Are the makeup testers at Sephora safe?

A former Sephora employee shares hidden secrets about working at the cosmetics giant, including how unsanitary makeup testers are.

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“I worked at Sephora for five months. So now I’m pouring all the tea on the Sephora secrets they made us hide from you,” says TikTok user Rocio (@rociorosesglam). The first sensation concerns the infamous shopping bags.

“We were forced to push shopping baskets to customers when they “looked like they were going to steal,” she shares. “If you’ve ever been shopping at Sephora and then accidentally been offered a shopping cart, we may have found you suspicious.”

Rocio is not the only former employee to make such a claim. Another former Sephora employee confirmed he was forced to do the same to clients who looked like they were about to steal cosmetics. He additionally had to approach these clients by offering them assistance.

Rocio goes on to warn clients about Benefit’s brow products.

“Benefit eyebrow products make people lose their eyebrows. The number of customer complaints, especially with Benefit’s brow gel, has been crazy,” she says.

In 2017 benefit remembered Fan-favorite Gimme Brow brow gel after the product failed to meet quality standards and caused eye irritation for several users. The company has not issued any further product recalls since then.

Free Sample Sephora Program

A former Sephora employee then talks about the benefits of the store’s recycling program.

“If you bring in an empty perfume bottle, we have a recycling program where we will give you a discount on your next bottle of perfume,” the content creator shares.

Last year, a cosmetic brand in partnership with Pact in an attempt to reduce waste. Sephora also recycles other used makeup containers such as lipstick, toothpaste, pumps, applicators and more.

The former employee then details the store’s free sample policy.

“We’ll make you a full-size sample bag and leave it behind the counter if you’ve spent more than $50 in the store,” she says. “Ask us one thing. You can get full-size products in them.”

Sephora cosmetics testers

Although makeup testers can be found throughout the store, Rocio cautions against using them.

“Never use makeup testers. We never disinfect or replace them,” she states.

The former employee adds: “I once saw a girl get a lip infection after doing her makeup with Fenty gloss bomb testers.”

Like Rocío, another Sephora shopper also advised against using makeup testers due to bacteria. According to Allure, cosmetic testers are a breeding ground for bacteria like E. coli. The article urges clients to avoid using them, especially on the face.

Finally, Rocio says, “When you sign up to be a product reviewer on InsiderGifted.com, we’ll literally give you a $700 gift card to shop the entire site or store.” Gifted Insider website confirms this statement.

@rociorosesglam everything I can share with you as a Sephora Beauty Consultant #sephora #sephorafavorites #workingcephora #come work with me #day in the life #sephoravlog #sephorasecrets #shoppinghacks #beautyadvisor #visagiste #insidergifted ♬ original sound – Cloned_MF

Viewers’ opinions were divided

The former Sephora employee’s video has 1.2 million views. But user opinions were mixed, especially when it came to free makeup samples.

“I don’t know what happened but I spent $82 at Sephora and couldn’t get a full size sample bag,” one user noted.

“I always ask for samples and they don’t give them?” – asked the second.

Others laughed at the store’s shopping bag policy.

“It wasn’t me, in my naive world, who thought the minute I walked in I was offered a basket because they were friendly,” one commented.

Does Sephora offer makeup samples?

It’s unclear whether Sephora is offering free full-size samples in stores, as Rocio claims. However, they appear to be available online. Customers receive two free samples with every purchase.

Per Sephora websiteshoppers can request free samples “by visiting the “Select Free Samples” section of the Beauty Offers page or by clicking the link to select samples in your cart. Once you select two samples, your samples will be automatically added to your shopping cart and you will see them listed along with your items on the order confirmation page.”

The Daily Dot reached out to Rocio through comments and direct messages on TikTok, as well as Sephora via email.

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