Sephora opens doors to first UK boutique store concept on London's iconic Carnaby Street

French beauty retailer Sephora has opened its first UK boutique concept on London's Carnaby Street. The store, which spans 2,691 square feet, is Sephora UK's 16th location and opened on July 23, 2026, with managing director Sarah Boyd cutting the ribbon at midday.

The boutique brings Sephora's curated product edits, personalised services and Beauty Advisors into a smaller, high street format. It is designed for customers popping in on a lunch break, browsing with friends or picking up a last-minute product before an evening out.

A second boutique follows on July 30 at Old Spitalfields Market, spanning 2,045 square feet. Sephora UK has been expanding steadily since its return to the UK two years ago, opening larger destination stores including Belfast's Victoria Square in February, Bristol's Cabot Circus in April and Edinburgh's St James in July. A store spanning 5,048 square feet is due to open at Glasgow's Silverburn centre on August 13.

The Carnaby Street store gives shoppers in person access to Sephora's curation of close to 500 beauty brands, spanning cult favourites, viral names and emerging labels alongside the retailer's own Sephora Collection line. Exclusive 'Only At Sephora' brands available include rhode, Haus Labs, Makeup By Mario, Merit Beauty, Yepoda and Tower 28, alongside the 'Hot On Social' curation table featuring Tatcha, Tarte, Summer Fridays and Kosas. The boutique also offers personalised beauty consultations and introduces 'Beauty Scan', a tool powered by a lens attached to a Beauty Advisor's phone that reads a customer's skin for oil and hydration levels and foundation shade matching, feeding into tailored product recommendations.

Members of Sephora's 'MySephora' loyalty programme earn points on every purchase, in store and online, redeemable for products, events and free delivery from Bronze tier upward, alongside early access to launches and birthday rewards.

Boyd called the opening a milestone for the retailer. "Since returning to the UK, our community has continued to ask for more Sephora locations across central London, so we're incredibly proud to bring this exciting new format to one of the world's most iconic shopping destinations after a period of regional expansion," she said. "Whether they're discovering a new brand during their lunch break, browsing with friends at the weekend or looking for personalised beauty advice before an evening out, we've created a space that delivers everything people love about Sephora in a format that feels effortless, inspiring and perfectly suited to the rhythm of city life."

William Oliver, director of retail and restaurant leasing at central London property group Shaftesbury Capital, which manages the Carnaby Street estate, said the opening fits the area's retail mix. "Sephora's new boutique on Carnaby Street is part of a high-quality retail mix, that forms an in-demand, genuinely desirable hub for shoppers," he said, pointing to the "sense of discovery" the brand's product curation brings to the street.