Target announces new plan to phase out select chemical ingredients

The initiative is not restricted to beauty and personal care, but is essentially a push to make naturals more available to the masses. Target has been championing select indie and natural beauty brands for a few years now. This summer, for instance, natural skin care brand Fig + Yarrow joined the fold.

“I wanted to make this line available at Target because I wanted to make it accessible​,” Brandy Monique, the company’s founder said​ at the time. “Not only do Target’s guests appreciate these types of products, but our message about selfcare was really suited for the people that I know who shop at Target.”​

Made to matter​

In 2014 Target launched it Made to Matter program, a marketing initiative to promote organic, natural, and sustainable brands. Last year, according to the company, participating brands saw a 30% sales increase on average.

More brands are expected to get involved. And, “in the end, Target will earn the trust of green product enthusiasts and will be one of the go-to places for getting their green goods. Setting stricter ingredient guidelines, like it just did, will also help build on the success of this program,”​ predicts Craig Adeyanju of investopedia.com​.

Made without​

Target has set 2020 as a key year in the timeline. That’s when the retailer will require beauty products to list all of the ingredients in each formulation. “The new policy sets a goal of full ingredient disclosure by 2020 in categories consumers encounter most closely: beauty, baby, personal care and cleaning goods. The ultimate aim is disclosure of all ingredients in all products,”​ Lauren Coleman-Lochner and Andrew Martin of bloomberg.com​ explain. 

And that same year, the company will no longer sell products made with formaldehyde and phthalates or other ingredients of concern. Since alternative ingredient development is a challenge for manufacturers, and Target wants to position itself as an ally to both consumers and brands, the retailer has pledged to invest up to $5m in “green chemistry”​ by 2022.