Sephora pilots in-store body-care program in 60 doors nationally, an extension of its existing Next Big Thing in-store spotlight; focus is on prestige body care with 40 brands, including Soft Services, Kate McLeod and Nécessaire

Sephora is piloting a new in-store merchandising program, capitalizing on the body-care boom.

The pilot, an extension of Sephora’s pre-existing “Next Big Thing” in-store spotlight, focuses solely on body care and works to break out products in the category from the typical merchandising within skin-care shelves. As of the February launch, the pilot is in 60 doors nationally, based on market demand for prestige body care. The curated selection of brands that are part of the pilot includes Soft Services, Kate McLeod, Nécessaire, Oui the People, 54 Thrones, and intimate care brands including Maude and Luna Daily. It also includes broader beauty brands that offer body care, like Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez, Fenty Skin, Isle of Paradise and Youth to the People. Overall, approximately 40 brands made up Sephora’s body-care category.

Body care has been a central focus for Sephora. The category was a key theme of the retailer’s annual brand summit in fall 2023, according to attendees. Ulta Beauty is also reportedly growing its body care assortment — the retailer recently lost market share in hair and color cosmetics, according to Euromonitor data cited by Jefferies investment bank. Sephora reached $10 billion in 2023 sales, according to numerous reports at the end of last year.

“When building our assortment, we look for brands and products that offer a clear solution to clients’ needs and support diverse skin types and concerns,” said Carolyn Bojanowski, evp of merchandising for Sephora. “Due to the recent growth of prestige body care as a category overall, we’ve decided to build this dedicated, multi-branded space in-store to make it easier for clients to shop and discover newness.”

Body care has been an innovative category since 2020 and a hot category since the end of 2022, as noted in Glossy’s previous reporting. All sorts of brands are expanding into body care; since January 2024, they have included Youth To The People, The Inkey List, Love Wellness and Billie, among others. According to Circana data, body sprays, body lotions and creams, and body cleansers were among the top sales performers in the prestige skin-care category, which grew by 14% overall in 2023. Bojanowski declined to share sales figures related to Sephora’s body-care category and brands.

“When a client comes into [a Sephora], they are open to being taught, and they want to find something new to add to their routine,” said Kate McLeod, founder of her eponymous body stone brand. “[The body stone concept] is a different and new type of moisturizer, so being in store and getting in front of more eyes is [significant] for us. It’s effective to be part of a body care [pilot] because customers come over [to the wall] and know exactly what they are going to find.”

Bojanowski said Sephora’s team will monitor sales and brand performance over the pilot’s first 4-6 months to determine how many more additional doors will house the body-care spotlight.

“By creating this distinct one-stop-shop destination, we are staying ahead of an emerging trend and empowering our clients to elevate their self-care rituals confidently and conveniently,” Bojanowski.