About Us
Zao's philosophy
One beautiful you.
One beautiful planet.
At Zao, we believe you should be able to feel authentically beautiful and empowered without compromising your health, the environment or our planet. Offering the best of Mother Earth, Zao organic makeup products are both a reflection of healthy living and a luxurious extension of your natural beauty.
Inspired by a respect for nature found in both Zen and Tao philosophies, our French makeup brand was founded with a commitment to world-class products, sustainability, a minimal carbon footprint and formulations of 100% natural ingredients derived from organic farming.
We are proud of our status as the first 100% natural, certified organic, refillable make-up brand.
In harmony with nature
We proudly manufacture sustainably-crafted products and an innovative refill system that minimizes environmental impact.
We never test on animals. And since your skin absorbs up to 60% of what you put on it, we never, ever, use chemicals in our products. Our ingredients are so pure that they are certified by some of the most prestigious organizations in the world including:
- Ecocert
- CosmeBio
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, and
- Cruelty Free International
Our Ecocert and CosmeBio COSMOS ORGANIC certifications mean that we only use biodegradable ingredients, a minimum of 95% of our ingredients are of natural origin and at least 20% of the total ingredients are derived from organic farming.
Refillable & sustainable
Who says you can’t be playful, beautiful and environmentally savvy?
Thanks to our easy and innovative system, most of our products are refillable. Simply choose a bamboo item that includes makeup on your first purchase and then order refills as you need them.
What are the benefits to you?
Cost savings, less packaging and a makeup tailored to your needs with conveniently rotated shades to match seasons and occasions.
Zao organic makeup gives you the ability to easily experiment with different colour palettes and styles so that you can really free your creativity.
Beneficial ingredients & properties
The beauty of bamboo
Long revered as a symbol of longevity, strength, tenacity and flexibility, bamboo powers sustainable beauty within Zao’s acclaimed products, packaging and ingredients.
Controlled harvested bamboo makes our meticulously crafted packaging stylish, elegant, timeless and durable.
This remarkable plant’s powders, leaves and oils also strengthen and promote the health enhancing qualities of our products.
Organic silica
Bamboo stem powder contains 75% silica: an essential element for skin elasticity that allows the efficient assimilation of vitamins and minerals.
Vital for flexible joints, glowing skin, and strong nails, teeth and bones, silica also promotes moisture retention that keeps your skin looking supple and youthful.
Your body stops naturally producing silica after the age of twenty. Zao products provide your skin with an external supply.
Antibacterial micro silver
Whereas traditional makeup uses parabens as chemical preservatives, Zao organic makeup embraces micro silver as natural preservative that protects your skin and supports the natural healing processes.
Micro silver acts against bacteria to help calm hypersensitive, irritated, inflamed and atopic skin.
A natural sunscreen that counters acne and redness, micro particles of pure silver are found in almost all Zao products (except nail polishes and two of our lip balms).
Free radical fighting acids
Formed by your body during metabolism or by your immune system, free radicals are unstable atoms that can damage cells and cause illness and aging.
Free radicals are countered by essential fatty acids found in Zao makeup's organic ingredients including:
- ginkgo biloba leaf extract
- aloe vera
- carnauba wax
- pomegranate butter
- rice powder
- apricot kernel oil, and
- shea butter
Addition through subtraction
Our raw materials are obtained by a non-polluting and simple transformation of plants and minerals.
Designed to augment the benefits of our natural ingredients, our products are also free of talc, nanoparticles, parabens, petroleum derivates and synthetic preservatives like phenoxyethanol, mineral oil, paraffin, polysorbate, EDTA, BHT, and BHA.
Organic farming preferred
We focus on using raw materials from organic farming and ingredients free of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. This helps to minimize soil and groundwater pollution, protect biodiversity and promote your health.
While allowing improved biocompatibility with the skin, the active ingredients contained in organic plants are much more concentrated than in those cultivated via conventional agriculture.
Respecting animals
As we value all life, our finished products and raw materials are never tested on animals and are certified Cruelty Free.
Most Zao products are Vegan certified by the Vegan Society.
Even our brushes are made of synthetic hair rather than animal hair.
