Sephora Buys Scentsa

Sephora Americas has acquired Scentsa, an interactive touchscreen technology, from Crescent House Publishing LLC (Carlsbad, Calif.) for an undisclosed amount.
As reported in Women’s Wear Daily, Sephora had had a five-year exclusive on Scentsa interactive technology, which had been a pivotal aspect in the beauty retailer’s 330 freestanding North American stores as well as its online operation.
Among the innovations developed by Scentsa for Sephora were a touch screen in-store “fragrance finder” that allows customers to find detailed information on fragrances, view images, run videos or read product reviews; “Color IQ,” which uses a handheld tool to scan the user’s skin and spits out a list of matches from the foundations sold at Sephora; and, most recently, the “Skincare IQ” platform, an interactive wall-mounted system that helps customers choose appropriate skin care for their skin type and price range.

Scentsa’s current employees will continue to run the technology as Sephora employees in San Francisco.