What I learned about Japan’s latest mascara innovation and why it’s winning awards
When I first saw a metal comb mascara wand, I thought did a double take. The brush is a tiny metal comb! This definitely piqued my interest. Then I tried the Canmake Metalook Mascara and understood why it won the @cosme 2025 Mid-Year Best Cosmetics Award for mascara. Sometimes the most unconventional tools create the most beautiful results.
Disclaimer: This product was gifted to me by JBeauty Hunt. As always, all thoughts and opinions expressed are honest and my own
If you’ve been following Japanese beauty trends, you’ve probably noticed the rise of “clustered lash” looks – that intentionally clumped, doll-like effect that’s taken over Japanese Instagram and TikTok. What once required careful application with disposable mascara wands or even individual false lash clusters can now be achieved with one innovative tool: Canmake’s metal comb mascara.
The Brand Behind the Innovation: Canmake’s 40-Year Legacy
Before diving into this specific mascara, let’s talk about Canmake itself. Founded in 1985 by IDA Laboratories (whose parent company, the Ida Group, dates back to 1918), Canmake pioneered Japan’s drugstore makeup industry with most products retailing for less than ¥1000.
After 40 years of helping people “find their kawaii”, Canmake has become synonymous with three things: affordability, cute packaging, and trend-forward formulations that actually work. Their philosophy? Make high-quality, on-trend makeup accessible to everyone – from high school students to working professionals.
The brand’s recent win is significant: the newly released “Metalook Mascara Volume Look” won the mascara category in the 2025 Mid-Year Best Cosmetics Awards from @cosme, Japan’s most trusted beauty review platform. That’s not just a popularity contest – it’s validation from thousands of Japanese beauty enthusiasts who vote with their wallets and honest reviews.
What Makes the Metal Comb Different?
The first thing you notice about the Metalook Mascara is its weight. Unlike traditional fiber or silicone wands that feel lightweight and disposable, the metal comb has a distinctive ultra-fine 2.5 mm diameter that gives it a premium, substantial feel in your hand.
But the real innovation isn’t about luxury – it’s about precision and control.
Traditional Mascara Wands:
- Fibre or silicone bristles that coat lashes
- Can be bulky, making corner lashes difficult
- Create separation (which isn’t always the goal)
- Difficult to clean between uses
Metal Comb Design:
- Uniform pitch that brings several lashes together into perfect clusters
- Ultra-fine diameter reaches tricky inner and outer corner lashes
- Creates intentional clustering with control
- Easy to wipe clean for precise, hygienic application
The genius lies in the spacing. The comb’s uniform pitch helps to bring several lashes together into the perfect cluster – just sweep the comb through to create beautifully clustered lashes.
Understanding the Clustered Lash Trend
If you’ve been trained to separate every single lash for that wide-eyed, spider-leg effect popular in Western beauty, the clustered lash look might seem counterintuitive. But in Japanese beauty culture, intentional clustering creates a softer, more doll-like appearance that’s both cute and surprisingly wearable.
The clustered effect:
- Creates the illusion of fuller lashes without heaviness
- Looks more natural than falsies but more defined than naked lashes
- Frames the eyes without the harsh, separated look
- Works especially well for those with sparse or fine lashes
Think of it as the difference between individual lash extensions and volume lash fans. Both are beautiful, but they create entirely different aesthetics.
The Formula: Oil-Based Innovation
This is an oil-based mascara, which is a deliberate choice that works in harmony with the metal comb design. Oil-based formulas have gotten a bad reputation in Western beauty (we’re trained to fear oils near our eyes), but Japanese brands have perfected them for specific purposes.
Why Oil-Based Works Here:
The velvety-smooth mascara formulation ensures it won’t clump even when you apply extra coats. The oil-based formula allows the mascara to:
- Glide smoothly through the metal comb
- Deposit evenly without dragging
- Build up gradually for customisable intensity
- Create flexible hold rather than stiff, brittle lashes
The fluid coats lashes evenly, giving you complete freedom to create everything from fine, natural-looking clusters to a bushy-clustered look with just this one item.
Performance: What to Expect
Curl Hold: Outstanding ability to boost lash curl and hold it in place! Ensures the bold eye look you’ve created with the metal comb stays in place for hours. For those of us who’ve used Japanese mascaras, this isn’t surprising – curl retention is where Japanese formulas consistently outperform Western alternatives.
Longevity: Run-proof formula designed to stand up to water, sweat, and sebum. Keeps lashes looking beautiful even on those extra-special days. This is crucial for the clustered effect – you don’t want your carefully created clusters to separate or smudge throughout the day.
Buildability: Here’s where Canmake’s approach shines. They understand that different occasions call for different intensity:
This versatility means you’re not locked into one look. The same mascara works for a minimalist morning commute or a maximalist evening out.
Application Technique: Mastering the Metal Comb
The metal comb requires a slightly different approach than traditional wands:
Step 1: Curl First Always curl your lashes before applying. The mascara will hold whatever shape you create, so start with a good foundation.
