History of Sephora in Timeline

Sephora is a French multinational retailer specializing in personal care and beauty products. It offers a wide assortment of products, including cosmetics, skincare, fragrances, and haircare, from nearly 340 brands as well as its own private label, Sephora Collection. The company operates as a major player in the beauty retail industry.

1969: Sephora Founded

In 1969, Sephora was founded in Limoges, France.

August 1970: Sephora Launched in Paris

In August 1970, Sephora was first launched in Paris, France, named after the biblical figure Zipporah.

1993: Dominique Mandonnaud Acquires Sephora

In 1993, Dominique Mandonnaud acquired Sephora, merging it with his own perfume chain and introducing the "assisted self-service" sales model.

July 1997: Sephora Sold to LVMH

In July 1997, Dominique Mandonnaud and his partners sold Sephora to LVMH, which led to global expansion and an increase in beauty and cosmetic product offerings.

1998: First US Store Opens

In 1998, Sephora opened its first United States store in New York City.

1999: U.S. Online Store Launched

In 1999, Sephora launched its online store in the U.S.

2000: Sephora.com Purchases Eve.com Assets

In 2000, Sephora.com purchased the assets of Eve.com for a "high six-figures" amount.

2003: Canadian Online Store Launched

In 2003, Sephora launched its online store in Canada.

2004: First Canadian Store Opens

In 2004, Sephora opened its first Canadian store in Toronto.

2005: Feelunique.com Founded

In 2005, Feelunique.com, a UK online retailer of prestige beauty goods, was founded.

February 2006: Middle East Head Office Opened

In February 2006, the Middle East head office was opened by Pierre Fayard.

October 2006: Sephora Inside JCPenney

In October 2006, Sephora began opening stores inside JCPenney, featuring a selection of makeup, skincare, and fragrance brands.

January 2007: First Middle East Store Opened

On 7 January 2007, Sephora’s first Middle East store opened at Seef Mall in Bahrain.

February 2007: Canadian Head Office Opened

In February 2007, the Canadian head office was opened by Marie-Christine Marchives.

March 2007: Sephora Opens in Festival City, UAE

On 1 March 2007, Sephora opened in Festival City, UAE.

2007: Sephora Expands to the Middle East

In 2007, Sephora extended its operations to the Middle East markets, opening over 44 stores in the UAE and KSA, along with an e-commerce store.

December 2008: Dubai Mall Store Opened

In December 2008, the Sephora store in the Dubai Mall opened and is now ranked as the company’s number one store worldwide.

July 2010: Marie-Christine Marchives Returns to France

In July 2010, Marie-Christine Marchives returned to France to become the general manager of Sephora France and was replaced in Canada by Klaus Ryum-Larsen.

2010: Original Goal of 100 Stores By 2010

In 2007, the late Sephora CEO, Jacques Levy expressed a desire to have 100 stores open across the Middle East region by 2010, however this goal was derailed by a financial crisis.

2011: Jacques Levy Steps Down

Jacques Levy stepped down as Sephora CEO in 2011.

2012: Feelunique.com Acquired From Palamon Capital Partners

In 2012, Feelunique.com, a UK online retailer of prestige beauty goods founded in 2005, was acquired from Palamon Capital Partners for £26 million.

September 2013: Champs Élysées Store Popularity

As of September 2013, the Sephora at Champs Élysées in Paris, France, attracts over six million people a year.

2013: Addition of Fragrance and Makeup Lines

In 2013, Sephora included fragrance collections from Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen (Elizabeth and James), Vanilla Crush and Jewel by Coto Beauty Cosmetics, and a makeup line with Marc Jacobs.

November 18, 2014: Class Action Lawsuit Filed

On November 18, 2014, four customers filed a class action lawsuit against Sephora alleging racial discrimination by wrongfully deactivating the customer rewards accounts of Asian customers.

2014: First Australian Store Opens

In 2014, the first Australian Sephora store opened.

August 2015: Play! By Sephora Subscription Service Announced

In August 2015, it was announced that Sephora would launch a subscription service: Play! By Sephora.

September 2015: Initial Launch of Play! By Sephora

In September 2015, Boston, Columbus, and Cincinnati were the only three cities to test the initial service launch of Play! By Sephora.

August 2016: 400th North American Location Opens

On 26 August 2016, Sephora opened its 400th location in North America on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago, which became the city's new flagship location.

