Beauty Tips

Are You a Sucker at Sephora?

9 insider secrets cosmetics companies use to get us to buy stuff we don't really need

by Meghan Rabbitt

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Ever wonder why you walk into Sephora on a mission -- say, to find a new signature scent -- and walk out $127 poorer because you couldn't resist also picking up a skin-clearing face serum and lash-boosting mascara? You probably chalk your unexpected purchases up to the fact that you're a bona fide beauty junkie. That's what we do.

Skip to see the 9 insider secrets now.

At least, that's what we did until we met Ben Bennett, founder and creative director of Hatch Beauty, a Los Angeles-based branding, packaging, and product development company. Bennett has spent years in the beauty biz as the creative mastermind behind top cosmetics, skin care, and fragrance companies, so he knows a thing or two about the tactics manufacturers use to lure us in to buy beauty products we don't really need.

"Companies spend a lot of time and money researching the right words and colors that will subconsciously attract consumers to buy their products," says Bennett. And those tactics work, says Lars Perner, PhD, assistant professor of clinical marketing at the University of Southern California. "Our subconscious mind is quite powerful. Well thought-out word choices, fonts, package colors, and where products are placed on a shelf make a bigger difference than you might think in how drawn to a product you are," says Perner.

Because we're not ones to get duped -- especially when it comes to our beauty stash -- we asked Bennett to tag along on our next trip to Sephora. We pointed out the products that called to us like long-lost lovers and let Bennett fill us in on exactly what tricks those companies used to hook us hard enough to head to the cash register.

Turns out they've got some nifty tricks up their sleeves. Will it stop us from our monthly (OK, weekly) beauty counter buys? Probably not. But hey, knowledge is power, right?

Here, the 9 insider secrets beauty companies use to get us to buy their products.

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Older comments

What a GREAT article! One of my degrees is in marketing, yet I find myself being taken in by these advertising ploys. The description of colors of containers was fascinating. Yes, I am a sucker at Sephora--and elsewhere!

by GigiSD Thursday, May 9, 2013 at 09:43PM Report as inappropriate

so true. I like sephora though.

by butterfly11 Thursday, March 28, 2013 at 02:26PM Report as inappropriate

When someone’s job/profession/career or even hobby is to have you part with your money, always question their motives and be mindful that everything said or done is a tactic that is employed to have your money end up in their bank account. Knowing what you are purchasing and why you are purchasing it goes a long way in being a savvy shopper. Unless of course, you don’t care what you put in someone else’s bank account and like unnecessarily depleting yours. I really liked selling in a major retail store when I was in college. People were and still are so easy to figure out, hence all the “tactics” employed by Sephora or any other retailer. Even though I was a part-time employee, I was the top seller in every department I worked in. I can spot weaknesses(back then I called them pulse points) almost immediately and I still get a kick out of how easy it is to ‘sell’ people on just about anything.

by Hackett Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 12:39PM Report as inappropriate

that was very informative

by LittleBunny Sunday, February 3, 2013 at 05:55PM Report as inappropriate

They make everything look so important, like it's a must have. I do tend to go for the pretty packaging myself.

by EricaC123 Saturday, January 5, 2013 at 12:28PM Report as inappropriate

extremely true. i totally agree. very informative. you can spend so much money at sephora even though many people may not need that extra stuff

by Nicole2814 Saturday, January 5, 2013 at 11:06AM Report as inappropriate

oh so very helpful! I have fallen prey to these tactics, at more places than just Sephora.

by tulipsarebetter Wednesday, January 2, 2013 at 09:07PM Report as inappropriate

True story. Only thing is a lot of the products they pictured in this story aren't even sold at Sephora.

by Nicole1021 Sunday, July 22, 2012 at 07:34PM Report as inappropriate

Very informative and true. I like to research & make a list of what I want to purchase, but always walk out with something extra :(

by DTalksAll Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 03:07PM Report as inappropriate

Sephora is my biggest weakness. If I set foot in there, my bank account is about to be liquidated! I could spend hours (and $$) there...it is my happy place :)

by glamgirlseven Friday, April 6, 2012 at 07:52PM Report as inappropriate