black and brown shades, which is valuable if you prefer a softer, more natural lash look over in-your-face drama.

Real-world wear: volume, lift and longevity

In daily wear, Clean Volume behaves more like a refined lash-lift in a tube than a heavy-duty falsies dupe. A few wiggles at the base of the lashes followed by a sweep through the lengths create visible lift and feathery separation that can mimic the effect of a professional lash lift. One editor even reported a friend assuming her lashes had somehow grown, which says a lot about how natural yet defined the result looks.

Performance-wise, the tubing mascara review claims hold up. The formula has been worn through a heatwave with no noticeable smudging or flaking and reliable staying power. Another tester saw no transfer on the brow bone or under the eyes from first use and no flaking either, despite usually struggling with both issues. Crucially for a volumizing mascara formula, lashes stayed lifted through lunchtime instead of drooping like many volume-focused options; in their words, “This stuff is pretty hardy.”

Removal and everyday usability

The promise of an easy removal mascara is central here, and tubing tech is supposed to deliver that. Tubing mascaras in general are known for providing long wear while still coming off with warm water, avoiding the need for aggressive rubbing or complex removers. With Clean Volume, warm water will loosen the tubes, but one tester found that a balm cleanser broke the mascara down more effectively, which is expected, and caused it to come off in tiny flecks rather than big clumps.

Those flecks are a minor annoyance if you use a reusable cloth, since they require a thorough rinse, but on balance the removal still feels simpler and kinder to lashes than traditional waterproof formulas. Day to day, the balance of volume, lift and ease makes this mascara low-maintenance: it layers well for bolder looks without becoming spidery, and multiple coatings stay in the zone of polished, not overdone. As one beauty director put it, “This mascara is among the best you'll ever use,” a bold verdict that feels justified if your priorities are wearability and believable volume.

Buy if / Skip if

• Buy the Merit Clean Volume Volumising Tubing Mascara if you want a tubing mascara review winner that offers long wear, smudge resistance, and easy removal without harsh cleansers.
• Skip the Merit Clean Volume Volumising Tubing Mascara if you prefer dramatic, ultra-thick, false-lash-style volume over feathery, lifted definition.
• Buy the Merit Clean Volume Volumising Tubing Mascara if you have sensitive eyes and need a non‑irritating formula that does not flake into them during the day.
• Skip the Merit Clean Volume Volumising Tubing Mascara if you dislike tubing formulas that come off in flecks and do not want to rinse makeup cloths thoroughly.
• Buy the Merit Clean Volume Volumising Tubing Mascara if you want both black and brown options so you can switch between soft daytime lashes and deeper definition.