November 2016: Online Shopping Introduced

In November 2016, online shopping was introduced to the Sephora Middle East region.

2016: Play! By Sephora Launched Throughout US

In 2016, the Play! By Sephora service was launched throughout the US.

December 2017: Gifts Beauty Park Opened in Dubai

In December 2017, Sephora opened Gifts Beauty Park, the world's first beauty theme park, in Dubai.

2017: JC Penney Closing Stores

As of 2017, there were more than 600 Sephora locations in JCPenney stores across the US. That same year, JC Penney announced the closing of 138 stores nationwide, several of which house a Sephora in JCPenney store.

2017: Largest North American Retail Location Opens

In 2017, Sephora opened its largest retail location in North America near Herald Square in New York City, featuring over 13,000 products and interactive services.

March 2018: Guillaume Motte Announced as President

In March 2018, Guillaume Motte was announced as the new president of Sephora Europe and Middle East.

2018: Huda Beauty Top Selling Brand

According to Forbes, in 2018, Huda Beauty, founded by Dubai based blogger Huda Kattan, was the top selling cosmetic brand across Sephora Middle East.

2018: Sephora Leases Space in Mexico

On 19 November, 2018, Sephora signed a long-term lease at Thor Equities’ Town Square Metepec, a new retail and entertainment center in Mexico totaling 1.7 million square feet.

April 2019: R&B Singer SZA Accusation

In April 2019, R&B singer SZA accused Sephora of racial profiling.

May 23, 2019: Sephora Announces Diversity Training

On May 23, 2019, Sephora announced they would be closing all locations on Wednesday, June 5, 2019, to hold diversity training for its staff as part of their "We Belong To Something Beautiful Campaign".

June 5, 2019: Sephora Closed for Diversity Training

On June 5, 2019, Sephora closed all locations for diversity training, which was part of their "We Belong To Something Beautiful Campaign".

April 2020: Play! Terminated, Sephora Luxe Introduced

In April 2020, Sephora terminated PLAY!, replacing it with Sephora Luxe.

June 2020: Maddie Ziegler Collaboration with Morphe

In June 2020, Maddie Ziegler's imagination collection collaborated with Morphe, launched in Sephora Canada.

December 2020: Sephora to Open Stores Inside Kohl's

In December 2020, Sephora announced that it would begin opening Sephora stores inside Kohl's locations.

2020: Non-renewal of Contract

In 2020, the two companies did not renew their contract resulting in the debut of JCPenney Beauty and the new collaboration of Sephora with Kohl’s.

July 26, 2021: Sephora to Purchase Feelunique.com

On July 26, 2021, Sephora agreed with Palamon Capital Partners to purchase Feelunique.com, a UK online retailer of prestige beauty goods.

August 6, 2021: First Sephora Inside Kohl's Locations Open

On August 6, 2021, the first four Sephora inside Kohl's locations opened.

July 13, 2022: Sephora Partners with Afterpay

On July 13, 2022, Afterpay and Sephora partnered to offer its customers the flexibility to pay in four installments.

November 2022: 100th Store in Canada Opened

In November 2022, Sephora Canada opened its 100th store in Canada.

October 2023: Artemis Patrick Named President of Sephora North America

In October 2023, Artemis Patrick was named president of Sephora North America, with the plan to become CEO upon Jean-André Rougeot's retirement.

2023: Sephora at Kohl’s Sales Success

By 2023, Sephora at Kohl’s has surpassed $1.4 billion in sales.

2023: Sephora becomes first retailer of Luna Daily

In 2023, Sephora became the first retailer of feminine hygiene and cosmetic product Luna Daily in the United States.

April 2024: Artemis Patrick Announced as CEO of Sephora North America

In April 2024, Artemis Patrick was announced as president and chief executive officer of Sephora North America, becoming the first female CEO of Sephora North America.

July 2024: Sephora and Sol de Janeiro Pop-Up

In July 2024, Sephora introduced a summer-themed pop-up in partnership with body care brand Sol de Janeiro.

2024: Fourth UK Store Opening Confirmed

In 2024, Sephora confirmed the opening of its fourth UK store at Newcastle upon Tyne's Eldon Square Shopping Centre.

2024: Expansion of Sephora at Kohl's

In summer 2024, Sephora at Kohl's will be adding approximately 140 small-format shops in 40 states, bringing the total number of shops to more than 1,000.