TikToker calls out Sephora after discovering Sephora’s rewards program may be providing clues about product amounts actually value.
“So Sephora made a huge mistake. Let me explain what I mean,” @sarcasm.generator told viewers in a video he shared last month.
She begins by explaining how Sephora’s Beauty Insider works. rewards program This typically means you earn 1 point for every in-store spend, except for special promotions that offer exponential points.
“If you accumulate enough points, you can redeem them for mini versions of products,” she says. “Recently they introduced an option to redeem 500 points for $10 off their purchase. This was a mistake because 500 points meant they were worth $10 USD. You can use that knowledge to figure out what the product will actually cost based on the mini sizes offered.”
To illustrate her point, the TikToker compared an 8 mL sample of Augustine Bader’s The Conditioner (worth 100 Sephora points) to the 150 mL product. According to her, the price for the former is basically her $2, and the full size should cost around $37.50.
“It’s actually worth $57, which means they’re charging you an extra $20,” she concluded.
Sephora points aren’t exactly worth real dollars, but it’s still not hard to see where @sarcasm.generator is coming from with this. Some viewers were equally irritated, but most sounded as if it didn’t come from this sudden realization.
“For me, the mistake is making people realize they have to spend $500 to get $10 off,” @kyza929 wrote.
“And the prices keep going up,” @fatherchicken123 claimed. “Insanity.”
However, some point out that it cannot be calculated simply like this, as there are likely other factors to consider.
“you[r] The math makes perfect sense, but you forget the profit margin,” @simometer pointed out. “Something this small relative to the points is probably going to be a very low profit or even a loss.”
“This is a loss leader strategy. They offer samples cheap in order to get hooked on the product and buy more of the full size,” @chloeelkins0 agreed. Another suggested, “The brand is probably offering minis to Sephora for advertising, so it’s not really ‘price’.”
@sarcasm.generator Stick around to see how much you’re being overcharged for your favorite products #sephora #compensate ♬ Original music – I do stand-up comedy
But whatever the reason, seeing a real cost difference between a sample and a full-size product doesn’t sit well with customers.
One user joked, “I don’t wear makeup, but I can see the fall of Sephora.”
The Daily Dot reached out to @sarcasm.generator via a comment on TikTok and Sephora via email.
We crawl the web for you so you don’t have to.
Sign up for the Daily Dot newsletter to get the best and worst of the internet delivered to your inbox every day.
*First published: January 11, 2024 at 9am CST
Rachel Kiley
Rachel Kiley is an occasional writer based in Los Angeles, but always on Twitter @rachelkiley.