For several years, Sephora has given online shoppers a quick way to check if an item contains parabens, sulfates, and phthalates with the "What it is formulated without" section of a product page's details. It's been a small but helpful way to give those avoiding that handful of controversial ingredients a quick heads-up, but as ingredient awareness increases among consumers, Sephora has been developing a way to clarify terminology like green and natural by clearly establishing what it, as a retailer, considers clean beauty. The result: a soon-to-launch category called "Clean at Sephora."

"Sephora continues to demystify beauty choices for clients, helping them find the right products for them, based on their lifestyle needs," says Artemis Patrick, chief merchandising officer for Sephora. "Many of them are looking to shop brands and products that are 'free of' and Sephora is responding to help them do that, easily and conveniently in-store, online, and on mobile." It's that philosophy of "free of" — meaning free of certain questionable and unwanted ingredients far beyond parabens, sulfates, and phthalates — that guides this new initiative, which starts June 1. "Together with Sephora’s brands, industry experts, external council — including feedback from clients — Sephora has curated a partnership with its brands across cosmetics, skin care, hair care, and fragrance that stand behind the 'Clean at Sephora' category."

And they're not starting small. Fifty brands are already signed on, and each one will feature a "Clean at Sephora" seal, and more than 2,000 product pages on sephora.com will be clearly marked as "clean." The category will even have its own landing page online and in-store area in shops nationwide. Online buying guides and education sections, Beauty Insider Community conversations, and Sephora app features will help shoppers gain a better understanding of the category's standards and how they apply to their lifestyle and beauty routine.