My Thin Patches Were No Match For This New Brow Growth Serum

In our series Trial Run, TZR editors and writers put the buzziest new beauty products to the test and share their honest reviews. This week, one beauty writer is testing the new Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Genius Conditioning Brow Serum.

My eyebrows — not unlike a 24-hour CVS and The Simpsons staying on-air — are something I often take for granted. They’re both pretty thick and a vaguely acceptable shape, and I’ve made peace with that being the end of it. Until I saw this Zendaya look, that is. This photo changed me — approximately 4547 screenshots of it live on my phone, and it sent me on a level-up rabbit hole. It seems like some entity out there agreed that my brows had room for improvement because an opportunity to test out the new Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Genius Conditioning Brow Serum popped up just a few weeks later.

If you were of a certain age through the Great Eyebrow Revolution of 2012, the name Anastasia Beverly Hills is a sacred one. As an original pioneer and developer of brow-specific makeup products, ABH built an empire from a population of people who seemed to all collectively realize one day, “Wait, do I need to...do something with my eyebrows?” And after 25 years in the industry, ABH’s Brow Genius release is a long time coming. With clinical studies and trials backing the serum’s claims of softening, smoothing, and stimulating eyebrows — and a sterling brand reputation — I was ready to give my brows the overhaul they’d been silently screaming for. Keep reading to see how the product performed after a few weeks of testing.

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Fast Facts

• Price: $65
• Best for: Those looking to promote brow growth in sparser areas
• Your rating: 4/5
• Clean/Cruelty-Free? Yes
• What we like: Chic tube; plenty of celebrated ingredients like red ginseng, biotin, and peptides
• What we don’t like: Tiny brush can feel flimsy

My Brows

Up until the fifth grade — the year I got my very first wax — I had a thick, dark monobrow snaking across my forehead. While my eyebrows were a source of embarrassment then, I’m very grateful for their fullness and color now. Pseudo-brow lamination with hair gel has been a game-changer in how my eyebrows behave — a quick brush-through with a spoolie or some clear brow gel and they’re locked in for 24 hours. My primary issues are sparse patches on their undersides, thinness at the very ends, and a coarse texture that makes them curl up like little horns when not freshly “laminated.” If I can get those balder spots to grow more hair, I can be free of brow pencils and powders entirely — my goal with the new serum.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Genius Brow Conditioning Serum

The ABH Brow Genius is something of a final frontier for the brow product-pioneering brand. Eponymous founder Anastasia Soare debuted the very first suite of brow-centric products a quarter-century ago, and she was sculpting rich and famous brows long before then, too. Anastasia Beverley Hills was (and still is) the very first introduction into the world of brow care for so many millennials and Gen Zers, so it’s natural that the collection would grow to include a nourishing serum.

Brow Genius follows the lead of earlier ABH products, housed in sleek, not-overtly-logo-heavy packaging. With the tiny, flexible-bend brush at the tip of the wand, users are instructed to lightly coat their brows in the direction they grow twice a day for a minimum of eight weeks to see maximum results — and it has to be super consistent. With a formula this stacked, it’s hard not to do. Red clover extract-infused peptides, Korean red ginseng, and biotin spell out fuller, stronger brows while classic conditioners like castor oil and panthenol smooth, soften, and shellac brows in a layer of hydration and protection.

First Impression of ABH Brow Genius

Considering the branding power of ABH, I was utterly unsurprised at how high-quality the Brow Genius looked and felt, both in my hand and on my brows. The discreet metallic-pink tube has a satisfying weight and the formula was (mercifully) scent-free — something you don’t want to take for granted with brow serums. The itty-bitty brush tip is just that, a true brush (rather than something like a doe-foot tip), which makes sense given the instructions to brush Brow Genius on in the direction of hair growth.

How I Used ABH Brow Genius

I started using the serum in the first few days of July and was pleased to see no irritation, no redness, and no discoloration or volume loss in the delicate skin around my eyes. That’s a major reason why so many avoid using brow and lash serums — FDA findings reveal a potential for orbital fat loss, which might sound appealing for youthful or fuller faces but can lead to a prematurely aged look later on down the line. I experienced none of that in my six weeks (and counting) of use. That said, a patch test and plenty of progress photos are always recommended when starting a new product.

In an effort to get more organized, I started setting alarms on my phone to remind me of different easily-forgotten tasks (take my vitamins, put on cuticle oil, FLOSS MY DAMN TEETH) and decided to fold it into my skin care routine. After cleansing my face and allowing my brows a few minutes to dry, I use paint-like strokes to work the Brow Genius serum in. My only issue is that the brush’s size and flexibility can make it difficult to really get in there with my thicker patches — I usually end up parting the hairs with a makeup brush for ease of access. The formula dries very quickly, leaves zero residue, and pairs great with my ultimate brow must-have: the OG Anastasia Clear Brow Gel.

My Results

I am beyond pleased with how full-looking my brows looked after just six weeks with the serum. My spottier areas are more structured and thick minus one never-gonna-go-away bald spot that didn’t bother me much anyway. Maybe I just have extra-unruly brows but I didn’t personally find that the serum did much for making my brows more manageable. They definitely feel softer and there’s virtually no fallout, but the wiry texture and curl is still there — and to be fair, that’s how the rest of my hair (and my whole family’s hair) is too.

Is ABH Brow Genius Worth It?

If you have thin brows and it bothers you, I absolutely recommend the ABH Brow Genius. The growth and how much fuller my existing brows look — not to mention the brow hair retention factor — make the serum absolutely worth it. As far as price and accessibility go, there’s a decent amount of product offered compared to other leading serums, and the ABH Brow Genius boasts around 3.5 milliliters of formula (more than many other options on the market). After six weeks, I feel like there’s still tons of product left in the tube — the brush is loaded with moisture every time.

If you already have strong brows and are looking for something to tame them, possibly consider a more specific alternative. But even as I write this, I just ran my finger across my brows and they do feel pretty darn soft. Is it too early (or too greedy?) to start dreaming of ABH’s next 25 years? Who knows what’s coming on the heels of this breakthrough?

BDG product reviews and recommendations are written and conducted by writers and editors with expertise in their fields. Testers often have specific experience with the situation or product at hand, and/or their review or recommendation is provided in consultation with experts. You can learn more about our standards here.