The Quiet hours concept, designated retail time slots designed to create a more peaceful in-store shopping experience, are continuing to have their beauty moment in 2026.
But at the same time, do current iterations of quiet hours concepts go far enough in genuinely supporting customers with additional needs, such as neurodivergent people?
Beauty retailer Sephora has just announced it is rolling out its Quiet Hours inclusive shopping initiative globally this month, following a “highly successful” pilot last year.
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The LVMH-owned retailer’s scheme – which sees its shops turn down the music, dim the lights and adjust screens to create a “calmer atmosphere” during specific retail time slots – will be deployed in all regions after being well received in 32 Sephora stores across eight markets.
Sephora has properly joined the likes of beauty retailers Lush, Selfridges, Molton Brown and Superdrug, which already carry the initiative across their bricks-and-mortar portfolios.
But with a big name like Sephora investing heavily into quiet hours, this may have the potential to inspire more of the beauty industry to follow suit.
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