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It seems everything—from potato chips to pressed powder—uses the term natural in some capacity. How do we know if something is truly natural? Has the term become a misnomer?
Jamie Anderson: The term natural is not effectively regulated, so it tends to get misused regularly. You can slap the word natural on nearly anything. For this reason, we felt we had to take the initiative to define what natural means in terms of our environment. What is natural beauty? We have defined the term as it relates to Sephora, and products must live up to that definition to be considered natural.
What is Sephora's definition of natural?
JA: At Sephora, products that are considered natural have committed to formulating with high concentrations of antioxidants, botanicals, essential oils, fruit extracts, marine bioactives, minerals and vitamins, and fewer to no GMOs, parabens, petrochemicals, phthalates, sulfates, synthetic dyes, synthetic fragrances, and triclosan.
And any product that Sephora says is natural has met these standards?
JA: Any product that wants to be categorized as natural at Sephora has to go through our audit. A process has been put into place where we review the ingredients and other documentation to ensure they meet our standards. On average we're auditing 25-35 products a week. And not every product meets the standard, but the ones that do receive our green logo, which indicates it has met our criteria.
Why did Sephora feel so compelled to define this category and establish this self-regulating, or as you call it, auditing process?
JA: Anyone can put the word natural on a label, but a client would have to be very educated to know what to look for on that label. We wanted to simplify it and make it easier to navigate the category. When a product passes the audit, it receives our green logo. When you walk into a Sephora store or shop online and see that logo, you know what you are getting—naturally formulated products.
The beauty industry is always evolving—be it new ingredients or new formulations. How is Sephora's auditing system keeping up with the ever-evolving business?
JA: With natural products in such high demand, more options are becoming available. New ingredients are being sourced and products are being reformulated, so we have to stay on top of the industry and evolve with it. We read books and clinical studies, and we subscribe to a variety of newsletters and publications related to cosmetic chemistry. We also attend science and research and development conferences, as well as work with brand formulators to stay up-to-date on green chemistry. Our auditing system is evolving quickly, and the criteria we have in place now will change and update as the industry does.
Have any other beauty retailers done this—established there own auditing system to clearly identify what is natural?
JA: I'm not aware of any other beauty retailer that has established this kind of initiative. No one, to my knowledge, clearly calls out how they define natural. Our process has made it a lot easier to shop for naturals and know what you are getting in terms of ingredients.
For the people reading this who don't believe natural products are effective, what are your parting words?
JA: A lot of progress has been made in this category. What you may not realize is a lot of your favorite ingredients are also available in natural formulations. If you're a fan of peptides, there are natural peptides derived from wheat. It's the same with ingredients like vitamins A and C. It's just vitamins A and C naturally sourced.
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