17 Weird (But True) Facts About Sephora

Every beauty lover knows Sephora. Heck, anyone that's ever stepped foot in a shopping mall recognizes its iconic black-and-white branding as the gateway to the cosmetics heaven that it is. Wall-to-wall lipstick, lotion, luminizers, fragrances—what’s not to love? It's a beauty emporium in the truest sense of the word—and its reach isn't limited to its expansive brick-and-mortar footprint. Its digital reach is seemingly limitless, offering the same in-store experience wherever you may be. (There's nothing quite like hopping through the Sephora app while enjoying a glass of wine on the couch.) Despite our longstanding love affair with Sephora, there’s actually a lot we didn’t know about our favorite shopping destination. Apparently, there are some things even years of visits won’t teach you.

We did some sleuthing and spoke with two experts—Sephora beauty directors David Razzano and Melinda Solares—to uncover some little-known facts about the brand. Keep scrolling to learn some interesting facts about our favorite makeup mecca.

It Was Founded in the 1970s by a Frenchman

Dominique Mandonnaud founded Sephora in France in 1970 with the intention of letting consumers try products before they buy them. The concept was unique at the time—an open-sell environment that featured a wide range of brands and price points in the worlds of skincare, makeup, fragrance, body and hair care. Today, the company even has its own in-house label.

It Entered American Markets in 1997

In 1997, Sephora was acquired by Paris-based luxury conglomerate Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy, and one year later, it opened its first North American store in New York City. Today, Sephora employs over 30,000 people in more than 2700 stores in over 35 countries, according to the brand.

Sephora Was an Early E-Commerce Player

Sephora was an early adopter of e-commerce, launching its first website in 1998, according to author Mary Curran Hackett. Now, digital marketing is embedded in the entire company—its U.S. headquarters is even located near Silicon Valley. That emphasis on digital commerce may have helped propel the company's sales and transformed the way it does business.

It Takes a Page From Theater

Shakespeare said it first: All the world's a stage, and so it is at Sephora. The sales floor is called the “stage,” and everywhere else is “backstage.” Sales associates are “cast members,” and managers are the “directors.” Uniforms are "costumes."

"At Sephora, our clients are at the center of everything we do," Solares says. "We are the ultimate beauty destination, and our goal is to ensure that everyone feels like they belong."

Sephora Isn’t Technically a Real Word

The name is a combination of the Greek word sephos, meaning beauty, and the name Zipporah, the exceptionally beautiful wife of Moses in the book of Exodus.

It Started a Revolution

Can you imagine shopping for makeup any other way than we do now—with products out for you to touch and swatch? Before Sephora, the standard method of operation was an old-fashioned department store model, with products locked away behind cases and nary a tester in sight, according to the brand. Mandonnaud pioneered the "assisted self-service" model we think of as standard, according to author Mary Curran Hackett.

It Helped Make Beauty Samples Standard

“The rumors are true—you can get up to three samples of any product in-store made for you each time you visit,” Razzano confirms. Cast members have the ability to scan your samples right into the Sephora app on your phone and file them directly underneath your Beauty Insider profile (more on that below). No more struggling to read tiny, makeup-smudged writing on minuscule labels.

Its Rewards Program Helped Make It an Empire

Sephora's rewards program, Beauty Insider, has three different tiers. Anyone who joins is an Insider, VIB perks begin after spending $350 in a year, and the top echelon of spenders are referred to as Rouge members. If you drop $1000 or more on products in a year (which is shockingly easy to do), you gain access to exclusive events, early product drops, expedited shipping, special Rouge-only shades of cult-favorite products, meet-and-greets with brand founders and other makeup bigwigs, and the chance to trade in rewards points for gift cards. Sometimes, it pays to be on top.

Sephora Is Made Up of “Worlds”

Every Sephora has three worlds: fragrance, skincare, and color cosmetics. “At Sephora, we want every client to have the best experience possible, so our cast members are hired, trained, and certified to be experts in a specific world, like fragrance, color, or skincare,” Razzano says. “For the most part, cast members are stationed in their world. If you’re looking for a fragrance, it’s best to ask someone standing in the fragrance section for advice.”

It Offers the Same In-Store Assistance Digitally

Sephora's cast members are a major part of the experience, helping everyone navigate their way through brands and beauty products to find options specific to their needs. "Sephora’s Live Beauty Help service connects shoppers online to Sephora Beauty Advisors for real-time product recommendations and shopping advice," explains Solares. "No matter where or how you want to shop, Sephora has solutions to make the experience more convenient than ever."

They Use High-Tech Makeup and Beauty Products

“Color IQ is Sephora and Pantone Universe’s exclusive foundation-matching technology that allows each client to find the scientifically precise foundation match for their skin tone and narrow it down to find the best one to fit their lifestyle and skin type,” Razzano says. “And now that device does more than just scan your skin for foundation matches. It’ll also help you find the right concealer and lip color.” And the technology doesn’t stop there: There’s also both Skincare IQ and Fragrance IQ, which will help you sleuth out new favorites based on skin type and scent preferences, respectively.

It’s Focused on Bringing Diversity to the Beauty Industry

"We have the best-in-class product assortment! From celeb-backed brands like Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty and Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty, to Black-owned brands like Fashion Fair and Topicals, to clean beauty brands like Biossance and Youth to the People, there are so many incredible brands that truly offer something for everyone," Solares says.

There's an Outlet for Those Who Just Can’t Get Enough

If everyone in your life has cut you off from waxing poetic about lipstick shades, don't worry: Sephora's Beauty Insider Community has your back. No, it's not a support group, but it does allow you to post breakdowns of your looks, talk formulas with other fans, and join discussion groups about your personal product passions and efforts to locate discontinued products. There's nothing like being among your people.

Sephora Changed the Game When It Comes to Product Minis

Anyone who's ever wandered around a drugstore in vain searching for the travel minis will appreciate this: Sephora has a dedicated section to all things TSA-compliant, called Beauty on the Fly. You can normally find it as you snake your way to the register (thanks for enabling our impulse shopping!).

Their Return Policy Is Seriously Next Level

Finding the right cosmetics and beauty products is a tricky—not to mention costly—process indeed. Sephora significantly softens the blow by offering a 30-day return policy for a full refund and a 60-day return policy for store credit on new and slightly used products. That's right. If you opened the package and realized the shade was all wrong or a certain formula irritated your skin, you can still return the item and get your money back or exchange it for something you truly love.

It Wants Your Empties

Sephora won't just take back your opened and slightly used products, they'll unburden you of your empties too. The company's Beauty (Re)Purposed Program collects beauty packaging to be recycled into a second life. The program is a collaboration with Pact Collective, a nonprofit on a mission to close the loop on hard-to-recycle packaging waste in the beauty and wellness industries.

The Company Loves To Give Back

Sephora's philanthropic arm, Sephora Stands, is doing a lot to make the beauty space more inclusive and diverse. It supports women-owned brands with its beauty incubator Accelerate, offers Classes For Confidence to teach makeup application to cancer patients and transgender community members, and has developed Sephora Cares as a support network for employees in situations of domestic violence. There are other diversity, sustainability, and accessibility initiatives as well.