How to Get a Sephora Birthday Gift: Online & In-Store

Your birthday only comes once a year, and Sephora has a very specific love language: free stuff. If you’re a Beauty Insider
(it’s free to join), you can pick a birthday gift set during your birthday montheither in-store or online. The trick is
knowing the rules, the timing, and how to avoid the classic “Why can’t I see the gift?” panic spiral.

This guide walks you through exactly how to claim your Sephora birthday gift in 2026online and in-storeplus
the fine print that actually matters (minimum spend online, Kohl’s differences, sold-out realities, and what to do when the app
pretends it’s never heard of your birthday).

First, the Basics: What Is the Sephora Birthday Gift?

Sephora’s birthday gift is a free gift set offered to Beauty Insider members. You typically get a choice of several
mini sets from popular brands (think skincare, haircare, fragrance, or makeup), and sometimes there are tier-based extras for
VIB and Rouge members.

Key rules to know before you plan your “freebie run”

• One birthday gift per year per member account.
• Redeem during your birthday month (and availability can vary by channel and location).
• In-store: no purchase required.
• Online (Sephora.com): a $25+ merchandise purchase is required to redeem.
• Sephora at Kohl’s / Kohls.com: gift rules and availability can differ from Sephora.com and Sephora standalone stores.
• While supplies lastbecause birthdays are predictable, but inventory is not.

Step 1: Join Beauty Insider (If You’re Not Already)

You must be a Beauty Insider to get the birthday giftno membership, no minis. The good news: joining is free, quick, and
doesn’t require a purchase.

How to sign up

1. Online: Create a Sephora account and opt into Beauty Insider during registration.
2. In the app: Create/sign in, then confirm your Beauty Insider profile is active.
3. In-store: Ask a Beauty Advisor to sign you up at checkout (or customer service) using your email.

Pro tip: Use an email you actually check. The easiest birthday redemptions happen when your account info is clean and consistent
across app, website, and in-store lookup.

Step 2: Confirm Your Birthday Is Correct in Your Profile

Your birthday gift eligibility is driven by your Beauty Insider profile data. If your birthday is missing or incorrect, Sephora
can’t magically guess it (even if your friends are certain you “give off Pisces energy”).

Quick birthday checklist

• Is your birth month correct?
• Is your email the one you use in-store?
• Are you logged into the same account on the app and website?
• If you shop at Kohl’s, are your accounts properly linked (if you use both ecosystems)?

If you recently updated your birthday and the gift still isn’t appearing, give it a little time and try logging out/logging back
in (yes, it’s cliché; yes, it works more often than it should).

How to Get Your Sephora Birthday Gift In-Store

In-store is the simplest method: show up during your birthday month, ask for your birthday gift, and enjoy the tiny celebratory
dopamine hit of getting something for nothing.

In-store redemption steps

1. Go to a Sephora store (or Sephora at Kohl’s, if that’s your preferred location).
2. Tell a Beauty Advisor you’d like to redeem your Beauty Insider birthday gift.
3. Provide the email address associated with your Beauty Insider account (or have your membership barcode ready in the app).
4. Choose from the available gift options (selection may vary by store and by day).
5. Walk away feeling like you just beat the systempolitely, legally, and with travel-size moisturizer.

Do you have to buy anything in-store?

No. A purchase is not required to redeem your birthday gift in store. That said, if you do shop, it can be smart
to redeem your gift during checkout so it’s seamlessly attached to your transaction.

What if the store is out of the gift you want?

This happens a lotespecially with viral sets. Options:

• Ask what’s available that day (you might find a sleeper-hit set you actually like more).
• Try another locationinventory can differ even across stores in the same city.
• Redeem online instead (if you’re willing to meet the minimum spend).
• Don’t wait until the last day of your birthday month if you have strong feelings about a specific set.

How to Get Your Sephora Birthday Gift Online (Sephora.com)

Online redemption is convenientbut it comes with a very specific requirement: you need a $25+ merchandise purchase
to claim the birthday gift on Sephora.com.

Online redemption steps

1. Sign in to your Beauty Insider account on Sephora.com (or the Sephora app).
2. Shop as usual and add at least $25 in eligible merchandise to your cart.
3. Navigate to the birthday gift offer (often surfaced on the birthday gift page, your Beauty Insider area, or at checkout when eligible).
4. Add the birthday gift to your basket.
5. Check out. The gift should price out as free, assuming your cart meets the minimum and your birthday eligibility is active.

What counts toward the $25 minimum?

