[Updated 6/3] Our Beauty Insider Community Forum is Retiring 🍹🏖️👋🏽

[TeamBIC]

[Update 6/3] There is now an option to download your Forum contributions and personal information. Please see instructions in the FAQ further down below!

[Update 6/1] We wanted to remind you that starting June 3, the Beauty Insider Community ✨Forum✨ will become read-only with no new posts or replies being made. The Forum will officially retire and become inaccessible come August, so now is a great time to screenshot posts, photos, or conversations from the Forum that you want to save in your personal files.

To our bold, creative, and always curious Beauty Insider Community ✨Forum✨ members:

We’re sharing a bittersweet message today—this coming August we will be retiring this Forum. We know, we’re bummed too.

For more than 15 years, our Beauty Insider Community has been a place for Sephora die-hards to talk about their favorite products, ask questions about routines, and show off their favorite looks. While this was a difficult decision, we've loved seeing this group thrive and we're incredibly proud of what we've built together.

We'll be here every step of the way as we start to wind things down. 🤝 Here's what to expect along the way...

• June 3: The Forum will become read-only and will only be accessible on desktop or mobile (no more app!). This means that you have until June 3 to make your final contributions to your favorite threads (Masking Challenge! Shop Your Stash! April Hauls!), revisit any favorite posts, and connect with your fellow BIC-ers.
• Your Community profile will be retired on June 4 (updated from June 3), and your profile photo will be replaced with Winky. REMINDER: Community Gallery is not going away, so your Gallery posts and profile are here to stay!
• Mid-August: Community Forum and its posts will no longer be accessible.

Have no fear! There are still plenty of ways to stay connected with us:

📷 Gallery: Post your selfies, shelfies, hauls, and more  


💯 Ratings & Reviews: Sound off on products

🗨 Questions & Answers: Help others with your wealth of beauty knowledge  


🤳🏾 Social: Follow us on Instagram and TikTok for the latest Sephora news and drops

We are immeasurably grateful to you for your engagement and enthusiasm on this platform over the years. You made this a safe space where everyone felt seen and accepted. We may be signing off here, but you will always be welcome at Sephora. Thank you for everything!

Read on for more info and FAQ about the transition:

When is the last day I can use the Forum?

The last day to contribute new posts and content to the Forum is June 3. Starting June 3, Forum content will remain available in a read-only state until early August, so be sure to copy or take any screenshots you may want to save in the meantime!

Will I still be able to send private messages (PMs) to other community members?
Private messaging will no longer be available once the Forum becomes read-only on June 3. After that, we hope you’ll continue connecting with fellow shoppers in other ways by posting in Gallery, Ratings & Reviews, and Q&A.

If the Forum is going away, how do I get in touch with Sephora?

There are still ways to connect with us! Find us on social, or head to our customer service hub here: sephora.com/beauty/customer-service

Will Reviews, Q&A, and Gallery continue to be supported long‑term?

Yes! We hope you continue posting your selfies, shopping hauls, and videos on the Gallery, sounding off on products in Ratings & Reviews, and sharing your beauty expertise in Questions & Answers on product pages.

What happens to my profile picture?

Customized profile photos will be going away on June 4 as part of the Forum closure.

What happens to my username or nickname?

Your Community username is here to stay! It will continue to be associated with any Gallery posts, Ratings and Reviews on product pages, or Question & Answer content you share.

What happens to my badges, ranks, or status levels?

We will say goodbye to Community badges and ranks (for example, FRESH FACE II, RISING STAR III, ICON I) when the Forum retires. Your Beauty Insider tier (Insider, VIB, or Rouge) or any progress on active Beauty Insider Challenges will not be affected! Your BI points will also be unaffected.

Will all my content go away?

Only your Forum content—including your profile (sephora.com/profile/me) and posts—will be going away as we say goodbye to the Community Forum. We encourage you to continue sharing content with your fellow Sephora shoppers on the Community Gallery, Ratings & Reviews on product pages, and Questions & Answers on product pages!

(Updated 6/3) Is there a way to save my posts?

There is now an option to download your Forum content as a CSV or JSON file. To do so, first tap the Settings gear in the top right corner (next to the notifications bell):

Then navigate to Personal Information:

From there, scroll down to “Downloads” where you’ll see options to download your Forum content and information:

PLEASE NOTE: Images will be exported as links within the Forum, which will only be accessible until mid-August. Please save down any images you wish to keep to your local device. 

How long will I have access to save my content ?

