The Eyebrow Serum That Gave Me the Bushiest Eyebrows of My *Life* (2024)

After hearing dermatologist Dhaval G. Bhanusali, MD, rave about using minoxidil (the active hair-growth ingredient in Rogaine) for eyebrow-hair growth, I decided to give it a go, knowing I could grab the over-the-counter, 5 percent concentration on Amazon or any local drugstore. But how does it work, exactly? Welp, minoxidil helps prolong the growth phase of your hair-growth cycle, which can help increase the density of your hair before it sheds

I’ve been following Dr. Bhanusali’s instructions and combing Rogaine through my brows with a spoolie once a day for about four weeks. And my best friend recently noticed how full my brows looked on FaceTime when I had no makeup on (a sign that it’s def working, because my bare brows are usually thin AF). Because I’m only spreading it on my brows, so I’ll probably have this bottle for six to eight months at least, making it hella cost effective too.

• Key ingredients: Minoxidil
• Recommended use: Once daily at night
• Size: Two 2.11 oz. cans

Glowing customer review: “High fevers over an extended period of time made my hair and eyebrows fall out. I was so bummed. My hair grew back, but my eyebrows just never did. So a dab of this foam applied every night before bed for several weeks, and voilà! They're growing back! So, so glad I tried it.”

This eyelash serum made my lashes feel so much thicker that I had to start using it on my brows after I read the countless rave reviews (21,000 of ‘em, to be exact). Dr. Bhanusali explains that the formula’s mix of hyaluronic acid and biotin helps moisturize the skin around my brows, which is probably what made them appear a bit bushier. But my brows also got a nice coating of peptides to help build up the proteins in my skin and hair to help lead to stronger hair.

• Key ingredients: Peptides, hyaluronic acid, biotin
• Recommended use: Once daily at night
• Size: 0.1 fl oz.

Glowing customer review: “Since I’m older now, my brows are virtually nonexistent. But I’ve been using this for a month now, and I can actually see the hair growing in thicker and darker.”

FYI: Latisse is currently the only eyelash serum approved by the FDA for lash growth, but derms, like Dr. Bhansuali, also recommend it to grow your brow hairs. How does it work? Well, it’s formulated with an active ingredient called bimatoprost, which helps lengthen the growth phase of your hair so that they have more time to grow before falling out, leading to thicker, fluffier brows over time.

Just swipe it across your brows with the included applicator once a day, and you should start to notice some thickness in four to six weeks. But keep in mind that Latisse is strong, so there can be side effects, like skin irritation and eyelid-darkening. Make sure to discuss the potential risks with your doctor (whether you go in-person or try a telemed service like Ro or Nurx).

• Key ingredients: Bimatoprost (promotes hair growth)
• Recommended use: Daily at night for 16 weeks
• Size: 0.1 fl oz.

Glowing customer review: “I have been a loyal Latisse user for many years. Prior to using Latisse, I had very few lashes and no eyebrow hairs past the middle. Regular use has restored normal thickness of my lashes and eyebrows that had diminished with age.”

RapidBrow is a fantastic brow strengthener I’ve recently added to my routine to boost my brows after a very misguided decision to bleach them a few months ago (no photographic evidence, because I immediately tinted them back to their natural color). It’s loaded with gold-star hair-health boosters—including peptides and keratin, plus moisturizing biotin and hyaluronic acid—as well as a soothing cocktail of allantoin and licorice root extract.

Assistant shopping editor Jasmine Hyman also just started testing it and has been loving the gentle formula. “As a girlie who hasn’t gotten her brows professionally waxed or threaded in years, brushing up my brows before bed with the conditioning formula gives me the perfect clean girl feeling and finish,” she says.

• Key ingredients: Keratin, biotin, peptides, allantoin, licorice root extract
• Recommended use: Daily at night
• Size: 0.1 oz.

Glowing customer review: “This is MY first review I’ve ever written about a product. I just finished my first RapidBrow serum bottle. My brows honestly got thicker, the best part, that hair actually grew back in my “bald spots” on my eyebrows—the small places were hair randomly stopped growing. My brows looked nice and conditioned after each use. Buying my second bottle today!”

TBH, I swear by this eyebrow gel mostly because the light color matches my eyebrows perfectly when I’m in a hurry and don’t feel like filling them in with pencil. But lowkey, I’ve also noticed after swiping it on nearly every day for the last six months that my brows look way fuller now. The combo of moisturizing oils (jojoba oil, castor oil, and sunflower seed oil) and antioxidant-rich vitamin E help moisturize my brow hairs while lightly filling them with pigments to make them look thicker—with and without the gel.

• Key ingredients: Jojoba oil, castor oil, sunflower seed oil, vitamin E
• Recommended use: Whenever you style your brows (generally in the morning)
• Size: 0.12 fl oz.

