Sephora is bringing “quiet hours” to all of its U.S. stores, the latest sign that major retailers are investing in sensory shopping experiences aimed at making stores more accessible to neurodivergent customers.
The beauty retailer announced that during designated quiet hours, stores will reduce music volume, adjust in-store digital screens and minimize strong fragrances to create a calmer shopping environment. Sephora has not announced a national program for quieter shopping periods.
The nationwide rollout follows a pilot program in 32 Sephora stores across eight markets. The company said it developed the initiative in collaboration with disability advocacy organization Open Inclusion and consultancy Purposeful Futures, after collecting feedback from neurodivergent and sensory-aware beauty shoppers.
“Quiet Hours at Sephora is a significant step in our ongoing commitment to creating more welcoming environments for our employees, consumers and communities,” Deborah Yeh, Sephora’s global marketing director, said in a statement.
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Kohl’s planned to turn Sephora into a $2 billion company by opening 850 locations by 2023. (Image courtesy of Kohl’s. ©2017 Kohl’s Department Stores, Inc. / Fox News)
The move comes as retailers increasingly view accessibility initiatives as both a customer service effort and a way to reach a broader customer base.
Walmart became the first major U.S. retailer to permanently introduce daily shopping hours respectful of the senses nationally in 2023 after testing the concept during the start of the school year. The retailer now offers a quieter shopping experience from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. local time each day by turning off overhead music, dimming lights when possible and displaying static images on TV screens.
At the time, Walmart said the decision to make the program permanent followed overwhelmingly positive feedback from customers and employees, including associates with autism and ADHD.
“From face-to-face conversations, emails, listening sessions, social media and our personal experiences in stores, we have seen what these changes mean for our customers and associates,” Walmart executives Denise Malloy Deaderick, Cedric Clark and Alvis Washington wrote in announcing the nationwide expansion.
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A Sephora store at the Docks Bruxsel shopping center in Brussels on June 25, 2026. Sephora is expanding “quiet hours” to all U.S. stores as retailers continue to invest in sensory shopping experiences. (Marius Burgelman / BELGA MAG / Belga / AFP / Unknown)
Other retailers have also experimented with sensory shopping. Target tested quieter shopping hours at some stores by dimming lights, limiting announcements and reducing music, while Toys “R” Us offered “Quiet Hour” events at some locations.
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Outside of traditional retail, Chuck E. Cheese has offered its monthly “Sensory Sensitive Sundays” program at participating locations since 2016, opening early with dimmed lights, reduced sound and a quieter environment for families.
The programs are designed to reduce sensory triggers such as loud music, bright lighting and other in-store distractions that can make shopping more difficult for some customers.
