An open letter to our Sephora employees and community

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To our Sephora family members,

Like many of you, I’ve been watching the news and seeing the pain experienced by African Americans and communities of color more broadly across America. I have gone from being speechless…to feeling a strong need to speak up and address what is happening.

First and foremost, I want to express my empathy for the range of emotions you may be feeling right now. When is enough enough? How can prejudice and violence continue to happen in a country whose values include equality and justice?

I have been living in the U.S. for more than 40 years, from Baltimore to San Francisco. I have raised two American kids and just welcomed my first grandchild. I am in awe of the diversity of this country.  When I visit stores in towns large and small across America, I hear the power of your voices and the passion in your hearts. I cherish the diversity in our store teams, our distribution centers and our corporate offices, as well as our mission to create a community where all are welcome.

We have seen that the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted communities of color and highlighted the existing inequalities in our country. George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor are sadly only a few examples of recent violence against the Black and African American communities, adding to the difficulties these communities are already facing.

To our Black employees: We see you. We know you’re hurting. We are here to support wherever and however we can. For employees who have been directly affected by demonstrations in your local communities: We support you, too. Some of our stores did not open up this week as planned due to protests. Some closed early. Some were damaged. Our stores can always be repaired and reopened. Your safety is our most important priority. We will continue to monitor the situation and will ensure employees in any impacted stores will be paid and receive benefits as planned, as well as access to counseling and support resources. 

For all other employees, I invite you to stand with us as we continue to challenge prejudice and bias, including in retail. We have made a commitment as a company (click for more info) to create a more welcoming and inclusive beauty community. In these times, I am reminded that we still have a lot of work to do. But we will do our part to ensure our employees and our clients feel a sense of belonging in store, online and in our workplaces.

We will continue financially to support organizations that fight for equality and racial justice. We will continue to listen to our Equity Advisors who are working on the front lines to advocate for a better society. And we will continue to look for ways to improve and evolve our policies and practices as a retail organization.

On behalf of our leadership team, we are here to support and listen to you. If any employee would like to connect, we encourage you to reach out directly to us. We have great strength when we all stand together.

Jean-André Rougeot

President & CEO, Sephora Americas