Wende Zomnir, the legendary founder behind Urban Decay Cosmetics and Caliray joins Dr. Randi to talk about building billion-dollar beauty brands without compromising values.
From inventing cult-favorite products like the Naked palette, tubing mascara and So Blown primer, to pioneering “sexy sustainability,” Wende reveals how clean beauty can still be luxurious and performance-driven.
In this episode, Wende also shares the surf trip that sparked her eco-conscious mission, the ingredients she’ll never use, and the leadership philosophy that’s redefining team culture in beauty. This episode is packed with insider tips, product secrets, and candid wisdom from one of the most innovative forces in the industry.
This episode is sponsored by NewBeauty 💄
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Episode FAQ
What does this Dr. Randi Show episode with the founder of Urban Decay and Caliray cover?
In this episode of The Dr. Randi Show, host Dr. Randi Boyette talks with Wende Zomnir, who started Urban Decay before there was an indie beauty industry and later launched Caliray, a clean makeup brand built around what she calls “sexy sustainability.” The conversation covers the moment that inspired Caliray, recyclable and lower-impact packaging, her no-compromise approach to clean performance makeup, the ingredients she avoids, how clean beauty standards work at retailers, her makeup tips for women over 50, and her leadership philosophy as a two-time founder. The answers below reflect Wende Zomnir’s personal experience and opinions and are not medical advice.
What inspired the launch of Caliray, a clean and sustainable makeup brand?
On The Dr. Randi Show, Wende Zomnir said her aha moment came while surfing with her family off an uninhabited island in the Indian Ocean. When she paddled to shore to rest, she found the edge of the beach filled with plastic trash and started thinking about all the eyeshadow palettes she had created that were sitting in landfills. She shared that she had already explored sustainability at Urban Decay, including testing a corn-based plastic for single eyeshadows about 18 years ago, and had removed parabens from products long before most shoppers knew what they were. Caliray let her combine her love of clean formulas with sustainability. This reflects her personal experience and opinions and is not medical advice.
What does “sexy sustainability” mean, and how can you recycle makeup empties?
Wende Zomnir explained on The Dr. Randi Show that she coined the phrase “sexy sustainability” because sustainability messaging often feels gloomy, and she wanted it to feel joyful, fun, and easy instead. She noted that most makeup packaging is smaller than a yogurt cup, so it tends to fall through curbside recycling screens and end up in landfills. To make recycling simpler, Caliray partnered with Pact Collective, which Sephora also works with, so customers can drop beauty empties in a mail-back envelope or at a Sephora store to be properly recycled. This reflects her personal perspective and is not medical advice.
What sustainable packaging materials are beauty brands using, such as sugarcane plastic and captured carbon?
On The Dr. Randi Show, Wende Zomnir described how Caliray moved one of its primer tubes to a plant-based plastic made from byproducts of existing sugarcane fields rather than petroleum. She said the brand then infused that sugarcane polymer with captured carbon, which she calls “recycled air,” made by a partner company that pulls carbon from the air and turns it into small plastic beads. In her explanation, this improves how easily the packaging can be recycled, and if it does end up in a landfill, the package is still holding that carbon. This reflects her personal perspective and is not medical advice.
What is a tubing mascara, and how is it different from waterproof mascara?
Wende Zomnir shared on The Dr. Randi Show that Caliray’s first product, and its number one seller, was a tubing mascara designed to give waterproof and sweatproof performance without the damage to lashes she associates with traditional waterproof formulas. She said her challenge was that tubing mascaras historically lacked volume, so the team focused on finding the right brush and formula to add it. She explained that tubing mascara comes off in small pieces during removal, which can feel like lashes are falling out the first time, though they are not. Her tip is to curl lashes before applying a tubing mascara so they stay lifted all day. This reflects her personal experience and opinions and is not medical advice.
How should women over 50 use a blurring primer and skin tint for a natural makeup look?
On The Dr. Randi Show, Wende Zomnir recommended that women over 50 focus on blurring rather than covering. She said to use just a tiny amount of Caliray’s blurring primer, working it outward from the starting point, then let it sit for about 30 to 45 seconds. Next, she warms a small amount of skin tint in her palm and stipples the lightest layer on with a brush, since heavy foundation can look cakey and settle into fine lines. For a quick five to seven minute routine, she reduces redness with a neutral eyeshadow that matches the skin tone on the lid and under the eye, adds black pencil on the upper inner waterline, mascara, a thin layer of skin tint, gloss, and setting spray. This reflects her personal experience and opinions and is not medical advice.
Which ingredients do clean makeup brands avoid, and why is talc a concern?
Wende Zomnir said on The Dr. Randi Show that Caliray avoids cyclic silicones, sunscreen filters she considers hormone disruptors, and talc, which she called her number one. She explained that talc itself is not necessarily the problem, but because it is a mineral mined alongside asbestos, it is hard to guarantee it is completely pure. She also cautioned that “natural” and “clean” are not always the same thing, noting that an organic lemon essential oil can irritate skin, while a very inert silicone like the one in her primer can help calm redness. This reflects her personal experience and opinions and is not medical advice.
How are clean beauty standards defined and enforced at retailers like Sephora and Credo?
On The Dr. Randi Show, Wende Zomnir said she likes the Sephora Clean program because brands are held to one clear, common standard that customers can research, and she noted that Sephora requires brands to provide documentation backing up every product. She also praised Credo for its clear list of what qualifies as Credo Clean. In her view, in the absence of formal regulation, these retailer standards give shoppers a trustworthy bar to look to when a product claims to be clean. This reflects her personal perspective and is not medical advice.
How do you apply setting spray so makeup lasts all day, and what skincare ingredients can it include?
Wende Zomnir, who said on The Dr. Randi Show that she invented the All Nighter setting spray that helped launch the category, shared that Caliray’s setting spray uses a lighter mist and includes niacinamide, sea water minerals, and transdermal magnesium, which she personally favors for skin recovery. She said the brand’s clinical testing showed 24-hour wear. Her top tip is to “spray the undercarriage,” misting upward to catch the jawline and under the nose, and for oily areas she lightly taps powder back on after spraying. She also suggested using it through the day as a hydrating refresher. This reflects her personal experience and opinions and is not medical advice.
What leadership lessons does a two-time beauty brand founder share about building teams?
On The Dr. Randi Show, Wende Zomnir described her leadership superpower as building families and empowering people to do what they do best. She said great teams, like great families, can disagree, but the key is always fostering repair before a rupture goes too far, whether that means one-on-one conversations, cheerleading, or complete honesty. She believes work should feel meaningful while people keep healthy boundaries. She added that nothing prepared her for how curious a founder needs to be, since ultimately everything falls back on the founder. This reflects her personal perspective and is not medical advice.
