Pictured above is the Sephora logo and a photo of Deborah Yeh, vice president and chief marketing officer for Sephora. 

Sephora is known for its wide variety of makeup, skincare, and hair products, but they are now focusing on a new social mission to make customers feel safer and more accepted in their stores. According to an article by WKBW Buffalo, linked here , Sephora recently commissioned the Racial Bias in Retail Study to examine how racial discrimination and bias in stores affects consumers. The survey found that someone who experienced unfair treatment will not come back. Because of this, Deborah Yeh, vice president and chief marketing officer for Sephora, and her team have developed a marketing plan in order to create a more inclusive environment for its customers.

There are quite a few reasons why this new initiative is extremely smart on Sephora’s end. The biggest reason being that racial discrimination is one of the biggest issues in our country today, in my opinion.  The Black Lives Matter Movement is making a huge impact and companies are now getting behind it to show their support. I think it is important for large corporations to stand behind a mission like this because a lot of their core values are based around what Black Lives Matter is fighting for. Also, I think it makes the company more relatable and develops a relationship with the consumer. Many people use certain brands because they connect with what they stand for. And Sephora is not the first company to take a stand on racial injustices. Companies like Apple, Adidas, and Estee Lauder are all making changes or starting initiatives to support the Black community.

Yeh mentioned the three areas Sephora’s plan is aiming to cover including “the expanding product selection to serve our clients unique needs; delivering a more consistently welcoming store experience with zero tolerance for discrimination and enriching the diversity of our team.” From a communications/marketing standpoint, this hits three important marks. The first area has to do with the actual consumer needs. When I think of product expansion, I imagine Sephora selling products that can be used for a wider range of skin colors and hair types, as well as supporting black-owned companies and including their products on shelves. The second area focuses on the consumer experience and developing a relationship that will last. I can see Sephora educating their employees on makeup and skincare for different skin colors and types so that they can be more helpful when recommending products. Something like that might not seem like much, but I think would mean a lot to someone who might never have experienced that before. And lastly, Sephora wants to hire a more diverse team. I think this is very powerful because diversity is necessary for success. Also, having a variety of people who do not all look and act the same working in Sephora is a wonderful way to spread the message that everyone is beautiful and the company supports acceptable of all.

I am proud to read that Sephora is making a big effort to promote a more accepting environment. There is only so much that we as individuals can do to educate ourselves and change beliefs, but when large companies like this get involved, change is inevitable. I am going to continue to support Sephora and am excited for this new chapter in their retail locations.