You will have the ability to download, screenshot, or save any of your content until the Forum closes in August.

What will happen to all my profile/account information?

Your Community profile (sephora.com/profile/me) will go away as we say goodbye to the Community Forum. You can continue to view your other Sephora information in the following places:

-Beauty Preferences: sephora.com/profile/beautypreferences

-Beauty Insider Summary: sephora.com/beautyinsider

-Account Settings: sephora.com/profile/myaccount

Will old Forum content redirect somewhere else on sephora.com?

Starting in August, previous Forum threads will be redirected to relevant shopping pages on sephora.com or, in some cases, the Gallery.

[PDXXXX]

While I am a newer member of this community I cannot say how disappointed I am to hear this. And, I won't be shy; I think it's not just a loss for those of us who participate but Sephora as a company (and one I hope Sephora will reconsider).

As a Sephora consumer, I cannot begin to state how large a factor the shared product information and discussions here inform my product selections and the extent to which I'm driven to purchase from Sephora. The degree of nuance regarding products on BIC is, in my opinion, worlds beyond what I get out of Sephora reviews. And cynically, I do not base much of my purchasing decisions on the gallery or reviews simply because even those who may not be incentivized are often looking for future gratis via participation. While I have been a Sephora shopper since it's inception, it is fair to say I spend far more money at Sephora since joining this community. A product review from a stranger is worlds away from what I get from the wonderful people here many of whom know me down to my favorite concealer, blush color, brands, scent preferences and skin type.

On a personal level, I will also say - as I know so many here feel for a myriad of reasons - I feel I'm losing a great source of support and community. I am fully disabled and often isolated or unable to physically engage in activities like showering and rarely have a reason to wear makeup anymore. Since finding this community and engaging in the thoughtful challenges so many here curate, I've been given a reason and reminder of who I am beyond my illness. The activities here increase my drive to tackle activities of self-care and more regularly integrate them into my routine. It's been a great boost of confidence. And I know the same is the case for many here who may struggle with other disabilities, mental health difficulties, stress in general or simply limited time and energy to prioritize beauty and self-care. For example, I have only learned of this decision today because I came here trying to distract from and combat the isolation I'm feeling with my illness by engaging in one or two of the great threads here. This space gives so many of us a reason to prioritize ourselves and connect and that is a huge loss.

This space is also one of the last places on the internet where I see genuine, altruistic kindness and inclusion with an almost inherent pact not to drag our political or other differences into things and focus purely on the fun of make up and self-care. I believe joy is a radical act of self-care and I'll be sorry to lose the joy this community fosters.

I could go on and on and have. I hope Sephora will endeavor to find ways to foster community and recognize it's an asset to their sales. And I am so grateful to countless people here, both BIC admins and others, who have contributed such great and fun content. I hope we'll find ways to connect going forward and know that each little challenge or interaction I may have had with you has brought a smile to my face.

Editing to add I'm going to follow as many of you I've connected with as I can while we're still here and welcome any DM's if you want to stay in touch via another form, IG, etc. at your comfort level.

[missjeanie]

@PDXXXX It's been a joy to see your posts and get to know you!

[PDXXXX]

You as well @missjeanie ! I feel like I was only getting to start connecting with you and I'm sad I won't get to know you better. 

[CynthieLu]

This is perfectly said @PDXXXX 🩷🙏 thank you for putting this into words, the loss of this community and it's impact. It's a huge loss. 

I'm going to miss you and everyone here so much 😭 

[PDXXXX]

@CynthieLu I remember staring out on this forum feeling pretty shy and you were always so kind and friendly! I'm bummed as I wanted to start connecting with you and others on your sensitive skin thread and hadn't yet. I'll miss you!

[CynthieLu]

Being welcoming and supportive is what BIC did best, right?? 🩷😀

I'll miss you too @PDXXXX  and I hope your skin care journey continues and you find the best ways to manage your skin and it's unique needs.

I know for me figuring out my skin barrier and it's limits and needs we're a hill to climb. I can only exfoliate sparingly and give it breaks when needed. Ceramides always we're my savior in a red or sensitive period. And no matter how much I love a good exfoliation my skin only enjoy's it weekly at best and never in the dryest months of winter. Do you have any skin care holy grails right now? 

Out of my price range but ones i'd buy if I had the money to spare are the Super Start Serum and the Ceramide Capsules from Elisabeth Arden 😍 but I make due with what I can find on the sale rack at Winners and Marshalls. 😉

[PDXXXX]

Yes @CynthieLu ; you guys truly set a welcoming tone and made this place special.

