Beauty

Sephoria 2025 Proved One Thing: Dubai Takes Beauty Very, Very Seriously

BYKhaoula Ghanem

November 24, 2025

There are two kinds of people in Dubai: those who know their undertone, and those who don’t. For the former, Sephoria this past weekend at Expo City’s Al Wasl Plaza felt like a pilgrimage. Sephora’s beauty festival returned for its second Dubai edition from Nov. 20 – 22, graduating from last year’s Coca-Cola Arena to a much larger venue—a clear sign that the city’s love for free samples runs deep.

On paper, the move made perfect sense. Last year’s crowds were intense; this year promised more space, more brands, and more of what people actually came for: free minis. Over 70 booths sprawled across the plaza, each a miniature world dedicated to mascara, serums, hair tech, and fragrance, such as Huda Beauty, NARS, Chloe, Dyson, Kosas, and more. Think Dubai Watch Week, but for the girls and gays.

Visitors could sit in on makeup masterclasses too, including one with Makeup by Mario, famously responsible for Kim Kardashian’s signature glam. His masterclass attracted crowds who watched him blend foundation the way some people watch football finals.

But the real entertainment wasn’t on stage, but in the lines.

We went on Day One, and the atmosphere veered from enthusiastic to mildly apocalyptic within the first hour. What was meant to be a polished VIP preview felt more like, for lack of a better metaphor, The Purge. The issue? A shortage of tote bags and “passports”—booklets attendees needed to get stamped at each booth in exchange for samples. No passport meant no samples, and no samples meant existential crisis.

Suddenly, the crowd’s priorities sharpened. People were strategizing, the way one assesses escape routes on a sinking ship. Lines stretched for up to two hours, winding across Al Wasl Plaza like the world’s most glamorous, most irritable snake. Security tried to manage the flow, while influencers debated whether a free moisturizer was worth the wait. Strangers formed alliances and then abandoned each other at the first sign of a faster-moving line.

Bags became trophies, and passports turned into bargaining chips. One woman waved hers triumphantly in the air like a victorious gladiator, while others watched her like she had stolen fire from the gods. Who knew the real hot item would be…a tote bag? The mood hovered between excitement and mild chaos. No one was violent, but there was a collective intensity you typically only see at airport baggage belts when the suitcases finally appear.

The drama didn’t stay confined to Al Wasl. Within hours, complaint posts flooded Instagram and TikTok like swatches about long queues, delays, and murky crowd management. In response, Sephora Middle East issued a public apology, acknowledging the situation: “We’re aware that many of you faced challenges at yesterday’s event and are truly sorry for any frustration this caused. Your experience means everything to us and we never want a moment at Sephora to feel anything less than great.”

To Sephora’s credit, Days Two and Three ran far smoother. Reports from the weekend described organized lines, proper distribution of tote bags, and an experience closer to what the glossy renders probably promised. But we weren’t there—our memories remain tied to Day One, where the real spectacle wasn’t the makeup, but the crowd’s devotion to acquiring it.

That devotion is what makes Sephoria fascinating. The concept didn’t start in Dubai; Sephora first launched Sephoria in Los Angeles back in 2018, capitalizing on the rising power of beauty communities, especially those built by influencers, makeup artists, and everyday shoppers who knew more about retinol than licensed dermatologists. It was designed to be the beauty world’s answer to fan conventions; a place where consumers, creators, and brands could interact in real life instead of through swatch videos and GRWMs.

Since then, Sephoria has evolved into an annual international spectacle, with events in Paris, New York, and now Dubai—each edition adapting to its audience. And Dubai’s audience is a breed of its own: a city where 12-step routines are normalized, where perfume is layered like clothing, and where teenagers can debate hyaluronic acid percentages the way others debate football scores. Here, beauty isn’t just personal care; it’s economy, identity, and sometimes status.

So when you gather thousands of people who take skincare seriously enough to treat a 2ml serum sample like legal tender, things get intense. Some attendees came for the masterclasses, while others came to discover new launches before they hit shelves. And a significant portion came with a goal most honest and relatable: to walk out with a swag bag up worth up to AED 5000.

@milleworlddotcom worth it 😍😍 #sephoria #sephoria2025 #dubai #fyp #swagbag ♬ So Cute – Audiosphere

Sephoria reveals consumer enthusiasm, yes, but it also exposes the modern beauty psyche. People don’t simply want to buy products anymore; they want to belong to brands, learn from experts, and collect tiny vials like proof of attendance. It’s loyalty, curiosity, competitiveness, and community, all wrapped in a shiny foil sample packet.

Despite the hiccups on Day One, the energy was undeniable. No one can accuse Dubai of doing beauty halfway. And for a festival built around products that promise flawlessness, a little imperfection may have made the experience more memorable. If Sephoria returns next year—and we are almost certain it will—we’ll be there again…Hopefully with a tote bag this time.

Main image: Instagram/@yusrayoussif

Sephoria 2025 Proved One Thing: Dubai Takes Beauty Very, Very Seriously

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Sephoria 2025 Proved One Thing: Dubai Takes Beauty Very, Very Seriously

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