Every lipstick and serum consumers buy has an environmental footprint extending far beyond the shelf. The Planet Aware at Sephora seal was created to shrink those impacts and make it easy for shoppers to spot the brands that are “walking the talk.” When this badge appears on a shelf or product page, it indicates that the company is tackling climate, waste, and sourcing. By rolling this standard out worldwide, Sephora is turning “sustainable” from a niche promise into a mainstream standard. For brands, Planet Aware showcases months of supply-chain work in a symbol every customer understands, earning trust at the speed of a glance. At the same time, shoppers gain instant confidence that the products they buy are authentically sustainable.

“It's a comprehensive process, but it’s vital for ensuring that the brands we work with are truly walking the walk when it comes to sustainability.”

-Carley Klekas, Director of Global Product Sustainability at Sephora

What is Planet Aware at Sephora?

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Planet Aware is a holistic sustainability standard that serves as a trust mark for how products are made across an entire brand portfolio—not just a single hero SKU. The certification rewards brands working to improve their overall environmental responsibility.

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To qualify, brands must meet 30+ mandatory criteria across four pillars. The pillars include:

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1. Sustainable Ingredient Sourcing and Formulation: Brands that commit to sustainably source certain ingredients and develop formulas with a product's lifecycle and environmental impact in mind, including by not intentionally adding phthalates and chemical UV filters.
2. Sustainable Packaging: Brands that reduce packaging waste where possible, aim to incorporate refillable, recyclable, and compostable packaging, and prioritize use of recycled materials.
3. Corporate Commitments: Brands that strive to make efforts related to their environmental impact, including measuring and tracking their footprint and aspiring to reduce their environmental impact.
4. Consumer Transparency​​: Brands that provide certain information related to product environmental impact to help customers make informed choices on the products they choose, such as how to best sort and recycle product packaging.

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Examples include ethical sourcing, cruelty-free test policies, emissions targets, and packaging reduction. Brands must also complete a number of additional actions, such as running a life-cycle assessment (LCA), switching to certified circular packaging, or setting science-based emissions targets. Because the program judges the system behind the product, shoppers can trust that every item carrying the seal aligns with the same rigorous bar.

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What sets Planet Aware apart?

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• Massive visibility, real growth. Bold icons on shelf tags, product tiles, and search filters steer Sephora’s 1.8 billion annual visits toward badge-bearing brands. With 3,000 points of sale in-store and online, that exposure matters.
• Brand-wide trust. Unlike retailers that certify a single SKU, Sephora demands progress across an entire product portfolio which ensures a consistent, trustworthy experience for shoppers.
• One rulebook worldwide. The same standards apply in North America, Europe, and Asia, simplifying compliance for multinational brands. It also gives shoppers confidence that the icon on a shelf in Paris matches the promise made in Atlanta or online.
• Science-backed, regularly updated. Sephora consults toxicologists, climate scientists, and NGOs, and revisits the criteria as regulations and best practices evolve.
• Tiered path to impact. Planet Aware’s mix of 32 mandatory and additional elective actions across four pillars gives brands a clear path from basic compliance to transformational impact. Newcomers can start small, while trailblazers can go deep with actions such as setting science-based climate targets.
• Help for partners. Sephora helps North American partners transition to more sustainable products through sustainability guides and an education series covering topics from eco-design to responsible sourcing.
• Circularity in motion. Take-back bins are now in more than half (56%) of Sephora’s stores worldwide, recovering 81 metric tons of empty beauty packaging in 2023. In France, more than six million perfume bottles have been collected since 2009. And, in Thailand, swapping plastic bubble wrap for Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified paper for e-commerce parcels avoids 3.25 metric tons of plastic annually.

Accelerate your Planet Aware progress with Novi.

‍As Sephora’s exclusive tech partner for Planet Aware, Novi helps brands meet the retailer’s ambitious sustainability standards with confidence. By uploading ingredient, sourcing, and packaging data to the platform, brands receive tailored guidance, actionable suggestions, and organized documentation that aligns with Sephora’s criteria. The result: faster approvals, less friction, and more badged products on shelves.

‍“Novi is a game-changer in helping brands get more sustainable products into the hands of our clients.”

-Carly Klekas, Global Director of Product Sustainability at Sephora

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The bottom line is that Planet Aware transforms sustainability from buzzword to benchmark. It gives brands a playbook for more sustainable innovation, while giving consumers confidence that "beautiful" can also be "responsible."

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The purpose behind Sephora’s Planet Aware program

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Sephora launched the Planet Aware program to address consumer expectations, regulatory pressure, and its own environmental footprint.