Ugh, right now after trying to integrate tret into my routine for a few months I'm at the point where I'm truly wondering if my sensitive skin can take it. So it's been all about *trying* to rebuild my barrier.

I didn't know about ceramides - thank you for the tip! Right now my HG has to be Tatcha Indigo Overnight Repair Redness Reducing Barrier Cream Moisturizer 1.7oz / 50ml. I've been using minis of the Tower 28 Beauty Mini SOS Daily Hypochlorous Acid Spray for Breakouts & Redness 1 oz/ 30 mL as well and I thiiiink they truly do help my redness? And then Avene Cicialfate+ is my go to final day time layer. I think you turned me onto Skinfix last year and that and the Summer Fridays Jet Lag collection are def sensitive skin approved for me. A lot of my redness is inflammation and flushing from a syndrome I have though. So, I am juuust starting to consider some dietary changes too (even though I do not approve, lol).

The sensitive skin struggle is so real - I'll miss sharing it with you!

[Ispend2much6]

@PDXXXX I tried to send you a pm but I got an error message saying members aren't accepting them!  I just wanted to mention my skin has been doing odd things this year- more redness that I attributed to an autoimmune issue, but my dermatologist told me it was inflammatory rosacea.  Lots of irritation, etc.  She gave me metro-gel and told me to use a sulfur face wash.  Now that I'm aware I see that spicy food does set it off. Thought I'd mention it in case it was helpful.

[PDXXXX]

Oh no @Ispend2much6 - so weird messages are down but so sweet of you to take the time to think to send me one. I hope the sulfer wash and metro-gel help! I think I was using a sulfer wash ages ago when my battle was cystic acne but can't remember if it helped. I will look into the metro-gel. Same as you though; a lot of mine seems to be autoimmune related flushing. I go from see through to beet red, drives me nuts. This is why BIC has been so great - waaaa! I'm really going to miss it.

[CynthieLu]

You made this place special too lady! Thank you for all the fun times and good conversation. 🌈

Oooh dietary changes, that's tough. Especially if it's something you love that you have to limit. 😭

@PDXXXX but when your ready to make the change you'll rock it. 💪 

It's wild, I recently had to make some diet changes for health reasons and it's been a journey to say the least. But despite struggle it's been worth it in the long run. 

Are you on insta? Reach out anytime you want to vent about skincare 😉

@cynthie.p 🍀

[PDXXXX]

Shucks, you're too sweet @CynthieLu . I keep a small personal account @tine_buckley and have just followed you - reach out anytime! I hope the dietary changes helped you - I'm glad to hear they've been worth it in the long run. The intersection of health issues and diet can be so interesting but frustrating! Like sometimes I just want a donut, lol. I'm glad I'll still get to see you on IG 😊 (and also very ☘️ however much it messes with my skin and hair lmao).

[danielledanielle]

THIS 👆🏽 

 

[pocketvenus]

Popping in to say thank you to everyone who made this community what it became: a special outlier in an online world that has become increasingly hostile and extractive. I appreciate all the discussions we've had over cosmetics, especially perfumes, but also, our other interests, our lives, and the greater world around us. Special thanks to those who quietly helped run and shape BT and BIC with sensitivity and everyone who reached out to me over the years. I'll always remember the generosity, cheer, insight, and support we brought to this place - the beauty we created together. May your lives continue to beautiful ❤️❤️❤️

Edit: Thank you so much for your kinds words and replies, it means a lot to see us all together here one last time. I'll always remember you 💗🌸

[tsavorite]

@pocketvenus ,

You are a Rock Star!  ❤️

[blackkitty2014]

@pocketvenus Hope you’re doing well. This is such a sad sad new

[sister13]

Hi and good to see you! It’s been wonderful to have us all together here! @pocketvenus ❤️❤️

[SportyGirly125]

@pocketvenus Thank you for all your fragrance knowledge. 

[Titian06]

Hi, @pocketvenus !  I'm glad you stopped by.  I miss talking to you.  Hope all is well! 💖💖💖

[missjeanie]

@pocketvenus Well said!

[itsfi]

@pocketvenus, your knowledge of fragrances is masterful and your embrace of those interested in perfume, regardless of their command of the lingo in the fragrance-world or eloquence of their words, is admirable, inspiring and humbling! So grateful to have interacted with you on the boards. 

[veronika23]

@pocketvenus  Thanks for all the fragrance tips over the years! 🖤