Sephora Canada Is Making 3 Big Changes To Address Racial Bias In The Beauty Community

"We recognize that the retail experience is not always inclusive to all."
Contributor

In a move to address racial bias in the beauty community, Sephora Canada says it's making three major changes.

The announcement comes as the company's U.S. division also revealed it will change how stores interact with customers.

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This impacts the entire retail industry, and Sephora is not immune. We are taking action. Sephora

Starting in 2019 and ending in 2020, Sephora commissioned a retail study on racial biases in stores and found some concerning results.

The study showed that two in five shoppers were treated unfairly in U.S. retail locations because of their race or complexion.

Sephora Canada says they are now working to provide inclusiveness in the beauty market up north.

"We recognize that the retail experience is not always inclusive to all, and racial bias remains a barrier," the company told Narcity in an email. 

The company says they have implemented three changes to address inclusiveness in Canada.

The first is developing a diversity, equality and inclusion council that will be focused on diverse hiring, cultural competency training for employees and brand diversity within marketing.

Next, the company says it will be supporting more BIPOC-founded brands, so that it can reflect the diversity of the country.

Lastly, it says it's actively expanding a team to help "drive our action plan and deliver on our commitments."

  • Osobe Waberi was a Toronto-based Ethiopian-Somali Francophone writer at Narcity Canada. She graduated from the University of Toronto with a specialist degree in journalism and a news media diploma from Centennial College. Before Osobe’s gig as a national trending writer at Narcity, she worked at Toronto Star, The Canadian Press, VICE, and CBC.

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