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Internally, Sephora’s analysis showed that products account for over half of its Scope 3 emissions, making sourcing and packaging key levers for impact. Externally, demand for eco-friendly beauty had soared—at the time, 62% of Gen Z and Millennials said they preferred to buy from sustainable brands.

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In response, Sephora launched Planet Aware to support its business and sustainability goals. The retailer has earned broad recognition for this work, including being named as Forbes’ Best Brands for Social Impact and Newsweek’s America’s Most Loved Brands.

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Who benefits from the Planet Aware program?

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Planet Aware at Sephora wasn’t created solely to meet corporate goals—it was intentionally designed to deliver value to consumers and brands alike.

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Consumers can shop globally with confidence. The Planet Aware seal looks—and means—the same online and on every Sephora shelf where the program has been rolled out. One icon confirms that the brand is actively cutting waste, emissions, and questionable sourcing. Moreover, shoppers can close the loop more easily by dropping empties into store recycling stations, keeping hard-to-recycle packaging out of landfills.

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For brands, the certification unlocks Sephora search filters, in-store displays, and faster global compliance. It also helps them stay ahead of looming climate rules and win over beauty shoppers who expect proof, not empty promises.

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How does Planet Aware at Sephora work?

For consumers

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• Look for the seal on shelf tags, product tiles, and online—it instantly signals that the brand meets Sephora's sustainability standards.
• Filter your search. On Sephora.com or the app, select “Planet Aware” to narrow thousands of SKUs to environmentally responsible options in seconds.
• Recycle empties. Drop used packaging in the in-store take-back bins. Programs vary by region: Beauty (Re)Purposed in North America, Good for Recycling in France, and TerraCycle in Australia and New Zealand.
• Dig into details. Product pages link to ingredient lists, sourcing policies, and impact metrics for transparency at a glance.
• Shop globally with confidence. The standards—and the seals—mean the same thing whether you buy in Atlanta, Paris, or Rio de Janeiro.

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For brands

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1. Assessment: Complete the Planet Aware questionnaire covering the four pillars.
2. Evidence: Submit supporting evidence, such as third-party test reports (e.g., talc asbestos screening), LCAs, FSC audits, Fair Trade certificates, emissions inventories, etc., via Novi (or Sephora’s portal).
3. Evaluation: Sephora’s sustainability team scores Planet Aware submissions. Brands must hit 100% of 32 must-have criteria and a minimum number of “additional criteria” that must be met.
4. Approval and renewal: Achieve alignment to earn brand-wide badging across all Sephora markets where the program operates. Recertification may be required periodically, especially when Sephora updates its standards or when a product’s formula or packaging changes.
5. Continuous improvement: Sephora offers education modules on eco-design, responsible sourcing, and carbon reduction to help partners level up year over year.​​

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Additional considerations

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• Ingredient integrity still matters. While Planet Aware is not focused on banning specific chemicals, it does require ethical sourcing, environmental safety, and cruelty-free practices. This includes avoiding ingredients that are harmful to the environment.
• Circularity is non-negotiable. Brands must demonstrate real progress on packaging reduction or recyclability—simply offsetting plastic isn’t enough.
• Climate action is baked in. Calculating operational emissions is mandatory, not optional, for all brands. Large brands must also calculate Scope 3 and set reduction targets verified by a third party.
• Transparency extends to consumers. Participants must provide clear sustainability information—such as carbon impact, traceability, and recyclability—through packaging, online content, or QR codes.
• Planet Aware ≠ Clean at Sephora. A brand can qualify for Planet Aware without meeting all the restricted-substance rules of Clean (and vice versa). Brands that clear both hurdles earn Sephora’s highest accolade: the Clean + Planet Aware dual badge.​​

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Brands: Simplify your Planet Aware journey with Novi

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Planet Aware reframes “eco-friendly beauty” from glossy marketing to measurable action. For shoppers, it transforms a crowded aisle into a curated collection of brands that prioritize forests, climate action, and responsible sourcing. For brands, it offers a clear sustainability roadmap that future-proofs portfolios and builds trust with conscious consumers. In short, the badge is both a promise for the planet and a growth play for forward-thinking brands.

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As Sephora’s tech partner for Planet Aware, Novi simplifies the certification path. Upload your formulas and packaging once, and Novi does the heavy lifting—flagging non-compliant materials, recommending verified alternatives, and organizing the exact documentation Sephora’s team needs. The result? Less back-and-forth, faster approvals, and your badged products on shelves sooner.

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Start your Planet Aware journey today with Novi.