Sephora, a leading name in the global beauty retail sector, is making strides in integrating sustainability into its business practices. Its commitment to sustainability shows up in its efforts around packaging recycling, through its Beauty (Re)Purposed program launched in May 2023, and refillable products — it launched a dedicated program in April 2019.
Last year, in partnership with Pact Collective, Sephora launched Beauty (Re)Purposed in its U.S. and Canadian stores. The program allows consumers to dispose of their beauty product packaging at dedicated in-store stations to help divert it from landfills. Sephora accepts packaging from products by any brand as long as it meets Pact’s guidelines. The annual cost of Sephora’s Pact membership is $12,500 plus collection fees. The program is free to use for customers at select in-store locations. Sephora declined to comment on the financial impact of the program.
Desta Raines, director of sustainability at Sephora, said the company’s sustainability efforts involve optimizing products’ life cycles, as well as pioneering initiatives in packaging recycling.
In a conversation with Glossy, below, she spoke about the retailer’s proactive approach to sustainability.
How does the Beauty (Re)Purposed program align with Sephora’s broader sustainability goals?
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“The program allows consumers to make more sustainable choices and give their beauty products a second life. Over the past decade, Sephora has worked with G2 Revolution, a specialty recycling solutions company, to divert more than 23 million pounds of returned, damaged or expired cosmetic product waste from landfills. The Beauty (Re)Purposed program represents the next step by offering a consumer-facing program. To date, Beauty (Re)Purposed has collected more than 10,860 pounds of hard-to-recycle material, which is the equivalent of approximately 217,220 lipstick tubes.
Curbside recycling programs can be confusing, and the beauty and wellness industry’s hard-to-recycle packaging mostly ends up in landfills because it is either too small, too flexible or made of too many materials to be traditionally recycled. Bringing awareness to this issue at scale and educating consumers on how to properly dispose of their empty packaging will help us close the loop on the beauty industry’s hard-to-recycle packaging.”
How have customers responded to the refillables and Beauty (Re)Purposed programs?
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“Cities with customers demonstrating significant participation in Beauty (Re)Purposed include Chicago, Seattle and Brooklyn. The interest in refillables is up, as well, [as seen in the sales of] products like Youth to the People’s Superfood Cleanser refill and Skinfix’s Triple Lipid Peptide Cream refill pod.”
What challenges have you encountered in implementing the Beauty (Re)Purposed and refillables programs?
“Awareness and education around proper recycling can be confusing and unclear, making it even harder for people to participate. We have ensured the visibility of recycling bins and clear signage in-store, making it easier for customers to locate and use them. Additionally, we have leveraged digital platforms such as the Sephora App, website and social media to raise awareness about the collection program and provide clear instructions on how to participate. By doing this, our volume of collected materials is increasing month-over-month.
Similarly for refills, education and awareness are key priorities. For more than six years, we have offered a broad selection of clean and sustainable beauty options across makeup, skin care, fragrance and hair care, in partnership with our prestige brand partners. This year, we’ve launched the new Clean at Sephora and Planet Aware at Sephora seals globally. Brands that meet the new Planet Aware at Sephora criteria adhere to a robust set of 30+ criteria around ingredient sourcing and formulation, packaging, corporate commitments, and consumer transparency. Quite a number of products in our refill assortment meet the Clean at Sephora or Planet Aware at Sephora criteria, or both.”
How does Sephora decide which products or brands to include in the refillables program?
“When we work with brands, we look for ones that understand and offer a clear solution to customers’ needs. We’re often analyzing our assortment to find out where it may make sense to recommend a brand look into adding a refill option for a product. And, if we’re discussing any future plans with a brand, looking into new refill options is top-of-mind for us.”
Does Sephora offer any incentives to encourage customer participation in Beauty (Re)Purposed?
“We’re looking into other methods of making the Beauty (Re)Purposed process more approachable, such as an upcoming Beauty Insider gamification challenge launching in the coming months.
From a refill standpoint, we work closely with the brands on consumer education around their products. This includes easy-to-follow visual guides on how to use specific refill packaging, or information on how much plastic is being saved by using a refill versus purchasing a fully packaged version. The company’s Auto-Replenish option is another way for customers to get in the habit of using refills when possible to reduce waste, with the additional benefit of saving 5% on the purchase price, which can be an additive savings as many refill products have a slightly lower price point than their fully packaged versions.”
How does Sephora gather feedback on the Beauty (Re)Purposed and refillables programs to improve them?
“Depending on the program, Sephora and our brand partners work together to gather feedback through customer surveys, product reviews, social media comments and Sephora store teams. All these methods allow shoppers and our team members to share their experiences, opinions and suggestions regarding the respective programs. By receiving feedback directly from consumers, we’re ensuring that we hear their needs and that future programming and efforts reflect just that.”
Are there plans to expand the refillables program?
“Yes – we have plans to expand our refillables selection to more than 100 products by the summer. Currently, there are more than 90 refill products offered on Sephora’s website from more than 45 brands, including newly added items such as Josie Maran Body Butter refill pouches, Salt & Stone body wash refill pouches and Glow Recipe Watermelon Pink Juice Moisturizer refills.”
