We never thought we’d see the day, but after years of rumours, Sephora has well and truly taken over the UK high street. While unfounded rumours have been swirling for over seven years, it wasn’t until June 2021 when Sephora officially acquired UK online beauty retailer Feelunique, that we realised our dreams were actually coming true.
Back in September, we were invited to Paris on a top-secret trip to Sephora HQ to meet Sylvie Moreau, president of Sephora Europe and the Middle East, who gave us all the details, dates and even a sneak peek into the exclusive brands that are now available on our shores.
Some of you may remember that Sephora did in fact used to be in the UK, but with the select few stores closing over 20 years ago and no online shipping to UK soil, we’d been deprived of everyone’s favourite beauty store for far too long.
Finally, you can now shop Sephora's extensive beauty offerings online and in-store.
Here’s everything you need to know about Sephora’s UK takeover:
When is Sephora coming to the UK?
Grab your debit card, Sephora.co.uk is live and running. Here, you can shop your favourite brands, from cult classics to the latest products to go viral on TikTok.
Will Sephora in the UK be online only?
You will be pleased to hear that Sephora won’t just be online, as Moreau herself said, “We believe in stores”.
Yes, Sephora's legendary 'aisle of doom' (that's those rows of minis you see at the checkout that you absolutely do not need, but chuck in your basket anyway) has landed in the UK.
Even more excitingly, they've just opened a second UK store. Run, don't walk.
Where will the UK Sephora store be?
The first UK Sephora opened its doors in March in Westfield London, White City. The go-to beauty destination is 6,000 sq. ft. and stocks a wide range of products, from hair and makeup to skincare, fragrance, wellness and much more.
Moreau was keen to state last year, however, that after the London opening, stores will roll out nationwide and one of the reasons they started online first is so everyone in the UK could shop Sephora first.
Just eight months later, Sephora has launched a second store located in Westfield Stratford City in East London. Considering the queues that accumulated the first time, we'd urge you to get down there ASAP.
And not only that but news just in: the brand plans to open its third UK store up in Manchester come summer 2024! Exclusive offerings at the 5,380-square-foot store in the iconic Trafford Centre will include Makeup by Mario, GXVE by Gwen Stefani and Haus Labs by Lady Gaga. *Cheers in Northern*
Is the UK Sephora run by Europe or America?
UK Sephora is run by Europe, which Moreau heads up. While it’s often said that Sephora stores in the US are superior to Europe, Moreau told me, “We have what I would say is our recipe for success, our backbone, but of course, you have to have local relevance.”
So not only are UK trends being taken into consideration to ensure Sephora is your first port of call, but the London stores are leading the way in terms of what future Sephora stores around the world will look like. “We’ve used the London launch to elevate our European view on the store of the future,” Moreau told me. Which I read as; the UK is about to have the best Sephora in the entire world.
And don’t we deserve it?
What brands will be available in UK Sephora?
Anyone who has entered Sephora will know they always have the best edit of both mainstream and indie brands and luckily the UK offering is mega.
First, the entire Sephora beauty collection is available, which, if you’ve never shopped before, is a must. Alongside it is a curated assortment of 1,400 prestige brands including exclusive brands like Makeup By Mario, Tarte Cosmetics, ILIA Beauty and ONE/SIZE by Patrick Starrr which you won’t be able to shop anywhere else.
But keep an eye out as more brands will be dropping over time…
What will happen to FeelUnique?
From 17 October 2022, the Feelunique website was replaced by Sephora.co.uk and Feelunique no longer exists.
Some of you might be aware that Feelunique has two physical stores in Jersey, we can confirm that these will also become Sephora stores, timing TBC.
What about rewards programmes?
If you have Feelunique Rewards built up, don’t panic because these will transfer to Sephora. However, if like me, you’ve accumulated a lot of Sephora points from all those USA and France pilgrimages, you sadly can't redeem those points in the UK.
