Sephora, a French company that specializes in personal care and beauty products, recently hosted its annual “Sephoria” event in the metaverse. The event took place on September 18th. During a four-hour period, users were able to take masterclasses, relax in virtual lounges, and watch videos from the company’s founders. Here are all the details.
- Sephoria featured seven virtual rooms, all modeled after areas in a home
- During the event, users were able to mint giveaway non-fungible tokens for free
- Singer Gwen Stefani made an appearance via video to promote her make-up brand
- The most popular metaverse feature was live-streamed and pre-recorded videos
To accompany the live-streamed and pre-recorded videos, Sephora employees manned a live chat. They answered questions and interacted with users, adding context to the content in the videos. All told, 16,000 people attended the event, up from 5,000 the year before. Sephoria used to be a live event before the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Sephora added NFTs to this year’s event, allowing attendees to mint an NFT on the Polygon blockchain. Users created 8,000 digital wallets and received around 6,500 NFTs, according to sources. The event also featured a digital P.O.A.P., which stands for Proof of Attendance Protocol. P.O.A.P.s often resemble keepsakes or memorabilia that users can store in digital wallets to remember events.
Jess Stacy, Sephora’s VP of External Communication, said that the 2023 event will likely be a mix of in-person and virtual shows. The brand wants to give customers the flexibility in deciding which mode works best for them, and a hybrid event makes sense.
Beauty Companies Get Involved in Web3
Although beauty products may seem like a strange match for Web3, a few companies have made strides in this new industry. Here are three stories involving beauty companies or products and the next iteration of the internet.
First, there is Fenty Beauty. Six months ago, Rihanna’s beauty company filed for Web3 trademarks with the USPTO. The trademarks surround “virtual downloadable goods” in the metaverse. Some examples listed include hair accessories, skincare applications, and perfumes.
Second, there is Gucci. The fashion company recently made Miley Cyrus the first “Gucci Town” guest in the metaverse Roblox. It did so to promote a new fragrance called “Gucci Flora,” which inspired an immersive experience in Gucci Town during the activation.
Third and finally, there is the collab between DS & Durga and FVCKRENDER. The two partnered to launch an NFT collection that combined real-world perfume with utilities in the metaverse. By purchasing an NFT, users were able to claim one real-life bottle of perfume and receive other perks.
Sephora’s hosting of “Sephoria” in the metaverse is big news as it shows more companies are entering the metaverse. Here at Rarity Sniper, we’ll be keeping our ears to the ground for further developments in the story.