To start off your week with something positive, allow me to catch you up on Sephora's new "Color Up Close" Campaign, which couldn't be more gorgeous. ICYMI, Sephora is not here for any exclusivity in beauty in 2019. And after reports surfaced earlier this year regarding some Sephora employees potentially racially profiling shoppers of color, the beauty giant started taking steps to create a more inclusive standard within their brand. Back in May 2019, Sephora began its "We Belong To Something Beautiful" initiative to further establish the brand as one that priorities inclusive, fun, and safe spaces for all shoppers. Now, phase two of that initiative is "Color Up Close," which kicked off with the most beautiful video celebrating the company's customers of every skin tone.
"It’s time to talk about color face to face. Thank you to our incredible cast and crew for bringing our shared vision to life," the Instagram caption reads alongside the new campaign video, which consists of up-close-and-personal shots of a variety of models, who don't just differ in terms of skin tone. Some are young, some are old, their bodies are big and small. But what they all have in common, apparently, is the ability to find their desired foundation shade at Sephora.
"Foundation for everyone. Let's find yours together," the end of the video reads. You can watch it below via Sephora's Instagram post:
Judging by the comments on social media, it seems shoppers are giving Sephora's attempts to create a more inclusive space a big thumbs up. "Just saw this ad on MSNBC and felt like I finally arrived in a world brave enough to look me in the face. For that Sephora, I thank you immensely," wrote one user on Instagram, another applauding the company, "Truly brilliant. Fabulous work, Sephora."
It's inspiring to see a brand really commit themselves to prioritizing diversity, especially after getting called out for exactly the opposite:
"Finally some diverse representation. It’s been a long time coming. Hopefully this is the beginning of a wide range of diversity in Sephora marketing," one hopeful Instagram user wrote. Another seemed more skeptical, and urged Sephora to make sure their steps towards diversity spread beyond the beautiful campaign images: "I mean, nice video, but make sure your employees actually treat everyone equally please. It takes more than a social media stunt."
Of course, the new initiatives go beyond the beautiful video — Sephora has announced a number of positive changes to be hitting stores very, very soon:
"Sephora is not immune to challenges related to bias in retail. But, we are committed to doing something about it," the brand admitted in a press release shared with Elite Daily. As part of the "Color Up Close" chapter of their proactivity, there will be ongoing employee education and workshops regarding bias, as well as the newly-created role of Sephora Equity Advisors, individuals chosen to help guide Sephora's inclusivity efforts. The company will also be donating $1 million to five different national civic and human rights oragnizations, as well as 44 smaller community oragnizations, all of which focus on racial justice. Last but not least, the mobile COLOR iQ experience has been improved to better help shoppers find their shade match. These are all fab steps in the right direction, people!
Jeffrey English, Sephora's Beauty Director, also commented on the Instagram video to share his insider thoughts on the campaign:
"Hands down, one of my favorite campaigns that we’ve ever done," wrote English, adding, "So honored to witness this and be a part of conversations that are shaping how we perceive beauty." Shout out to everyone working to make Sephora a more inclusive company — the "Color Up Close" phase of the "We Belong To Something Beautiful" initiative certainly seems like it will do a world of good.
