Sephora Unveils Its First Film, "Beauty & Belonging" Celebrating Diversity and Authenticity

This exclusive film captures stories from around the world to shed light on the purpose of beauty, through the lens of committed documentary director Anastasia Mikova.

SINGAPORE, Jan. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Sephora is proud to announce the premiere of its inaugural global film "Beauty & Belonging,", directed by the acclaimed filmmaker Anastasia Mikova. This film was presented at BrandStorytelling at Sundance, offering a profound exploration of beauty and its diverse definitions around the globe.

Watch the film here.

"Beauty & Belonging" is an immersive documentary featuring conversations with over 75 Sephora employees and founders of iconic beauty brands. Filmed over six months across eight countries – Brazil, Canada, China, France, Poland, Thailand, UK and USA, the film explores individual experiences and perspectives on beauty from the importance of a diverse representation in society to embracing ones' authentic beauty. It also includes testimonials from brand founders such as Christine Chang and Sarah Lee from Glow Recipe, Danessa Myricks from Danessa Myricks Beauty, Mario Dedivanovic from Makeup by Mario, Mathilde Thomas from Caudalie, and Akash and Nikita Mehta from Fable & Mane.

Jenny Cheah, Managing Director of Sephora Southeast Asia & Oceania said, "It's truly heartening to see the stories of our employees and brand partners come to life in this film. At Sephora, everything that we do – from deciding the brands to partner with to hosting large scale events for our loyal community of beauty enthusiasts - is guided by our purpose to champion a world of inspiration and inclusion where everyone can celebrate their beauty. Beauty & Belonging has succinctly and powerfully captured that essence."

Through this film, Sephora celebrates its passionate worldwide community and reaffirms its commitment to fostering a world of inspiration and inclusion. "Beauty & Belonging" poignantly reflects how society, culture and peers influence our perception of beauty while Sephora's commitment is to welcome everyone for who they truly are and feel. By highlighting the unique personal stories of a diverse group of individuals, the film encapsulates Sephora's core values of inclusion, diversity, and equity, which have been central to the company since its inception.

"It makes me so proud to be a part of Sephora when I watched the film," added Xia Ding, Managing Director of Sephora Greater China. "Our employees are the heartbeat of the organisation, and I am convinced that when they feel empowered to embrace and define their beauty, that will deepen the connection and impact that Sephora has with our customers and partners."

Anastasia and Sephora first met, when Sephora sponsored WOMAN, the immersive exhibition based on "Woman", a film she co-directed with Yann Arthus-Bertrand. Her vision of the world, and her drive to uncover our world's most compelling societal issues by putting peoples' lives at the heart of meaningful storytelling strongly resonated with Sephora's purpose-driven and outward looking culture.  

Anastasia Mikova added, "I've always been fond of meeting people and discovering their stories - what makes them unique, their journeys, and their perspectives on life. At the same time, I love finding the threads that connect us all as humans and the meaning of beauty across cultures is one of them. Throughout the shoot of the movie, I was able to sense how rich, diverse, and sensitive the Sephora community is, but above all these people are part of one big inclusive family."

The film is available on Sephora's YouTube channel and corporate site, Inside Sephora.

About Sephora

Sephora is the world's leading global prestige beauty retail brand. With 52,000 passionate employees operating in 35 markets, Sephora connects customers and beauty brands within the world's most trusted and dynamic beauty community. We serve a highly engaged community of hundreds of millions of beauty followers across our global omnichannel network of more than 3 000 stores and iconic flagships, and our e-commerce and digital platforms, offering personalised and immersive seamless experiences across every touchpoint. With our curation of close to 500 brands and our own label, Sephora Collection, we offer the most unique and diverse range of prestige beauty products, tailored to our customers' needs from fragrance to make-up, haircare, skincare and beyond, as we constantly reimagine the world of prestige beauty.

Since our inception in 1969 in Limoges, France, and as part of the LVMH Group since 1997, we have been disrupting the prestige beauty retail industry. Today, we continue to break with convention to drive our mission: champion a world of inspiration and inclusion where everyone can celebrate their beauty.