Plastic-Free Beauty Has Arrived at Sephora US
For years, plastic-free beauty has been something of a niche. But Sephora’s latest move suggests it’s ready for a much bigger audience. The retail giant is welcoming Aora México as the first fully plastic-free beauty brand to join its US lineup.
Founded in Mexico City in 2022 by Nour Tayara and Rodrigo Peñafiel, the makeup brand arrives on sephora.com later this month, following its launch into Credo Beauty in April.
Aora bypasses traditional single-use components entirely, utilising tin, aluminium, and wood to house its products. The formulas themselves incorporate authentic Mexican-origin ingredients, featuring tepezcohuite, cactus flower, and five native chiles. By rejecting plastic components, the brand directly challenges the beauty industry’s long-standing reliance on single-use packaging.
“This is the moment we built Aora for,” said Tayara. “Sephora sets the standard in beauty, and when it embraces a new idea, the industry pays attention. This launch proves that plastic-free luxury is no longer a niche concept. It belongs at the center of the beauty industry, and we’re proud to show that a brand born in Mexico can help define what’s next.”
As for what to shop, we love the Acaríciame Más Spicy Lip Serum, a viral hybrid lip treatment with the pigment payoff of a traditional lipstick. It comes in six sheer shades and its lightweight, non-sticky formula pairs hydrating hyaluronic acid and squalane with vitamin E and castor oil to nourish and protect the lips. But the real talking point has to be the chilli extract, which naturally boosts circulation to give an impressive plumping effect.
Another bestseller is the Mírame Palette that packs nine intensely pigmented shades into a reflective, pyramid-shaped compact. Each of the shadows — made up of a mix of silk-mattes and foil metallics — deliver a single-swipe payoff that blends down easily without losing vibrancy.
Our final favourite is the most recent addition to the Aora range, and one that’s already sold out three times online. It’s the Inícia Illuminating Primer, a hybrid gel-cream that can be used to prime, highlight, or add a dewy finish to any moisturiser or foundation. It promises 12-hour wear and active urban pollution defence, relying on native botanicals like tepezcohuite for cellular regeneration, cactus flower for hydration, Agastache mexicana to calm skin stress, and antioxidant-rich shea extract to prevent pollution-induced dullness.
When it comes to the brand’s environmental credentials, 100% plastic-free packaging isn’t its only planet-protecting initiative. Certified by rePurpose Global, every purchase funds the removal of nine times its weight in plastic waste from nature. So far, Aora’s customers have helped fund the removal of more than 2,390 kilograms of plastic waste — equivalent to more than 5.6 million straws, 132,778 bottles, and nearly 400,000 shopping bags.
Aora will be available via sephora.com from 17 July. The brand is not currently available in the UK.