Sephora's about face: Why the beauty chain is dimming the lights, muting the music and scent-scaping in its retail shops

By SUSAN GREENE, US SENIOR REPORTER Published: 18:09, 13 July 2026 | Updated: 18:09, 13 July 2026 Picture the scene: fluorescent strip lighting blazing overhead, thumping pop music blaring, a checkout beeping as a line snakes back through the aisles, and a PA system crackling every few minutes to announce a two-for-one deal on watermelons. Most of us can filter out the commotion of shopping. But for millions of others, it can be a full-blown assault on the senses — one so overwhelming that some would rather go without milk or eggs than face the noise, the glare and crowds of a normal trip to the supermarket. Now, in a move that would have been unthinkable a decade ago, some of the world's biggest retailers are pulling the plug, literally, on the chaos. From Walmart's superstores to LEGO Imagination Centers, a quiet shopping transformation is under way.  The lights dimmed, the muzak silenced, the loud-speakers switched off — if only for a few hours a week — and sensory-sensitive consumers are breathing a sigh of relief. 'People who don't get overstimulated don't realize what a big deal this is,' said Eva Erickson, 25, a former Survivor runner-up with autism for whom shopping has always been stressful.  'These adjustments let people like me function. It helps us live our daily lives without reaching the point of meltdown.' Sephora this month is launching 'quiet hours' in select stores, lowering music, minimizing scents, and reducing other sensory stimuli to make shopping more accessible, the Daily Mail has learned  Long checkout lines, trying on clothes, and sounds of shopping carts at stores were among the commonly cited sources of stress for shoppers with sensory processing challenges  Experts estimate that one in four Americans has some sort of sensory challenge, be it autism, anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, migraines or dementia.  Those conditions, often referred to as 'invisible disabilities,' can make the stimuli of stores and other public spaces daunting, if not impossible. Overstimulation isn't always a design failure, but often a design goal for retailers who have learned to use lights, music and scents to excite customers and entice them to stay longer and buy more. Neurodivergent shoppers we spoke with described enduring anxiety, headaches, cold sweats, nausea, panic attacks and even paralysis while shopping.  They told us about aversions to the sounds of shopping carts, the stress of trying on clothes, the itchiness of fabrics, the social anxiety of standing in a check-out line. Several cited furniture giant Ikea as particularly challenging because of its enormity, disorienting maze-like layout and sheer volume of stimuli.  Two cited Lush, a purveyor of strongly-scented products. 'For me, it's indecision, having to choose between products, that sets me off,' said Bex Weber, an autistic shopper in Colorado. 'The cereal aisle, all those options, is torture for me.' Bright lights, loud music, and crowded aisles are a routine part of shopping for many people - but can make an ordinary grocery run feel overwhelming  Other businesses outside the US have already begun adopting similar practices. Pictured: A sign offering sensory friendly shopping at a shop in England Erickson — now a PhD engineering student at Brown University — described the Mall of America in Minnesota, near where she grew up, as a special kind of hell. 'I mean the lights, the HVAC system, the music overlapping in each shop, all the people talking and kids running around, and all the clothes and all the textures.  'My poor parents. It was just more than I could handle as a kid.' Uma Srivastava is the executive director of Kulture City, which touts itself as the world's leading nonprofit on sensory accessibility and acceptance.  As she tells it: 'People's options used to be limited to either staying at home and buying everything online or heading out in public and hoping for the best.' Meanwhile, a growing number of companies are voluntarily adjusting their stores, saying they have a moral duty to make them more inclusive. Most recent among them is Sephora, which this month is touting the launch of its 'quiet hours' program meant for 'anyone who enjoys a more peaceful and calmer shopping environment.' At specified times, depending on location, the beauty chain is turning down the music, adjusting screens and minimizing strong scents to create a quieter vibe with fewer distractions. The company claims that after an initial pilot phase including 32 stores across eight markets, 'most of the neurodivergent shoppers say Quiet Hours significantly improves their experience, and 90% of clients think Quiet Hours makes Sephora stores more inclusive and welcoming for all.' The beauty chain joins Walmart, whose stores since 2023 have been turning off music, lowering lights and switching TV walls to static images between 8 and 10 am daily. Some Target stores have also been in on the trend. Toys R Us was an early pioneer of the concept in 2016, the year before it went bankrupt. AMC Theaters has special movie screenings for autistic audiences and Chuck E. Cheese holds 'Sensory Sensitive Sundays' before normal operating hours on the first Sunday of each month with music at reduced volume, lighting dimmed and flashing effects turned off. Still, some advocates say special quiet hours don't go far enough to address the needs of shoppers with sensory processing issues, and that stores should make modifications at all hours they're open. Srivastava said her group has worked with 7,000 businesses and organizations globally offering what she called 'sensory accessibility certifications.'  That entails training staff on recognizing people in 'sensory distress' and offering 'sensory bags' containing tools customers can use when they become overwhelmed.  Other retailers including Wlamart have also introduced daily sensory-friendly hours at select stores Retailers have long used bright lighting, music, and visual displays to encourage spending, but are now dialing back the stimulation. Pictured: A general view of a Target store in Chicago  Among those are noise-reducing headphones, strobe reduction glasses and visual cue cards for when shoppers can't verbalize how they're feeling or whether they need water or medical help. 'If someone is non-speaking at that time, they can point to their need and staff can help them based on what they know.' The bags also contain 'fidget tools,' essentially toys to preoccupy shoppers having to stand in long check-out lines. LEGO — whose products researchers have found are not only a favorite of - but also therapeutic for neurodiverse people — stands out among companies that take the sensitivities seriously, making all its 1,800 stores and parks worldwide inclusive for sensory-challenged shoppers.  The company also has handed out $11 million in grants to groups developing toys and services for neurodivergent kids globally. 'They're kind of the gold standard,' Srivastava said. Erickson, who made it to runner-up on Survivor last year, said that shopping shouldn't have to feel like an obstacle course or a matter of survival. 'If you knew what was going on in our brains, you'd know how hard these places can be for us,' she said, adding that if she ran the world, 'Every store should be ready for everyone at all times.'