Manufacturing for Sephora Clean and Other Retailer Clean Standards
Vaulabs develops and manufactures skincare, body care and hair care in Clearwater, Florida for brands that are planning a retail launch. When the target is a retailer with its own clean program, such as Sephora Clean, we build the formula against that retailer's published exclusion list before development starts, rather than adjusting it after a buyer flags an ingredient.
What a retailer clean standard is
Retailer clean programs are exclusion lists. They name ingredients that cannot appear in a product sold under the program. For Sephora Clean the excluded categories include parabens, sulfates (SLS and SLES), phthalates, formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, and mineral oil, among others. Each retailer maintains its own list, the lists differ from one another, and they are revised over time. A formula that clears one retailer is not automatically accepted by the next.
What we do on the manufacturing side
- Start from the list. The retailer's current exclusion list is the first input of the brief, next to texture, claims and price point.
- Clean by default. Our formulas are made without parabens, sulfates and phthalates across skincare, haircare, body care, oils and liquids. See paraben, sulfate and phthalate-free formulation.
- Check preservation and fragrance sourcing. These are where clean programs most often catch a formula: preservative systems, formaldehyde releasers, and fragrance components have to be checked ingredient by ingredient.
- Review claims before they are printed. Wording on the label and the product page is checked against the formula and the documents behind it.
- Provide the paperwork. Ingredient specifications, certificates of analysis and batch records are available to the brand for its retailer submission. See COA and batch documentation.
What the brand still owns
Admission to a retailer program is decided by the retailer and applied for by the brand, not by the manufacturer. A manufacturer cannot make a product "Sephora Clean" on its own. We make a formula that is built to the list and documented for the submission; the brand confirms the current version of the retailer's list, holds the relationship with the buyer and signs the application.
Frequently asked questions
Can you formulate to Sephora Clean standards?
Yes. We develop custom formulas against the retailer's exclusion list from the first brief, and we confirm each ingredient against the list in force at the time of development.
Does the product become "Sephora Clean" because you made it?
No. The retailer decides which products enter its program. Our part is the formula, the testing and the documentation that support the brand's application.
What if the retailer changes its list after launch?
Lists are revised. Because the formula is custom and documented ingredient by ingredient, a change can be assessed against it directly and a reformulation scoped if one is needed.
Is this the same as private label?
No. Private label sells an existing formula under your name. Custom formulation develops yours. See custom formulation vs private label.
What do brands usually bring to a first conversation about retail?
The target retailer, the product type, the expected first order and the launch window. From that we can assess formulation scope, stability testing and timing. See manufacturing for indie brands scaling to retail.
Vaulabs, LLC. 2021 Sunnydale Boulevard, Clearwater, Florida 33765. Discuss your project.