Proving it's about time beauty broke up with plastic, the Mexico-born brand earns recognition for challenging the industry's waste problem with first-to-market, 100% plastic-free packaging

MEXICO CITY, Oct. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- AORA México, the Mexico-born beauty brand taking on the industry's plastic waste problem, has been named to TIME's Best Inventions of 2026 list, recognizing 300 extraordinary innovations changing the way we live. With high-performance formulas housed in 100% plastic-free, recycle-ready packaging, AORA is proving that the future of beauty doesn't need plastic. It's about time!

The beauty industry produces 120 billion packaging units annually, yet 95% are made from plastic, contain mixed materials or are too small for conventional recycling. Challenging that status quo, AORA became the first entirely plastic-free makeup brand to launch at Sephora, replacing conventional packaging with recyclable, reusable designs crafted from aluminum, tin and wood. Certified Plastic Negative through rePurpose Global, AORA also funds the recovery of nine times each product's weight in plastic waste. To date, its customers have helped remove more than 2,390 kilograms of plastic waste, equivalent to 5.6 million straws, 132,000 bottles or nearly 400,000 shopping bags.

"The beauty industry is full of trash, and we're on a mission to change that, not just by eliminating plastic from our products, but by helping clean up the industry's waste," said Nour Tayara, co-founder of AORA México. "We set out to make sustainability sexy, cool, colorful and fun while tackling what seemed impossible: creating incredible makeup people want to cherish, without plastic. Years of research, development and innovation later, being named one of TIME's Best Inventions proves the answer is a big, resounding yes."

Years of research and development went into cracking a challenge the beauty industry has long avoided: creating high-performance makeup without plastic packaging. AORA engineered mono-material designs that simplify recycling while developing bold formulas featuring Mexican-origin ingredients like five chiles, tepezcohuite and cactus flower. With unapologetic color, Spanish product names and artisan-inspired design, the brand refuses to compromise on performance, sustainability or its Mexican roots, proving that sustainability can come from anywhere!

To compile this year's list, TIME solicited nominations from TIME editors and correspondents around the world, and through an online application process, paying special attention to growing fields. TIME then evaluated each contender on a number of key factors, including originality, efficacy, ambition, and impact.

See the full list here: ti.me/best-inventions. For more information on AORA, visit AORAMakeup.com or follow @AORAMakeup.

About AORA México
Founded in Mexico City in 2022 by Nour Tayara and Rodrigo Peñafiel, AORA México is an award-winning luxury color cosmetics brand on a mission to make clean beauty colorful and plastic-free packaging the standard. Inspired by the Spanish word ahora, meaning "now," AORA combines high-performance formulas, Mexican-origin ingredients and bold, 100% plastic-free packaging. Certified Plastic Negative through rePurpose Global, every purchase funds the recovery of nine times its weight in plastic waste. Clean beauty, now in color.

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SOURCE AORA México