• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, June 6, 2018

Sephora is turning 20, and the beauty retailer — already a leader in customer experience — is throwing itself a party in October, a two-day beauty convention that promises shopping innovations “unlike any seen before.” The chain, owned by luxury giant LVMH, also says it is kicking off a new marketing campaign this month as part of the celebration.

Called Sephoria, the Los Angeles event will immerse shoppers in customized activities with more than 50 of its best-selling prestige brands, the company says.

In its 20 years in the U.S., “we’ve drawn from our deep understanding of the kinds of physical and digital beauty experiences clients love from Sephora,” says Deborah Yeh, senior vice president of marketing and brand in its announcement, “and set out to create the ultimate event that fuses fun, education and inspiration, and gives our community a place where they can live out all of their beauty fantasies.” 

New ads promoting the event are scheduled to begin this month, and it’s also working with its influencer network to build buzz.

While LVMH doesn’t break out Sephora results in its financial reports, it says that in the most recent quarter, “Sephora continued to gain market share around the world, offering an ever more innovative and interactive experience to its customers.”

The brand is continuing to roll out its new store format in France, where the brand was launched back in 1969. Called the “New Sephora Experience,” it features a beauty hub with digital apps for testing products, shoppable connected terminals, an area for beauty tutorials, makeup classes and Snapchat geofilters.

Separately, as part of Pride Month, Sephora introduced “Bold Beauty for the Transgender Community,” a free in-store class for those who identify as transgender or non-binary. Part of its  “Classes for Confidence” program, the 90-minute interactive class lets people explore techniques and skincare with Sephora instructors, some on their own gender journey.

“We stand with all members of the LGBTQA [adding asexual/aromantic] community and are committed to providing these individuals with the tools they want to feel confident and beautiful every single day,” the company says in its announcement. “We believe beauty is yours to define, and ours to celebrate.”