Who doesn’t love a good return policy? Not I said the fly. The return policy at Sephora is quite strict in some ways and pretty awesome in other ways. But like any store policy it comes with some fine print that needs further explanation. Here’s exactly how the policy at Sephora works so you can buy beauty products with piece-of-mind knowing what (and how) you can return.

How Many Return Days at Sephora?

30 days.

In recent years, Sephora has made their return policy more strict by going from a 60-day return window down to 30 days.

What Happens After 30 Days?

If you try to return something between 31-60 days after purchase, you’re NOT completely out of luck.

You’ll simply have to settle for a Sephora merchandise credit which can be used online and in-store.

Their merchandise credit does NOT expire which is cool, but be aware that it can’t be replaced if you lose it.

Okay, So What Happens After 60 Days?

After 60 days you CANNOT make the return which makes their policy a bit strict.

You’re only option is to try and make the return without your receipt and hope you get a lenient manager who might give you store credit.

For this “trick” to potentially work, the item needs to be unused, unopened, and be in the original packaging.

Can Items Be Opened or Used?

Yes.

But if items are opened they must be in “gently used” condition.

What they mean by “gently used” is hard to say.

Because of this I called and chatted with a Sephora rep and was told that you can take home beauty items and give them a gentle test drive.

If you don’t like the item for ANY reason you can return it for a full refund.

See Also: The 8 Best Return Policies in the Known Universe

Any Stuff That Can’t Be Returned?

Nope.

Everything is returnable as long as the item isn’t well used and abused.

Can I Return a Gift for Cash?

No, but they’ll give you store credit if you ask for it.

Otherwise they’ll put the money back on the credit card that was used to make the purchase.

Can I Return Stuff to Kohl’s?

Back in 2021, Sephora started opening mini-stores inside of many Kohl’s locations.

Unfortunately, only Sephora products purchased at Kohl’s can be returned to Kohl’s.

Stuff bought at a standalone Sephora store must be returned to a Sephora store.

Can Their Return Policy Be Abused?

Yes, you can definitely abuse the Sephora return policy and they’re not a big fan of it.

If you return too many used items in a certain amount of time you could be banned from further returns.

It’s not public knowledge how many returns raise a red flag.

Just be smart and don’t take advantage of their liberal policy.

See Also: Making an ULTA Return? Here’s Everything You NEED to Know

Do I Need My Receipt to Return Stuff?

No, not in every case.

For example, if you made your original purchase with a credit card or Beauty Insider account they can look up the purchase and process your return.

The only time that you can’t make a return without a receipt is when you pay with cash.

Have People Actually Been Banned?

Yes, Sephora has banned people (temporarily) from further returns.

They’re using a company called The Retail Equation to track all returns and take action if necessary.

This is why they ask for a photo ID when you make a return.

So if you regularly buy 5 lipsticks, take them home, try them, then return 4 of them you might get flagged.

In case you’re curious, here are the 6 most returned items to Sephora.

Makes sense as Sephora can’t resell those lipsticks.

They’ll typically email you a warning first and take action if you keep abusing their policy.

What About Returning Stuff from Sephora.com?

This is where the policy gets kinda awesome.

When returning something you bought from the Sephora website, they’ll pay the ENTIRE cost of return shipping.

No questions asked. Just use the prepaid FedEx return shipping label that comes with every order.

To speed up the return process you can also return items to any brick & mortar Sephora location.

Do I Get More Time to Return Stuff After Christmas?

Yes.

Sephora offers an extended holiday return policy for purchases made between October 27th – December 1st, 2023, you have until January 31st, 2024 to make your return.

Ask the Reader: What has been your experience with the return policy at Sephora? Good, bad, or indifferent?

By Kyle James

Photo credit to Mike Mozart.