What is AORA, Sephora’s First Plastic-Free Beauty Brand?

To help expand its sustainability commitments, beauty retailer Sephora is adding its first fully plastic-free brand to its product line-up.

The company aims to bring about change into the beauty industry, which is governed by single-use, disposable plastic packaging.

Launching plastic-free products

AORA is launching at Sephora with a variety of products and a growing cult following.

The brand’s Spicy Lip Serum is known for its signature spicy sensation, coming from the five native Mexican chiles in its formula, which are locally sourced from regions of the country.

It offers a range of viral products that link beauty and fashion while leaning into the growing interest in wearable accessories and brand merchandise.

AORA’s launch marks a milestone for representation in the beauty sector, with Spanish-language packaging and bilingual digital content.

The company aims to embrace the purchasing power, cultural influence and beauty leadership of its Latinx consumers.

Nour Tayara, CEO of AORA, told Sustainability Magazine: “We didn’t build AORA to be the ‘sustainable alternative’. We built it to prove that sustainability belongs at the centre of prestige beauty.

“Consumers shouldn’t have to choose between luxury, performance and responsibility.

“Sephora welcoming its first fully plastic-free beauty brand sends a powerful message to the industry: sustainability is no longer a niche trend or a compromise. It’s becoming the new standard.” 

About AORA

AORA was founded in Mexico City in 2022, built on the belief that luxury, high performance and environmental responsibility can exist.

Each of the company’s products is packaged in tin, aluminium or wood, with no plastic in the packaging.

The packaging is formulated with Mexican-origin ingredients including chiles and cactus flower.

As the first plastic-free beauty brand at Sephora, AORA aims to challenge the beauty industry’s reliance on single-use plastic packaging.

Each purchase of AORA’s products funds the removal of nine times its weight in plastic waste from nature, certified with rePurpose Global.

To date, AORA’s sales have helped fund the removal of more than 2,390 kilograms of plastic waste, which is equivalent to 400,000 single-use plastic bags.

Sephora’s sustainability commitments

As one of the world’s leading prestige beauty retailers, Sephora connects customers and brands across 35 markets, with 50,000 global employees.

Its aim is to break conventions in the sector, driving its mission to expand the beauty sector and empower its consumers.

Sephora’s Global Green Heart Roadmap sets out its sustainability plans, focusing on reducing emissions, promoting sustainable consumption, rethinking packaging and waste and engaging employees in sustainability.

Its targets are to use 100% renewable electricity by 2026 and to reduce airfreight transport by 2030.

Sephora plans to install and promote in-store collectors for empty beauty containers in 75% of its stores by 2026.

It also aims to source 100% certified paper and cardboard in its key usage categories by 2026 and return, donate or recycle 100% of its unsold products by 2030.

Carley Klekas, Global Senior Director, Sustainable Consumption at Sephora, writes on LinkedIn: “Sephora has worked hard to make progress towards our sustainability goals, but the journey is far from over.

“We remain committed to driving positive change within our industry and continuing to collaborate and innovate towards a more sustainable planet.

“We all have the power to make a change and small steps can lead to big impacts.”