Sephora launches beauty classes for transgender and non-binary

Sephora has announced that it will be launching a series of free in-store beauty classes around the country for those in the transgender and non-binary communities.  

The retailer held a preview class in New York City earlier this week for the new program, which will officially launch in June this year.

Sessions will be hosted and developed by transgender Sephora beauty advisers who have intimate knowledge of the beauty challenges trans people face.

Make-up sessions: Sephora has announced that it will be launching a series of free in-store beauty classes for those in the transgender and non-binary communities

Sneak Peek: The retailer held a preview class in New York City earlier this week (pictured) for the new program, which will officially launch in June this year

Sneak Peek: The retailer held a preview class in New York City earlier this week (pictured) for the new program, which will officially launch in June this year

‘A lot of times, the trans experience can be very isolating,’ Daniel, a color consultant at Sephora, said in a video about the new initiative.

‘Just being social in the world can be hard for someone who is uncomfortable with themselves or feeling like they’re being judged by other people.’

Callie, a participant in the preview class, explained: ‘One of the things that I struggle with a lot is that I go through a lot of treatments that mess my skin up, but knowing the steps that I can take through this class really helps me a lot in my confidence.’

Quin, who also tried out one of the classes, added: ‘When you’re working on this appearance you’re trying to create and there’s immediate help and a friendly face for you, I think that’s really important for someone who’s just beginning to transition.’ 

The new program comes after Sephora launched Classes for Confidence in 2016. The 90-minute, hands-on beauty sessions were held in participating stores to ‘inspire fearlessness in those facing major life transitions’, according to the company’s website.

So far, the classes have focused on helping cancer patients and those looking to re-enter the workforce with their cosmetics needs.  

Sneak peek: The new sessions will include personal skin care tips, product recommendations, explanations of various techniques, color and texture correction, and foundation matching

Sneak peek: The new sessions will include personal skin care tips, product recommendations, explanations of various techniques, color and texture correction, and foundation matching

Other platforms: In addition to the in-store classes held at 150 locations, Sephora (file picture) will launch a series of video tutorials on its YouTube channels, featuring trans beauty advisers

Other platforms: In addition to the in-store classes held at 150 locations, Sephora (file picture) will launch a series of video tutorials on its YouTube channels, featuring trans beauty advisers

Knowledge: Sephora (file picture) previously launched classes focused on helping cancer patients and those looking to re-enter the workforce with their cosmetics needs

Knowledge: Sephora (file picture) previously launched classes focused on helping cancer patients and those looking to re-enter the workforce with their cosmetics needs

The new sessions will include personal skin care tips for trangender and non-binary people, as well as product recommendations, explanations of various application techniques, color and texture correction, and foundation matching. 

Corrie Conrad, Head of Social Impact and Sustainability at Sephora told Teen Vogue: ‘This is the third curriculum we’ve rolled out, and we couldn’t be more excited. It’s been two years in the making. It’s one of the initial programs we wanted to design, but we wanted to make sure we did it right.

‘We held focus groups and worked with our employees experiencing their own gender journeys to help determine class content, sensitivity training procedures, and to help figure out which stores would make the most sense.

‘The trans and non-binary community is a beloved part of our community and we want to be allies. That’s the point of all our programming: Whether you’re entering the workforce or questioning your gender, that’s a major life transition. We want to be there for you.’

Corrie has been in charge of the Classes for Confidence programming since joining the company a few years ago.   

She added that the program aims to give tools to those in the LGBTQA community to ‘feel confident and beautiful every single day’.

In addition to the in-store classes held at 150 locations, Sephora will launch a series of video tutorials on its YouTube channels, featuring transgender beauty advisers.



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