Frustrated Sephora workers say their makeup freebies and hours are drying up

• Sephora employees have spoken out about a change they said has led to a lack of hours and perks.
• A new "flex" position means no more guaranteed shifts or free products for them to try at home.
• It's part of an initiative known as "Project Shift," employees told Business Insider.

For years, makeup enthusiasts considered Sephora a "fun" job. But a recent policy change has axed the benefits that many counted on to make it all worth it.

Business Insider spoke to six recent and current Sephora employees who said an initiative called "Project Shift" saw them or their coworkers unexpectedly reclassified as "flex" employees instead of part-time in February.

BI verified their identities and employment at the cosmetics retailer. They asked to be kept anonymous to protect their careers in the beauty industry and within Sephora.

The difference, they said, is that as flex employees, their hours aren't guaranteed. A document viewed by BI showed that they should expect to work between zero and 19 hours a week.

Before, employees said they were divided into full time, part time, and partial part time categories. Under the new rules, those who can't promise three days of availability a week must be classified as flex, according to a document viewed by BI. Those who are available for at least three days are considered part time.

For some now-flex workers, that means they've had to go months between working shifts. For all of them, it means they'll no longer receive the same free makeup products as their part-time and full-time colleagues.

No more freebies

It's known as "training product," or "gratis," and it's a monthly bag of free beauty products that can range from $250 to $1,000 in value.

One former employee — who asked only to be referred to by her first name, Grace — said she received roughly $700 worth of products in her monthly gratis bag during her time as a licensed beauty advisor. Grace left Sephora in the summer of 2023.

For employees earning between $16 and $20 an hour, going home with luxurious serums and concealers made up for the lack of pay, they said.

"Any benefit I have outside of an employee discount has been taken away," a current employee who asked to remain anonymous said.

Multiple employees told BI that May will be the last month that flex workers receive gratis. Typically, gratis is ordered months in advance, but workers who are now classified as flex said that they haven't been asked to request any products for June or later.

When frustrated workers flooded the r/SephoraWorkers forum, a photo of a poster was uploaded that depicted the benefits flex employees earned compared to their coworkers.

In a statement to BI, Sephora said its changes "offered the opportunity to more than 4,160 employees, including part-time employees who previously were not eligible" to have access to health benefits and sick time based on their working hours.

The company confirmed that flex and temporary employees don't receive gratis but said they can get free products from brands who visit their stores.

For one employee, the loss of her monthly gratis prompted her to walk away from Sephora months shy of her 16-year anniversary.

She asked not to be named, but the worker told BI that Sephora "crossed the line" by taking away gratis. After over a decade of working there, she said she witnessed the changes to the company happening over time.

"Over the years, it was all about helping a customer — talking with them about makeup that I love," she said. "Then, it just became so numbers-driven."

'Sell, sell, sell'

And her sentiments were echoed by other employees who viewed Sephora as a fun reprieve from their full time jobs or useful added money and perks.

Many said their hours are nearly nonexistent now.

In one instance, an Ohio-based employee said she works "maybe once every six to eight weeks." Another said she hasn't had a shift at her store since January.

With only their 30% off employee discount left, they said, it's not worth it.

"We're all being pushed to sell, sell, sell," a current employee told BI.

Sephora, which is owned by LVMH, celebrated hitting $10 billion in sales in 2023 by sending out cookies to its store employees in January. The move left some saying they felt unheard by the company.

Weeks later, Project Shift had some getting called into their manager's office to learn they'd also be losing gratis soon.

The Ohio employee continued: "All y'all could do was give us those cookies, and then take our gratis and tell us we're forced to be flex employees?"

One former Sephora employee previously told BI that Sephora had changed from being a dream job for makeup lovers to "just a transaction" after several years. When Project Shift happened, they said it was time to go.

"They should take the f out of Project Shift," the employee who left after 15 years told BI.