Miranda Kerr Was Ahead of the Game on Clean Beauty—Here’s What She’s Focusing on Next

When Miranda Kerr launched Kora Organics in 2009, the model-turned entrepreneur was talking about clean beauty years before most of the beauty industry caught up. Now, she’s setting her sights on a different priority: sustainability.

For Kerr, using organic ingredients continues to be the foundation of the brand, in part because the practices used in organic agriculture are inherently more earth friendly. Kora Organics products are all Cosmos Organic certified by Ecocert, which means they’re grown and processed in an environmentally responsible way. “Organic farming is a lot more sustainable…from day one, I really wanted that standard to be upheld,” Kerr says. “There are so many buzzwords out there at the moment, which causes confusion for customers. With our certification, we can be transparent, and I love that. Plus, certified organic ingredients give people better results.” (She points to a Cambridge study that suggests up to 60 percent more antioxidants are found in organic ingredients.)

Beyond formulation, though, is the issue of packaging. The beauty industry produces a staggering amount of plastic waste, the vast majority of which goes into a landfill. (Yes, even the stuff you toss into a recycling bin.) Although Kora Organics uses plastic in its packaging, Kerr says the brand is shifting toward reusable and easily recycled packaging. Expect to see more glass, she says, as—unlike plastic—glass can be recycled nearly infinitely. “We’re constantly looking at options that are more environmentally friendly,” Kerr says, citing the glass-bottled Milky Mushroom Cleanser as an example.

“Having refillable options excites me because, obviously, there’s less waste involved.” —Miranda Kerr

For the moment, there’s Kora Organics’ new launch, the Turmeric Glow Moisturizer ($58). Two years in the making, the brightening moisturizer is presented in a hefty glass jar, which is then topped with a faceted lid inspired by what Kerr calls the “bright energy” of citrine. Inside, a sealed pod of the cream nestles into place and can be swapped out with a refill pod ($48) when it’s finished. “Having refillable options excites me because, obviously, there’s less waste involved,” Kerr says. “You get to have a beautiful product that is more sustainable. If we each do our little part, it can make a difference.”

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