Growing customer review: “This adds just enough color and enhances the appearance of my brows so they look fuller. I like using this in the morning, and then I also use the Grande Brow at night, and my brows have been looking amazing! So much fuller, especially in areas like the front and the tail that used to be really sparse.”

This stuff is so good that dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD, (who gets zero kickback from this recommendation) refers to the formula as “pure gold.” Within two-and-a-half months, the biotin and hyaluronic acid-filled formula left her sparse brows fuller and thicker, to the point where she noticed hair growing around her eye area from sleeping on it at night. “But I just shaved it off, and we are good to go.” How’s that for a derm recommendation?

• Key ingredients: Biotin, hyaluronic acid
• Recommended use: Daily at night
• Size: 0.17 fl oz.

Glowing customer reviw: “I have alopecia areata, and this is the only thing that has worked for me. I actually have brows now. This changed me.”

After testing out the concealer-brow 2023 makeup trend, I was annoyingly left with dry, flaky brows (matte formulas + dry skin = nope). But after just two days of coating them with Nuele’s brow serum before bed, they had already returned to normal, and after a week, they even felt fluffier and healthier. The formula contains just five ingredients—jojoba oil, moringa oil, castor oil, frankincense oil, and geranium oil—to moisturize, lock in hydration, and smooth down hair, giving you the appearance of groomed brows, even without any makeup.

• Key ingredients: Jojoba oil, moringa oil, castor oil, frankincense oil, geranium oil
• Recommended use: Daily at night
• Size: 0.17 fl oz.

Glowing customer review: “Chemotherapy did a real number on my eyebrows. They finally came back, but they are scraggly. I used this Nuele Brow Serum faithfully, and I believe it helped a little. My brows are not quite as thin as they were.”

Got dry skin? Dermatologist Dr. Garshick recommends The Ordinary’s eyebrow-growth serum that’s filled with peptides to moisturize not only your brow hairs, but your skin itself, while also strengthening your skin barrier over time (and we know, moisturized hair = better chance at healthy hair growth). Plus, it’s got a little antioxidant-rich caffeine, which has some anti-inflammatory properties to help calm down irritation, which dermatologist Dr. Bhanusali, MD, notes won’t necessarily make your brow hairs grow, but can potentially reduce inflammatory-based hair fall.

• Key ingredients: Peptides, caffeine
• Recommended use: Twice daily (once in morning, once at night)
• Size: 0.16 fl oz.

Glowing customer review: “I get dandruff-type flakes in my brows a lot, and I noticed since using this that I haven’t gotten them at all! It kept my brows moisturized.”

Flaky, itchy, inflamed brows are not only annoying to deal with but can potentially inhibit hair growth too. If that sounds like your brows, try this calming brow serum from Milk Makeup, which combines soothing aloe vera and cannabis seed extract (an anti-inflammatory derived from hemp plants) to help neutralize irritation. It’s also got a cocktail of peptides and panthenol to hydrate your skin and hair and help prevent moisture loss.

• Key ingredients: Aloe vera, cannabis seed extract, peptides, panthenol
• Recommended use: Daily at night
• Size: 0.12 fl oz.

Glowing customer review: “This product has brought back brow hair that I haven't been able to regrow in 10+ years. It has filled in my brows so much that I no longer have to draw in the ends of my brows.”

I’m all about filling my bathroom with fancy face creams and luxury face masks that give me as much joy to look at as they do to use. So obviously, I immediately tried Augustinus Bader’s eyelash and eyebrow serum when it launched, which uses the same strengthening and moisturizing ingredients found in its skincare line (like amino acids, hyaluronic acid, and castor oil). It has moisturized the heck out of my brows, which has left them looking a bit more fluffed-up, especially in the very-sparse areas around my arch. So yup, I’ll be replacing the bottle on my shelf when it’s done—and not just because it’s pretty AF.

• Key ingredients: Amino acids, hyaluronic acid, castor oil
• Recommended use: Daily at night
• Size: 0.27 fl oz.

Glowing customer review: “I’ve tried various ways of dealing with my disappearing eyebrows as I age, and this product is the easiest by far. A quick swipe on each brow, and that’s it. Minimal eyebrow gel required now, and I’m good to go.”

Listen, there isn’t enough evidence just yet to definitively say that castor oil can cause hair growth. But thanks to its rich texture, it does have major protective properties that help fend off moisture loss that can lead to irritation, dryness, and inhibited hair growth. I love this no-nonsense formula from Briogeo, which is just pure, Fair-Trade Certified, organic, cold-pressed castor oil in a lil serum bottle.

I pump a little on the back of my hand and twist a clean spoolie or Q-tip through it, then brush it through my brows at night as the last step of my skincare routine. Bonus tip: The thick, gel-like consistency makes it a great brow gel in the morning to help moisturize my brows while setting them in place.

• Key ingredients: Castor oil
• Recommended use: Twice-daily use (morning and night)
• Size: 1.5 fl oz.

