Sephora's Artemis Patrick on Differentiation, Driving Results and Diversification

ARTEMIS PATRICK IS KNOWN in the beauty industry as the consummate brand whisperer, but there is nothing quiet about her impact on the business. Since joining Sephora Americas as the director of e-commerce merchandising in 2006, Patrick has catapulted through the ranks to reach her current position of executive vice president, global chief merchandising officer of the worldwide enterprise. According to NPD, prestige fragrance sales grew 14 percent this year through August 2022 in the U.S., with more consumers spending more money in physical stores. New formats - such as Nest New York's Perfume Oils and Sol de Janeiro's Perfume Mist body sprays - are selling briskly, Patrick said, as are new home fragrance technologies, like wall diffusers and portable diffusers. In 2011, when Nest was primarily a home fragrance brand, Sephora eagerly supported its transition into fine fragrances, and more recently, this year, was a champion of its launch of Perfume Oils.