Step 2: Base Application Place the metal comb at the base of your lashes and sweep upward, imagining you’re extending each lash. The comb will naturally catch multiple lashes together.
Step 3: Cluster Creation Use the tip of the comb to intentionally arrange clusters. This is where you have creative control – separate where you want definition, cluster where you want fullness.
Step 4: Build Gradually Repeat steps 2 and 3, adding coats until you achieve your desired effect. The formula’s smooth consistency means you can layer without clumping.
Pro Tip: The comb’s ultra-fine 2.5 mm diameter ensures mascara easily reaches those tricky lashes at the inner and outer corners of the eye! Also recommended for those with single or deep-set double eyelids.
The Maintenance Advantage
Here’s something that surprised me: metal combs are significantly easier to maintain than traditional wands. Traditional fiber brushes trap product, accumulate bacteria, and become increasingly clumpy over time. You’re essentially stuck with a progressively degrading tool.
With the metal comb, you can wipe it clean with a tissue or makeup wipe between applications. This means:
- More hygienic application
- Consistent performance throughout the product’s life
- Better control over how much product you’re depositing
- No product buildup affecting the comb’s effectiveness
Color Options: Black vs. Sweet Black
The Metalook Mascara comes in two shades:
01 Black: A black that gives eyes stunning impact. This is your classic, high-impact black for those who want maximum definition and drama.
03 Sweet Black: A black that softens your look. This softer black is perfect for those who find true black too harsh or want a more natural, everyday effect while still maintaining definition.
The “Sweet Black” option is particularly thoughtful – it acknowledges that not everyone wants the same level of intensity, and that “natural” doesn’t mean invisible.
Who Should Try This Mascara?
Perfect For:
- Those curious about the clustered lash trend
- People with sparse or fine lashes who want fuller-looking results
- Anyone who struggles with mascara getting on their eyelids
- Those with deep-set eyes or single eyelids who find traditional wands too bulky
- Beauty enthusiasts who want precision control over their lash look
- Anyone who’s bored with the separated, spider-leg lash aesthetic
Maybe Not For:
- Purists who want every single lash separated and defined
- Those who prefer waterproof formulas (this is water-resistant, not fully waterproof)
- People who want a one-swipe-and-done mascara (this requires a bit more technique)
The Economics: Luxury Innovation at Drugstore Prices
At ¥990 (approximately $6-7 USD), the Canmake Metalook Mascara represents incredible value. Compare this to specialty mascara wands or lash cluster kits that can cost $15-30+, and you’re getting innovation, quality, and award-winning performance at a fraction of the price.
This price point is quintessentially Canmake – making trend-forward beauty accessible without compromising on performance or innovation.
Where Japanese Beauty Gets It Right
The Metalook Mascara exemplifies something Japanese beauty brands do exceptionally well: they identify a specific aesthetic goal (clustered lashes) and engineer a tool specifically to achieve it. Rather than trying to make one mascara do everything, they create specialized solutions for specific looks.
Western beauty tends to follow the “more is more” philosophy – more volume, more length, more separation, more drama. Japanese beauty asks: “What specific effect do you want to create, and what’s the most elegant way to achieve it?”
The metal comb isn’t trying to be revolutionary for revolution’s sake. It’s solving a specific problem: how do you create beautifully clustered lashes with precision and control? The answer is simple, functional, and surprisingly effective.
My Verdict
After years of testing Japanese mascaras, I’ve learned that innovation isn’t always about new ingredients or dramatic claims. Sometimes it’s about reimagining the most basic tool – the applicator wand – to create entirely new possibilities.
The Canmake Metalook Mascara won’t replace every mascara in your collection, and it’s not trying to. What it does offer is something unique: the ability to create precise, customisable lash clusters with a tool that feels substantial, performs consistently, and costs less than your morning coffee order.
Is it worth trying? Absolutely. The metal comb alone is worth experiencing, and the fact that it’s backed by an award-winning formula and 40 years of Canmake’s drugstore beauty expertise makes it a low-risk experiment with potentially high rewards.
Sometimes the most interesting beauty innovations come from brands that understand their audience deeply – not the most expensive department store brands, but the drugstore heroes that have been perfecting affordable excellence for decades. Canmake’s Metalook Mascara is exactly that kind of innovation.
Have you tried the clustered lash trend? What’s your experience with metal comb mascaras? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and follow Tokyo Beauty Book for more insights from Japan’s innovative beauty culture.
Where to Buy CANMAKE
Japan
@cosme stores
Matsumoto Kiyoshi
Ainz & Tulpe
Loft
Tokyu Hands
Don Quijote
International
Amazon Japan – Ships internationally to select countries
Japanese beauty specialty stores – Check local Asian beauty retailers
YesStyle / Stylevana – Popular K-beauty and J-beauty online retailers that often stock Japanese skincare
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