The internet is a wild place. One minute you're looking for a new vitamin C serum, and the next, your TikTok feed is screaming about a massive boycott because of where your favorite makeup store allegedly sends its money. If you’ve spent any time on social media lately, you’ve probably seen the firestorm: claims that the beauty giant Sephora backed Donald Trump’s campaign with "big, big donations."
It’s the kind of thing that makes you pause mid-checkout. But honestly, when you dig into the actual Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings and corporate disclosures, the reality is a lot less dramatic than a viral 15-second clip would have you believe.
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Did Sephora donate to Trump? The short answer
Let’s get the most important bit out of the way first. No, Sephora did not donate to Donald Trump’s campaign. There is no record of the company, or even its massive parent company LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton), cutting a check to the Trump campaign. In fact, under the Federal Election Campaign Act, corporations are actually prohibited from making direct contributions to federal candidates using their general treasury funds. While companies can set up Political Action Committees (PACs) to funnel money from employees, Sephora doesn't even do that.
So, where did this whole mess start?
It basically traces back to a viral TikTok from late 2024 that claimed Sephora was making "BIG BIG BIG" donations to the Republican side. It had millions of views and sparked a wave of "shop at Ulta instead" posts. But when fact-checkers and news outlets like CBS News and PolitiFact went looking for the receipts, they found... well, nothing.
What the data actually shows
If you look at the 2024 election cycle via OpenSecrets—a non-partisan group that tracks every penny in U.S. politics—the numbers tell a completely different story.
Instead of "big donations" to Trump, it turns out that people associated with Sephora and LVMH (we’re talking individual employees, not the corporate bank account) actually leaned heavily the other way. During that cycle, individual contributions to Kamala Harris’s campaign from people linked to the company totaled over $35,000.
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And the total for Donald Trump from that same group? A whopping $318.
That’s not a typo. Three hundred and eighteen dollars. That's basically the cost of two high-end perfumes and a decent eyeshadow palette. It's hardly the "kingmaker" level of funding the internet was panicking about.
Why do these rumors keep happening?
It’s easy to get sucked into the "boycott list" culture. Every election cycle, lists circulate on X (formerly Twitter) and Threads claiming various retailers are secret GOP or DNC funders.
Kinda feels like a game of digital telephone. Someone sees that a billionaire CEO once met a politician, or they misinterpret an individual employee's donation as a corporate stance, and suddenly it's a "fact."
With Sephora, some of the confusion might stem from its parent company, LVMH. The CEO of LVMH is Bernard Arnault, one of the richest people on the planet. Arnault is a businessman through and through. He’s met with Trump in the past—most notably in 2019 when they opened a Louis Vuitton factory in Texas.
For some, that photo op was enough to seal the deal. But meeting with a sitting president to talk about American manufacturing jobs isn't the same thing as funding a campaign. Arnault has stayed largely out of the U.S. partisan fray, even as he’s noted that U.S. elections tend to make the luxury market more "dynamic."
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Sephora’s official stance
When the rumors got too loud to ignore, Sephora actually had to step in and say something. Their spokesperson was pretty blunt: "Sephora does not make corporate donations to political candidates."
They’ve spent years trying to build a brand centered on "We Belong to Something Beautiful." They were the first major retailer to take the Fifteen Percent Pledge, committing to dedicate 15% of their shelf space to Black-owned brands. By 2026, they're aiming to hit 25% in Canada. Politically, their corporate actions align much more closely with progressive social causes than with the platform of the Trump-era GOP.
Comparing Sephora to other retailers
If you’re the type of shopper who likes to vote with your wallet, it’s worth looking at the broader landscape. Rumors didn't just hit Sephora; they hit Home Depot and Kohl’s too.
- Home Depot: Often gets flak because one of its co-founders, Bernie Marcus, is a massive Trump donor. But Marcus hasn’t run the company in decades. The actual corporate PAC for Home Depot tends to split its giving between both parties, focusing on retail-friendly legislation.
- Ulta Beauty: Often cited as the "alternative" in these viral posts. Interestingly, Ulta also largely avoids direct candidate donations, though their employees, like Sephora’s, make individual choices that appear in public records.
The reality is that most massive, global brands try to stay as neutral as possible. Why? Because they want to sell lipstick to everyone. Alienating half your customer base over a campaign donation is usually considered a bad business move.
How to check for yourself (Don't just trust TikTok)
If you're ever worried about where a brand stands, you don't have to rely on a random influencer. You can actually be your own private investigator.
- OpenSecrets.org: This is the gold standard. Search for any company name. It will show you if they have a PAC and how much their employees are donating.
- FEC.gov: You can search the Federal Election Commission’s database directly. It’s a bit clunky, but it’s the raw data.
- Goods Unite Us: This is an app and website that specifically tracks the "political leaning" of brands based on their donation history.
When you look at Sephora on these platforms, they consistently rank as "100% Democratic" or highly progressive because of the donation patterns of their workforce and their internal diversity initiatives.
Moving forward with your makeup bag
It’s totally valid to care about where your money goes. In 2026, "conscious consumerism" isn't just a buzzword; it's how a lot of us navigate the world. But the "did Sephora donate to Trump" saga is a perfect example of why we need to double-check the outrage.
If you’ve been avoiding the store because of this specific rumor, you’re basically boycotting a company for something they didn't actually do.
If you want to support brands that align with your values, look at their actual policies. Look at the Sephora Accelerate program, which mentors founders of color. Look at their sustainability goals for 2030. Those things tell you way more about a company’s soul than a fake "boycott list" on social media.
Actionable Insights for the Conscious Shopper:
- Verify before you vilify: Before sharing a boycott post, spend two minutes on OpenSecrets to see if the claim holds water.
- Differentiate between Founders and Firms: A retired founder’s personal politics (like at Home Depot) often don't reflect the current corporate mission.
- Watch the "Why": Companies like Sephora often support trade associations (like the Retail Industry Leaders Association) that lobby for business tax cuts. This is "political" but usually non-partisan and focused on the bottom line rather than a specific candidate.
- Look at the Board: If you really want to see a company’s leanings, look at who sits on their Board of Directors and what other organizations they support.
The beauty industry is always going to be political because it's about identity. But in the case of Sephora and the 45th (and 47th) president, the "big donations" just aren't there. You can go grab that concealer without worrying about funding a campaign.