As many of you know, Sephora is the premier cosmetic retailer of virtually every brand available from Lorac to Urban Decay.  Like many other retailers they have seen that all things green are in demand and make-up is no exception.  In response, they are now featuring a variety of eco-friendly cosmetics.

With regards to eco-friendly cosmetics, Sephora acknowledged that “when it comes to natural products, [the consumer] deserves it all: naturally derived formulas that deliver gorgeous results, too. Because the term “natural” is not regulated by the FDA, [they] created [their] own internal standards for the natural products [they] carry at Sephora—and a green logo to identify those that pass the test”.   They go on to explain that their eco-friendly cosmetics “have to have high concentrations of: antioxidants, botanicals, essential oils, fruit extracts, marine bioactives, minerals and vitamins”.

Sephora also demands that there be “fewer to no: GMOs (genetically modified organisms), parabens, petrochemicals, phthalates, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, synthetic dyes, triclosan”.  All products that meet their criteria are labeled with the green “Naturally Sephora” symbol.  This makes it easy for customers to recognize which products have made the eco grade.

Something I appreciated was that Sephora links to a glossary of terms on their website to help educate the consumer about what they want in there products and what has been eliminated.   You can read about commonly used “green terms” in our Ecopedia here.

In the current fall Sephora look-book they highlight an eye shadow palette where the compact is made of sustainable bamboo not plastic.  It goes to show that where there is demand for such an awareness to be reflective in products, the industry will react to consumer demand.  Speak up.  Tell your local retailers that you prefer products made with an eco-conscious.

Kudos to Sephora for heeding the eco-call and leading the ecofriendly cosmetic industry into this new green age.