Sephora Launches Subscription Service


Beauty retailer Sephora has decided to test out subscription boxes. The subscription beauty box service that Sephora will be testing out is called “Play!,” which consists of five beauty products, according to NY Daily News. Sephora’s new service will start rolling out this fall.

Sephora does eventually plan on expanding the service throughout the United States in 2016. The cities that will trial the first 10,000 boxes from Sephora will be Cincinnati, Columbus, and Boston.

Sephora’s boxes are set to be unveiled in September, and the company has priced each monthly box at $10. The products contained in the boxes will be based around a theme, with “Undercover the Essentials” being September’s theme. Some of the contents that will be included in the box will be a Marc Jacobs Beauty Highlighter Eyeliner, as well as a Sephora Collection Rouge Infusion lip gloss. A Spotifiy playlist, as well as other contents, will also be included.

According to Yahoo News, Sephora will also include a “Play! Book,” which will offer fun facts about the products that Sephora has included in the boxes. Sephora’s book will also offer beauty tricks. Those who purchase the beauty box subscription service from Sephora will be able to access content by using the Sephora to Go smartphone app. On top of all that, customers will be able to receive a one-to-one tutorial via “Play! Pass,” which will teach them how to use the products in Sephora stores.

In 1970, Sephora was founded in France by Dominique Mandonnaud. Sephora opened up its first U.S. store in NYC in 1998, according to Today. Since then, Sephora has experienced tremendous growth. Sephora has more than 350 stores throughout North America, and there are more than 1,000 Sephora stores located across the globe, according to Sephora’s website. It has corporate offices in Montreal and New York, and San Francisco is where Sephora’s North American headquarters is located.

Sephora isn’t the first major retailer to dabble in subscriptions. A few months ago, as previously reported by Inquisitr, Wal-Mart is apparently working on a subscription service. Unlike Sephora, Wal-Mart’s subscription will cost $50 per year. Wal-Mart’s subscription service, which will likely rollout later this year, is going to be called “Tahoe” and it will allow customers to get free delivery within three days of ordering products online.

Also, during the rollout phase of Tahoe, one million products from its 7 million online products will be available. Depending on customer feedback, the service will eventually expand, but for now shoppers will be invited to try out Wal-Mart’s subscription service.

[Image via Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images]

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