Sephora was founded in 1970 in France as Shop 8 by Dominique Mandonnaud, who, in 1993, fashioned the store's unique name by blending the Biblical name of Zipporah (Moses' exceptionally beautiful wife) with the ancient Greek term for "pretty," sephos.

Today, Sephora is not only the leading chain of perfume and cosmetics stores in France, it's also a powerful beauty presence in 24 other countries. In the United States and Canada, there are over 280 Sephora stores and over 270 Sephora inside JCPenney stores. For more information, visit http://www.sephora.com.