Who owns Sephora? (2024)

FAQs

Who currently owns Sephora? ›

Owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the world's leading luxury goods group, Sephora has earned its reputation as a beauty trailblazer with its expertise, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit.

Sephora is owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, which is a luxury goods conglomerate. LVMH owns several other brands that are organized into various divisions. Sephora brand, in particular, is organized under the “perfumes and cosmetics” division of LVMH.

Sephora founder Dominique Mandonnaud began her now world-renowned beauty business with an idea on how to make the beauty-buying experience far better. She began a fragrance shop called Shop 8 in 1969 that offered an open layout in which customers could try products before purchasing.

The company was founded in Limoges in 1969 and is currently based in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. Sephora is owned by luxury conglomerate LVMH as of 1996. The name comes from the Greek word meaning beauty, sephos, and the Greek spelling of Zipporah (Greek: Σεπφώρα, Sepphōra), wife of Moses.

A new chapter for Sephora begins as Artemis Patrick takes over as the new CEO of Sephora North America which has been under the leadership of Jean-André Rougeot for the past five years.

Ahead of its UK entry, Sephora bought the British beauty website Feelunique for £132m. It has since been subsumed into the Sephora website, which Boyd says is going from “strength to strength”.

Ulta: Which is Better For You? The best store for you will depend on the products you want, your budget and the beauty services you'd like in-store. If you're looking for a more budget-friendly and versatile inventory, Ulta will be the better pick. However, Sephora is better if you'd like the higher-end, trendy brands.

Since Sephora's official announcement in 2020, it's taken steps to increase its initial seven-brand portfolio of Black-owned businesses to 24. Though that number isn't 15 percent of the overall 314 brands Sephora offers, it's certainly a significant increase.

Sephora is a renowned beauty retailer that prides itself on its commitment to diversity and inclusion. However, by continuing to stock Israel funded products in there stores globally despite these concerns - Sephora is indirectly supporting genocide.

While Sephora is known for carrying high-end and luxury brands, their prices are generally higher than Ulta Beauty. Ulta Beauty offers a diverse range of products at different price points, from drugstore products to high-end brands, making it a more affordable option for many consumers.

What did Sephora used to be called? ›

Before Sephora: Shop 8 - 1969

According to the company history, what is now Sephora started out as a small perfumery in Limoges, France, called Shop 8.

The name Sephora is a girl's name meaning "bird". This lovely name is a softened French version of Tziporah, the biblical wife of Moses.

L'Oréal S.A. is a French cosmetic and personal care company and a leader in beauty product research and development and sales. The company owns 36 brands, including Maybelline, Garnier, NYX Professional Makeup, Redken, and CeraVe.

LVMH was founded in 1987 in Paris after the merger between Louis Vuitton (the famous fashion house) and Moët Hennessy (the alcohol company). The Christian Dior company owns 40.9% of LVMH. LVMH is the company behind Sephora stores as well as the Sephora brand.

Lancôme was acquired by L'Oréal in 1964, and quickly became part of its luxury products division.

In 1989, Mr. Arnault became the majority shareholder of LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton, creating the world's leading luxury products group. Mr. Arnault has been Chairman and CEO of the company since that date.

Paris — LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton has snapped up Sephora, France's premier perfumery chain, for some $262 million, confirming its strategy to control the distribution of its own luxury brands — as well as those of competitors like Chanel, Estee Lauder and L'Oreal.

Arnault is the second richest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$202 billion as of 3 June 2024, according to Forbes. Arnault was raised in a devoutly Catholic household, with a strong inclination towards music and education. He pursued engineering at École polytechnique, graduating in 1971.