Frequently Asked Questions

In a nutshell, we’re a zero waste brand because nothing we manufacture is sent to a landfill or dumped into our oceans. When it comes to the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of our products, we reduce what we need, reuse as much as we can, recycle what little we cannot reuse, and compost whatever cannot by recycled. Our stainless steel mascara tubes can be medically cleaned and refilled thousands of times, while our mascara wands and brushes are reground, remolded and reused again and again. We also use reusable shippers, QR codes and digital assets to avoid the need for print collateral, plastic labels and disposable secondary packaging.

Unlike other beauty brands that aim to support the environment by creating less waste, Izzy literally creates zero waste. We don’t believe in plastic, cardboard, unnecessary print materials, or secondary packaging. We do believe in reusability, recyclability and the elimination of anything that could be considered wasteful. We also have the smallest carbon footprint of any beauty brand in the world.

By staying local. Because we keep all of our manufacturing within a 400-mile radius in the Northeastern US, our carbon emissions from transportation alone are exponentially lower than those of any other beauty brand in the world today. The supply chain for the majority of beauty brands is intercontinental, and often requires air transport from one side of the world to the other. Compared to the industry standard, our mascara has a 78% smaller carbon footprint after 25 refills. The more our mascaras are reused, the smaller our relative carbon footprint becomes over time.

Because it doesn’t go away. While plastic was meant to last forever, most of it is only used once before being discarded into a landfill or the ocean–a situation that is leading to tiny pieces of plastic showing up more and more frequently in our food and water supply. In addition to endangering the lives of various sea creatures like whales, sea turtles and birds, these microplastics are polluting the water we drink and the fish we eat. Izzy’s mascara tubes contain zero plastic components, while the plastic wipers and brushes in our applicators are reground and recycled at our facility–resulting in a mascara that uses 94% less plastic than the leading brands.

Izzy has never been (and never will be) tested on our furry friends. We are 100% cruelty-free and vegan-friendly–meaning our formula contains no animal-derived ingredients.

We evaluate our formulas internally with the help of our board of directors, friends and family. No formula submission is approved until we know it’s 100% safe, even for the most sensitive skin types.

As a clean brand, we do not use any of the following ingredients in our formulas: Sulfates (SLS + SLES), Parabens, Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde-Releasing Agents, Phthalates, Mineral Oil, Retinyl, Palmitate, Oxybenzone, Coal Tar, Hydroquinone, Triclosan, Triclocarban, Undisclosed Synthetic Fragrances, Acrylates, Aluminum Salts, Animal-Derived Ingredients (Including Oils/Musks/Fats), Benzophenone + Related Compounds, Butoxyethanol, Carbon Black, Lead/Lead Acetate, Methyl Cellosolve + Methoxyethanol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone + Methylisothiazolinone, Mercury + Mercury Compounds (Thimerisol), Insoluble, Plastic Microbeads, Resorcinol, Talc, Toluene, BHA/BHT, Ethanolamines (DEA/TEA/MEA/ETA), Nanoparticles (EU Definition), Petrolatum + Paraffin, Phenoxyethanol, Polyacrylamide + Acrylamide Styrene (Bromostyrene, Deastyrene/Acrylates/Styrene-DVB Copolymer, Sodium Styrene/Divinylbenzene Copolymer, Styrene Oxide, Styrene) 1, 4-Dioxane

We have very strict procedures in place to ensure that all Izzy mascara tubes we receive are properly cleaned before being refilled. Our patent-pending triple cleaning process is medical-grade, meaning it’s equally as rigorous and effective as the sterilization procedures that dentists, surgeons and other doctors use to clean their tools in between patients. Our cleaning process removes absolutely all bacteria, microbial contamination and cooties from your Izzy before it is refilled and sent back to you.

The reasons range from hygiene to performance. A growing number of ophthalmologists and professional makeup artists recommend replacing your mascara every three months as a way to combat dryness, redness and irritation from bacterial buildup and environmental stressors like wildfire smoke and pollution. It also prevents the formula from drying out and becoming flaky.

Carbon neutrality is achieved by calculating a carbon footprint and reducing it to zero through a combination of in-house efficiency measures, renewable energy and external emissions reductions projects. CarbonNeutral certification means that a company has followed The CarbonNeutral Protocol – the leading global framework for carbon neutrality – to make clear, credible, and transparent claims of their carbon neutral action. The CarbonNeutral Protocol provides businesses with a clear framework to deliver carbon neutrality.

While Izzy Zero Waste Mascara is technically fragrance-free, the scent that you may detect comes from the jasmine wax in our formula. When jasmine is converted into wax form, the solvent extraction process produces a heavy absolute from the flower petals. Although solvent-extracted absolutes don’t generally have the fullness of fragrance, a scent is often detectable. We formulated our mascara with jasmine wax because it gently conditions lashes while curling and defining them to perfection with each buildable stroke.

Failure to send your Izzy back to be cleaned and refilled results in a $25 restocking fee. An additional fee of $5 will be charged for each reusable shipper that you fail to return. Please note that this applies to all customers, whether you make a one-time purchase or opt into one of our Zero Waste Memberships.

Our Zero Waste Mascara and Zero Waste Shippers are expensive to produce because they are designed to withstand years of reuse. In order to cover our high manufacturing costs, we have to charge for their replacement–$25 for each of our mascaras, and $5 for each of our reusable shippers. We also hope that our restocking fees will deter customers from losing their mascaras and shippers–and make our closed-loop, sustainable business model work. That's a win for us, our customers AND the planet.

Yes! If you’ve purchased a membership, you have two options per month for when you’d like your Izzy to ship: the first and the fifteenth. Shipments are made once every three months.

This must be your lucky day, because you can pause AND cancel your Izzy membership! We allow members to pause their membership for up to three months, or one shipment, without cancellation. If you do decide to cancel, we ask that you return your Izzy so it can be reused (and doesn’t end up in a landfill or the ocean). You can easily send it back at zero charge in our reusable shipper with the return label that was provided to you. Members who cancel but don’t return their Izzy will be charged a cancellation fee.

If you decide that Izzy’s not for you, not to worry. We’ll refund your first order in full within 30 days of purchase, regardless of the reason. We just ask that you return your Izzy so it can be reused (and doesn’t end up in a landfill or the ocean). You can easily send it back in our reusable shipper that was provided to you.

We make tracking simple. Just click on the tracking link in your shipping confirmation email and you’ll be brought up to speed. We’ll also send you email updates when your Izzy is shipped, and when it’s received for cleaning and refills. In the unlikely case that your order cannot be tracked, send us a quick email at info@yourizzy.com and we’ll get your issue resolved as soon as possible. For faster service, please provide your order number.

It really couldn’t be easier. Remember the reusable shipper that your Izzy came in? It has a prepaid return label inside of it. Just put your empty Izzy in the shipper, affix the return label, and drop it in the mailbox. We’ll cover all costs and let you know once it’s been received.

Easy-peasy. Log in, visit your account page, and simply update your information there. Don’t worry, we won’t be sharing your info with a crazy ex.

We’ve got your back. Just send us a quick email at info@yourizzy.com and we’ll get your issue resolved as soon as possible.

Not yet, but we hope to soon. We are currently in the process of localizing our manufacturing, cleaning and shipping process in other countries so we can take Izzy global.