Sephora — Local services in Paris

Disappointing and Unfair Experience at Sephora Haussmann Branch

My recent visit to this sephora left me feeling incredibly disappointed and, frankly, quite unfairly treated. What began as an innocent attempt to try a product turned into a rather upsetting ordeal.

I was looking at the Byoma eye cream and picked up what I genuinely believed were testers. The bottles were clearly not new – they felt light, weren't neatly closed, and simply had the appearance of items that had been opened and used numerous times. I only pumped a tiny bit onto my hand to see the texture.

Almost immediately, a security guard or salesperson approached me, stating it wasn't a tester. I tried to explain the situation, apologizing for the misunderstanding, as I truly thought they were testers. However, he insisted I pay for the bottle. It was clear he didn't fully grasp what I was saying, as I was speaking English. What truly struck me was his attempt to have me follow him somewhere else and to pay for an almost empty bottle – a bottle that, by its weight, had clearly seen extensive use by many others long before I touched it. My single pump simply wouldn't have made it that light.

I declined to follow him as I do not feel comfortable, and waited for a manager to resolve the situation. Another kind salesperson tried to help but was unable to assist, so I remained there. When the manager finally arrived, I explained the situation and her initial reaction, delivered in a shocked and accusatory tone, was: "Did you open all of them??" She then picked up a sealed bottle, saying it wasn't opened. I clarified that I wouldn't peel off a seal, and reiterated that the particular bottle they were trying to make me pay for was already visibly used and near empty, obviously having been tested by many others.

The entire situation felt disproportionate and, in retrospect, quite unfair. There were multiple bottles on display that appeared to be heavily used, yet I was the one singled out and confronted so directly. It made me reflect on whether there was an underlying bias at play, especially since I was the only person approached about this, despite the clear evidence of widespread use on other products. The manager's final instruction, delivered in a rather curt tone – "oh they are not testers don’t open them again" – only added to the feeling of being unfairly targeted rather than helped. While I'm glad I stood my ground, I believe Sephora Haussmann branch should review how their products are displayed and how customer interactions are handled. No one should leave feeling so singled out and unfairly accused over a genuine...

BEWARE!

Harassment and physical accosting happening at this location!

I was very excited to visit the Paris Sephora store. However, shortly after entering and testing a product—something I have done countless times at Sephora locations worldwide—I was abruptly confronted by a man who never identified himself. He accused me of opening products for sale. I immediately explained that the item I had tried was already displayed in the tester section and that I would never, under any circumstances, open a new product meant for sale.

He insisted that the bottle did not have a tester label, so I pointed out that none of the surrounding testers in that section were labeled either. One of the reasons I have always been loyal to Sephora is because the brand encourages customers to try products before purchasing them.

Despite my calm explanation, the man and a woman who joined him—both of whom refused to identify themselves—continued to escalate the situation. Their behavior became aggressive and humiliating. The man also recorded my friend on his personal phone, and when she attempted to take a photo of the display to show that the testers were unlabeled, he grabbed her arm and tried to take her phone away. This was completely unacceptable, unprofessional, and deeply intimidating.

I was told that I would need to purchase the product or the police would be called. Feeling frightened and unsafe, I felt I had no choice but to buy the item. As a 31 year-old American medical professional, I have never had any involvement with law enforcement in my life, and this threat was extremely distressing. After I made the purchase, the sales associate refused multiple times to provide a receipt, and I had to insist before finally receiving one.

This experience left me humiliated, shaken, and horrified. Sephora has always been a brand I trusted and admired for its welcoming and inclusive atmosphere. The behavior of these employees was not only abhorrent, but were the complete opposite of what Sephora represents and promotes globally.

This encounter has deeply affected my perception of Sephora and has caused lasting emotional distress. I feel compelled to warn other customers, particularly fellow American women traveling abroad, about my experience at this location so they can avoid a similar ordeal.

It is important to note that there is a google review from June stating this exact same situation at this exact location happening to another American woman. They are disproportionately targeting people based on...

My family and I are tourists visiting from America. All of the employees have been so nice and friendly to us besides this Sephora. I asked for help from one of the workers and she looked me up and down and told me she does not work in that department and walked away from me. I continued shopping without any help from any employees. When I went to go check out, the employee was incredibly rude to me. He said he doesn’t understand my English (although he was speaking to me in English) when I asked him for tax write off. When I tried to explain to him he continued rolling his eyes and being rude to me. Not only did I have a bad experience with the employee Adrien, my mother and her boyfriend did as well. My mother’s boyfriend speaks fluent French and Adrien was still rude to him. They got in a full argument in French. Adrien should be fired, he is not accommodating and does not do his job and on top of all of that he is blatantly rude to customers. I’m very upset because I have been such a loyal customer of Sephora for so long but this experience really put me off. Adrien provided the worst customer service I have ever had in...