Sephora is going fur-free. The beauty retailer has confirmed that it will discontinue selling mink eyelashes, and they will no longer be available for purchase at Sephora online or in stores.
“At Sephora, we have always been committed to upholding the highest standards of beauty, and we take our responsibility to communicate transparently and honestly with our clients about the products we carry seriously,” the brand said in a statement. “As we shared with PETA, earlier this year we had already decided to begin phasing mink products out of our assortment in 2020. We have only ever offered products our clients can trust and we stand by the people and partners who have made the Sephora experience what it is today.”
PETA recently created a campaign around the issue and even created a graphic video showing a farm where minks are harvested for fur to make coats and fake eyelashes. “Mink fur typically comes from fur farms, where stressed minks frantically pace and circle endlessly inside cramped wire cages and many suffer from infections or broken or malformed legs,” a statement from the animal rights group read. “Some minks even self-mutilate as a result of the intensive confinement, gnawing on their own legs or tails. At the end of their miserable lives, they’re gassed or electrocuted or their necks are broken.”
Sephora’s decision to ban the controversial product, wasn’t a direct result of PETA’s campaign, but PETA’s Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman still congratulated the brand in a statement following the announcement. “There’s no difference between a mink coat and mink eyelashes when it comes to animal suffering,” she said. “PETA is celebrating Sephora’s decision to join Tarte, Too Faced, Urban Decay, and the scores of other brands that know that there’s nothing beautiful about stealing an animal’s fur.”
Sephora will phase out its remaining stock of mink eyelashes and will only purchase synthetic or faux-fur lashes moving forward.
