AORA Makes Sephora History With Plastic-Free Makeup

Sephora has embraced clean beauty for years, but AORA marks a first for the retailer. Starting July 17, the Mexico City brand arrives at Sephora as the retailer’s first fully plastic-free beauty brand, a milestone AORA has been building toward since 2022.

Founders Nour Tayara and Rodrigo Peñafiel built the brand on a dare to themselves: to make sustainable beauty that doesn’t look or feel like a compromise. Everything ships in tin, aluminum or wood. No plastic anywhere. And the formulas draw straight from Mexican pantries and gardens, with ingredients including native chiles, tepezcohuite and cactus flower.

“Sephora sets the standard in beauty, and when it embraces a new idea, the industry pays attention,” Tayara says. He calls the deal validation that a brand born in Mexico can help define what comes next for the category, not just follow it.

The lineup arriving at Sephora already has a fan base. The Acaríciame Más Spicy Lip Serum ($30) built its cult following on an actual tingling chile kick. The Inícia Illuminating Primer ($35) has sold out three separate times online and is making its retail debut at Sephora. Then there’s the reflective, pyramid-shaped Mírame Palette ($65) and the collectible leather Chile Carrier Charm ($49).

There’s a cultural angle too. Spanish-language packaging and bilingual content are still rare at major beauty retailers, and AORA is one of the few brands showing up with both, a nod to the buying power and influence of Latinx beauty shoppers.

AORA backs up its sustainability claims with numbers. Through a rePurpose Global partnership, every AORA purchase funds the removal of nine times its weight in plastic waste. So far, the partnership has removed more than 2,390 kilograms, or roughly 5.6 million straws’ worth.

That track record is what’s earning AORA a spot in Sephora’s Clean + Planet Aware assortment alongside brands such as Saie and Caliray, making the launch both a major milestone for the brand and a broader step forward for plastic-free beauty.