Drum roll please! Sephora the holy grail of beauty retail, the beauty stans’ paradise, home to cult skincare, every lipstick shade you can dream of and some of our favourite brands on the planet, is coming to the UK!
Yes that’s right, you heard us correctly, the world’s largest beauty community is landing here in October (with 165 million and counting global loyalty members) and you’re the first to know. Rumours and Tiktoks about the Sephora UK launch have been swirling for months , but we’ve had the exclusive lowdown and can now share the official news. We had a sneak peak in Paris last month of what we can expect and here’s all the intel we could gather….
Book the 17th October in for your first Sephora haul as the website and app launches, with the FeelUnique website [acquired last year by Sephora] rebranded with the infamous Sephora stripes and their curated collection of exclusive brands.
A London store will follow in the Spring of 2023, with more stores planned nationwide. The brand recognising the equal importance of both e-commerce and retail in delivering Sephora’s playground of beauty fun online and IRL, and bringing hundreds of beauty brands and services all together under the one roof.
And talking of brands here’s where we’re getting giddy – confirmed as new to the UK launches include Makeup By Mario, the man behind many of Kim K’s iconic looks; Gwen Stefani’s GXVE range, Patrick Starr’s One/Size, alongside Sephora exclusives including – viral favourites Tarte Cosmetics, Vegamour, Ilia and their affordable but brilliant own brand Sephora Collection. Plus there will be many familiar faces such as Fenty, Glow Recipe, Pat McGrath Labs, Rose Inc and JVN haircare to name just a few.
Sephora itself is a brand with over 50 years heritage, first launched as a store in Limoges in 1969, so it’s fair to say it has been a long wait for beauty fans on this side of the Channel. There was a brief appearance on UK shores back in the 00’s, before it disappeared again, but now we’re being treated to a future iteration of Sephora, reveals Sylvie Moreau, the brand’s President in Europe and Middle East. “It’s Sephora 4.0, tailored to the UK market. We feel makeup is underserved here in the UK, so there will be a focus on makeup as well as skincare.” She also reveals stores will have a new look on the lighter, brighter side of the Sephora infamous black and white branding, to create a makeup friendly environment.
There will also be plenty to delight Gen Z consumers she promises. “We design with Gen Z in mind as we see them as our future and we believe the influencing ladder has changed upside down over the last few years. This younger generation are extremely knowledgeable and they now influence their mothers and those around them. It’s a big voice.”
Also on show will be what Moreau describes as the “Sephora super powers”. From the unique curation of exclusive brands across skincare, haircare, fragrance and makeup, which you won’t find anywhere else. To the dedicated teams made up of passionate beauty lovers’, who are empowered to give truly impartial advice. Staff incentives are team based rather designed to reward by brand or individuals, so they are free to guide you to the expert who can best answer your beauty needs.
“It’s a celebration of beauty everyday and yes we’re loud and proud of beauty as a category. We want to create a world where everyone has the opportunity to express, define and unleash their own extraordinary beauty,” says Moreau. “We believe beauty is a culture, a language that goes way beyond putting a lipstick on, but a transformative power that empowers people to express their personality and values.” We literally couldn’t have said it better ourselves!
The first chance to get up close and experience Sephora IRL will come sooner, for a few lucky people at least, at a Sephora pop up in London on 20th October, complete with brand previews, masterclasses and face-time with some visiting brand founders. Be ready to jump for tickets when they become available on the 11th October as we guarantee they won’t last long.
With such momentous news, the face of beauty in the UK is set to change for good, and with not long to wait, be prepared to be Sephora-ised! And we for one are ready and willing. We’ll see you there.
For more from GLAMOUR’s European Beauty Director follow her at @camilla.kay.