Glowing customer review: “I apply this castor oil to my cuticles and eyebrows at night. It has no odor at all and is very thick and moisturizing. It absorbs into skin fairly quickly with no oily or slippery residue. The next morning, my cuticles and brows are very soft and healthy-looking.”

The castor oil in this drugstore formula won’t actually make your brows grow, but it will condition them a lil bit that will (1) keep them strong and help prevent premature shedding and (2) give them a nice coating that leaves them looking thicker. Which is why I consistently tell my friends to pick this one up on their drugstore runs when they ask me about the best eyebrow-growth serums.

• Key ingredients: Castor oil, camellia leaf extract, hyaluronic acid
• Recommended use: Daily at night
• Size: 0.12 fl oz.

Glowing customer review: “I have been using this serum for almost two weeks, and I have definitely noticed a change in my eyelashes and eyebrows. The ends of my eyebrows have always been sparse, but now they are less so.”

Both dermatologists Marisa Garshick, MD, and Kavita Mariwalla, MD, like this simple eyebrow-growth serum as a moisturizing option that’s still lightweight (see: the ingredients list without heavy oils and butters). “This formulation incorporates peptides, lipids, panthenol, and biotin to condition brows, along with calendula, which serves as a humectant to draw moisture in,” says Dr. Garshick.

• Key ingredients: Peptides, panthenol, biotin, calendula
• Recommended use: Daily at night
• Size: 0.1 fl oz.

Glowing customer review: “My eyebrows never had this much fullness or hair (even with tinting). Not even close. I can’t recommend this highly enough. It absolutely works.”

If your brow hairs feel brittle and are constantly falling out (and your doctor gave you a clean bill of health), try this lash and brow serum which uses arginine, an amino acid, to “help strengthen and boost your brows,” says board-certified dermatologist Marisa Garshick, MD. You won’t notice faster eyebrow-hair growth, but your brows will be stronger and more resistant to damage with continued use, which will lead to less hair fall and thicker brows over time.

• Key ingredients: Arginine, glycerin
• Recommended use: Daily at night
• Size: 0.21 fl oz.

Glowing customer review: “Purchased as I lost all my eyebrows and eyelashes due to chemotherapy. My doctor told me eyebrows take a long time to come back. I couldn’t be more thrilled with the results. Six weeks after I finished chemo, I have all my eyebrows back. I’m even thinking of canceling my microblading appointment!”

If you want bushy, filled-in brows without using an eyebrow pencil and gel, look to this eyebrow-growth serum from Grande Cosmetics. It’s filled with strengthening amino acids, hydrating panthenol and hyaluronic acid, and antioxidant-packed grapeseed extract, all of which board-certified dermatologist Marisa Garshick, MD, says will help moisturize your eyebrows to potentially lead to “fuller, healthier-looking brows after six to eight weeks.”

• Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, amino acids, panthenol, grapeseed extract
• Recommended use: Daily at night (for up to four months, then three to four nights a week)
• Size: 0.1 fl oz.

Growing customer review: “I did not go into this with high hopes, but—oh snap—this stuff isn’t playing. My eyebrows are fuller and darker. I don’t feel like I have to fill them in before I leave the house, which is kind of a big deal.”

Whether or not eyebrow growth serums work depends on what you’re looking for. Eyebrow serums don’t actually help eyebrows grow any thicker or faster—they just have moisturizing and strengthening ingredients to boost your brow health. So if you’re looking for a way to keep your existing eyebrows healthy and also add a coat of thickness from the oils in the serum, you’ll be good with any brow serum on this list.

But will an eyebrow-growth transform your skimpy tadpole arches into thick, Lily Collins–level brows? Nope, not even a little, despite what that high-school friend says on Facebook. The only way to get true, visible growth is with a Latisse prescription from your dermatologist.

You can potentially help increase eyebrow hair growth with two ingredients: (1) bimatoprost, the active ingredient in Latisse; and (2) minoxidil, the active ingredient in Rogaine, says dermatologist Marisa Garshick. In a small-scale study, patients noticed increased hair density after coating their brows with .01 percent bimatoprost lotion (similar to the .03 percent bimatoprost in Latisse) once a day for six months.

Similarly, in another small-scale study, patients saw thicker brows after applying 1 percent minoxidil lotion to their eyebrows twice a day for 16 weeks (just beware, as noted above, that this can be majorly irritating, so you’ll want to start slow, consult your derm, and load up on soothing moisturizer afterward like Vanicream). Still, more studies are needed before dermatologists can conclude whether or not these ingredients directly increase eyebrow-hair growth.

In the meantime, other topicals, like antioxidants, peptides, and moisturizers, can be helpful in your journey to thick, bushy brows. “Peptides, vitamins and antioxidants may help to strengthen and improve the overall texture and quality of the brows,” says Dr. Garshick, “which can improve the overall appearance, but may not specifically grow eyebrow hairs.”