Earlier this year, Sephora released findings from its Racial Bias Retail Study. The survey included about 3,000 shoppers and 1,700 employees at its stores and others across the country, and the research was conducted over a year by Kelton Global and LRW in partnership with retail racism experts Dr. Cassi Pittman Claytor, Dr. David Crockett, Whitney Dunlap-Fowler and Dr. Patricia Raspberry.
Among the findings, the study found that 78 percent of shoppers didn't believe there was representation in brands or companies that are owned by and made for people of color. In direct response to this finding, Sephora planned to double its offerings of Black-owned brands from eight to 16 by the end of 2021.
Now, only eight months into the year, Sephora has met that goal and they're planning to expand it even further. According to an article on Bloomberg.com, out of nearly 300 beauty brands that Sephora carries, 16 of them are currently Black-owned, but that number is growing. The beauty retailer also said that Black-owned brands will represent 15 percent of its hair-care segment by year’s end.