Published annually since 2000, TIME magazine’s list of the best inventions recognizes products and developments that transform the way we live, work and relate to the world. This year, AORA’s plastic-free cosmetics have been recognized among the top 300 innovations, alongside notable products like Apple’s iPhone Duo and Bosch’s new microplastic filter. 

Announced on Oct. 15, TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026 list highlights AORA’s use of materials such as aluminum, tinplate and wood to manufacture reusable and recyclable packaging. “A sustainable ingredient list rings hollow if the packaging isn’t earth-friendly too,” TIME wrote.

Founded in Mexico City in 2022 by Nour Tayara and Rodrigo Peñafiel, AORA has built its identity around bright colors, ingredients of Mexican origin and designs that seek to make beauty products more appealing while reducing reliance on single-use plastic.

Its goal is to offer high-end makeup without conventional plastic packaging — a feature that also helped it make history as the first plastic-free brand sold at global beauty retailer Sephora.  

“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,” Nour Tayara, co-founder of AORA, told Mexico News Daily. 

“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,” Tayara added. “Years of research, development and innovation later, being named one of TIME’s Best Inventions proves the answer is a big, resounding yes.”

‘Sexy and hot, like Mexico’: How Mexican beauty brand AORA is taking on the global market

To compile the list, TIME gathers nominations from its editors and international correspondents, as well as submissions made online. It then evaluates these proposals based on criteria such as originality, effectiveness, ambition and impact. 

Mexico News Daily