Podcast 250: Are beauty retailers overstepping?

Are beauty retailers the new champions of accountability – or are they overstepping their bounds?

With regulators taking their time and consumers demanding more transparency, major retailers like Sephora, Target, and Amazon are taking the lead and are becoming the self-appointed regulators of the beauty industry.

But is this right? Tune in to this week’s episode of Green Beauty Conversations to find out!

Building on last week’s conversation with Kimberly Shenk of Novi, Lorraine Dallmeier, Chartered Environmentalist, Biologist, and CEO of Formula Botanica, unpacks whether retailers are filling an urgent regulatory gap or adding to the confusion for brands and shoppers alike.

Let us know what you think in the comments below!

“Retailers are becoming the de facto gatekeepers of our industry, but at what cost?” – Lorraine Dallmeier

Key takeaways:

• Retailers as the new regulators: With slow-moving government action, retailers have begun stepping into the regulatory void. They’re now requiring proof from brands to substantiate claims, holding them accountable.
• Challenges for indie brands: Complying with each self-imposed standard can be costly and time-intensive for smaller brands. This creates an uneven playing field, as smaller brands may struggle to compete with larger brands.
• Patchwork standards add confusion: Beauty retailers define standards differently, creating an “alphabet soup” of requirements. For consumers, this may be confusing and lead to confusion.
• Bigger brands held to indie standards: Interestingly, some of the standards retailers adopt originate from practices pioneered by indie brands. This is pushing larger brands to adapt, showcasing how smaller players continue to influence the industry.

Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Formula Botanica Green Beauty Conversations podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share, subscribe and review this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Youtube so that more people can enjoy the show. Don’t forget to follow and connect with us on Facebook and Instagram.

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Lorraine Dallmeier

Lorraine Dallmeier is a Biologist, Chartered Environmentalist and the CEO of Formula Botanica, the award-winning online organic cosmetic science school. Read more about Lorraine and the Formula Botanica Team.