Dear Sephora,

I am one of your 34 million Beauty Insider members. This group, as you know, drives 80% of your transactions. I also am a VIB Rouge. This means I am deemed a Very Important Buyer, as I spend well-over $1,000 per year with you and have done so for four decades. (To be fair, I consolidate purchases for my husband, daughter, and daughter-by-marriage too.) 

I believed that your stores around the globe were a “safe space,” whether I shopped in the U.S., England, Italy, Spain, France, etc. I identified with your stated mission, “to create a welcoming and inclusive shopping experience for all.” I literally and figuratively bought in…skincare, make up, fragrances, and all. The pursuit of beauty and its accessibility to all were what mattered to you; not race, religion, or politics.

It, therefore, truly pains me to announce that, effectively immediately, I no longer will buy from you. Instead, I will shop at Ulta, Blue Mercury, or simply purchase online directly through the sites of my favorite brands.  

Why? Do you care? After all, in 2024 you generated approximately $3.4 billion dollars in sales in the U.S. So does my measly contribution and support of the many brands that you carry even matter? At the moment, I don’t think so. 

I’ve often said, “You are the company you keep.” And you, Sephora, are selling brands whose owners are antisemitic and anti-Zionistic. What does that say about YOU?

Huda Kattan, founder of Huda Beauty, is today’s perfect example. This entrepreneur and influencer (she has 11 million followers on Tik Tok alone) has posted videos and gone on extremist rants about Jews and Israel. She blamed us for World Wars I and II, 9/11, and even the October 7 attack by Hamas. 

I believe in the freedom of speech and in the reality that many have opinions that differ from mine. But I will not accept blatant stupidity, denial of facts, and bold-faced vial lies. First of all, Israel was founded in 1948, after the World Wars, and 6 million Jews died during the Holocaust. Germans and many others were culpable, but not Jews. Secondly, the attacks on 9/11 were perpetrated by Osama bin Laden and members of al-Qaeda, but not Jews. And more recently, it’s been proven time and again that Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthis — Iran’s proxies — are the bad guys these days, not Jews. No matter how you slice it, Jews and Israel cannot be blamed for everything that’s wrong with the world. So why the hate? The rhetoric? The proliferation of misinformation?

You, Sephora, do not seem to understand how dangerous and ugly this is. You are “reviewing this issue internally, including working with the brand”? What does this even mean? Are you reviewing all of Huda’s now-removed social media posts? Are you bringing her into a meeting with educators, historians, and therapists to help her understand the facts, see the light, and repent for her evil ways?? Are you getting her a lobotomy??? Are you taking her on a trip to Israel to see with her own eyes what the story really is???? How about this…. Are you showing her the significant revenue you earn from Jewish buyers like me?!?!?!

I used Huda as one example. You and I both know that you have other brands that walk the Jew-hate line. You also have brands accused of alleged racism, bias, or other discriminatory practices like Anastasia Beverly Hills, Too Faced, Benefit, Hourglass, Juvia’s Place, Morphe, Nudestix, etc. So I strongly advise you to be proactive and seek them out now! As I said, you are the company you keep. 

Goodbye for now, Sephora. I’m so disappointed in you. If you do what’s right — and do it loudly, clearly, and publicly with an appropriate apology — I’ll be back. And you’ll even acquire new customers in the process.

#drophuda #drophudabeauty