Sephora kicked off Project Hearts Not Hate, its global initiative to tackle appearance-based hate with an evening in partnership with Vogue Business.
The Shangri-La Paris played host to an evening of conversations, cocktails and dinner celebrating the launch. “I wouldn’t call it a project. I think it’s more than a project — it’s really an initiative, a commitment,” Sephora president and global CEO, Guillaume Motte, said in his opening remarks. “It is actually the first time that as Sephora, we choose to champion a cause globally across our 37 markets.”
The executive continued: “People experience hate because of their appearance, and we want to fight back and help change those perceptions. With humility, we hope to achieve this together. While we don’t expect to change the world overnight, every individual can make an impact. As a beauty leader, we want to shape not only our industry, but also how we live and respect one another's differences.”
Sephora partnered with Right To Be, a US-based non-profit dedicated to tackling appearance-based hate, to develop the Sephora H.E.A.R.T.S Training, a comprehensive methodology to prevent, intervene, and follow up when somebody experiences hate because of how they look. To kick things off, Sephora will make a donation for every Sephora Collection product sold on 9 and 10 October.
The funds will support the roll out of the Sephora H.E.A.R.T.S training.
“We want to express our purpose through our acts, not just advertising, as an organization,” said Deborah Yeh, Sephora global chief marketing officer, during a panel discussion.
Sephora commissioned Ipsos BVA to carry out a global survey to better understand the scale and impact of appearance-based hate. The study, which surveyed more than 20,000 adults aged 18 and above across 10 markets — Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Mexico, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, and the US — revealed that 7 in 10 adults have experienced some form of appearance-based discrimination, and almost one in two over the last 12 months.
“It’s a very widespread phenomenon,” said Adelaïde Zulfikarpasic, CEO of the society division at Ipsos BVA. On the impact, she noted that 76% reported changing or restricting their daily lives as a result of appearance-based hate while 59% believe it impacts loss of self-confidence. “The consequences of appearance-based hate are anything but neutral.”
Zulfikarpasic went on to share two surprising figures: in 42% of cases, the person responsible is someone the individual knows personally, while in 88% of cases, the incident occurs offline, on the street, or even at home.
Also on the panel was Emily May, co-founder and President of Right To Be, who explained that there is a spectrum of appearance-based hate. She elaborated: “It’s hate based simply on what you look like,” she said. “It could be your skin tone, your hair texture, being too tall or too short, too fat or too skinny. It could be a visible disability or a facial difference.”
According to the Ipsos BVA survey, the top three factors people reported were: weight, origin or ethnicity, and sexual orientation.
Ultimately, May argued that building a strong sense of community can serve as a form of protection. “Community is the immunity,” she said. When people feel safe, loved, included and accepted, they develop a stronger sense of belonging. This support can help them cope with appearance-based hate without questioning their own lovability.
The survey also shows that people want to help, but don’t always know how. There’s a gap between awareness and action: 57% of respondents have witnessed a situation where someone else has been judged, bullied or excluded because of their appearance, with 81% of people believing that others do not act because they are unsure how to react to the situation.
People expect brands and companies to help them: 74% believe that brands in general can help, and more specifically, three-quarters suggest that beauty brands have a role to play through their influence on beauty standards and representation.
On the Sephora H.E.A.R.T.S Training program, Yeh said: “It is designed to help allies and bystanders prevent, intervene in, and address appearance-based hate. We can use it for our employees and also invite the public to participate.”
Sephora has already begun enrolling employees in training on appearance-based hate and plans to fully launch its Sephora H.E.A.R.T.S. Training program in 2027. Sephora plans to expand and tailor the program more broadly across each of its markets. “We have a lot of work ahead,” Yeh concluded.
Guests including singer Camélia Jordana, actress Aïssa Maïga, global makeup artist Harold James, Olympic-winning judoka Romane Dicko, Haute Couture designer Julien Fournié, and creators Nikki Lilly and Louise Parent continued the evening on the terrace, with the sparkling Eiffel Tower as the backdrop.