The short version: eligible merchandise, totaling $25 or more, after discounts and certain redemptions. The longer (more useful)
version: some things do not count toward the minimum, so don’t be surprised if your cart total looks “close enough” but
your birthday gift still won’t trigger.

Items that commonly don’t count toward the $25 minimum include gift cards, taxes, shipping, and certain add-ons
like gift wrapping. If you’re using discounts or cash-type redemptions, your qualifying subtotal may drop below $25 even if your
original cart looked higher.

Why does Sephora require $25 online?

Industry coverage and Sephora’s own program terms point to a policy shift aimed at controlling abuse (multiple accounts, resellers,
shipping costs) and keeping the birthday gift sustainable. Practically speaking, it encourages members to bundle the gift with an
actual order.

Online-only birthday gifts (VIB & Rouge perks)

Depending on the year, Sephora may offer rotating online exclusives for higher tiers. In 2026, Sephora highlighted rotating
online-exclusive birthday gift drops for VIB and Rougemeaning the “best” option may change throughout the year, and it can be
worth checking early in your birthday month.

Sephora at Kohl’s: What’s Different?

Sephora at Kohl’s is its own universe: still Sephora Beauty Insider, but with differences in gift assortment and redemption rules.
The biggest “gotcha” is that the available birthday gift options can vary by location and by whether you’re shopping on Sephora.com,
in a standalone Sephora, or through Kohl’s channels.

Kohl’s redemption rules (the practical version)

• In-store at Sephora at Kohl’s: birthday gift redemption is available without a minimum purchase.
• Online at Kohls.com: Sephora’s terms indicate there is no minimum merchandise purchase to redeem your birthday gift there.
• Selection may differ from Sephora standalone stores and Sephora.com.

If you’re a “get in, get gift, get out” type of person, Sephora at Kohl’s can be a smart playespecially if you want to avoid the
$25 online minimum on Sephora.com.

What Can You Choose in 2026? (Examples Without the Hype)

Sephora refreshes birthday gift offerings yearly, and 2026 includes sets from widely loved brands across categories. Sephora’s own
announcements for 2026 called out brands like Dr. Dennis Gross, Glossier, Tower 28,
and dae, with additional drops later in the year (because Sephora enjoys drama, but the fun kind).

How to choose the “best” gift for you

• Pick based on what you’ll actually use, not what TikTok screams is “the highest value.”
• Match the category to your routine: skincare if you’re consistent, fragrance if you like variety, haircare if you’re always chasing shine.
• Consider travel: mini sets are perfect for weekend bags and carry-ons (and for pretending your gym bag life is more organized than it is).
• Check stock early in your birthday month if you want a particular set.

The points option: should you take it?

In some years, Sephora offers a birthday points reward option (often 250 points) instead of a physical gift. This can be
great if:

• You already own too many minis and would rather bank points for a bigger reward later.
• You’re saving toward Beauty Insider Cash redemptions or Rewards Bazaar items.
• You’re picky and none of the gift sets fit your preferences.

One important detail: points options can have different availability depending on channel and stock, so if you’re aiming for points,
check the listing or ask in store.

Troubleshooting: When the Birthday Gift Won’t Show Up

If your birthday month is here and Sephora is acting like it’s “not seeing it,” don’t panic. Run through these quick fixes:

1) Make sure you’re signed into the right account

Many people have multiple emails, old accounts, or a “shopping account” and a “points account” that somehow became two separate beings.
Confirm you’re logged into the same Beauty Insider account you use in-store.

2) Confirm your birthday month is in your profile

Sounds obvious. Still the #1 reason the gift doesn’t appear. Double-check your profile details.

3) Check your cart subtotal the right way

If you’re redeeming online at Sephora.com, verify you have $25+ in eligible merchandise after discounts.
If your qualifying subtotal drops to $24.87, the birthday gift won’t triggerbecause computers have no compassion.

4) Try the website if the app is being moody (or vice versa)

Sometimes the gift surfaces at checkout in one channel but not the other. If you can’t find it in the app, try Sephora.com on a browser.

5) Inventory might be the real issue

If a gift is out of stock, it may not show as selectable. In that case, check other options, try another store, or redeem earlier next year.

Fine Print That’s Actually Worth Reading (Quick Version)

• Not all delivery channels participate: Birthday gifts may not be available through certain third-party delivery services.
• Substitutions can happen: If something runs out, Sephora may replace it with a different item/set.
• Reselling is a bad idea: It can violate program terms and potentially put your account at risk.
• Don’t game shipping addresses: Sephora limits how many birthday gifts can be shipped to a single address in a year.

Online vs. In-Store: Which Should You Choose?

Choose in-store if you want…

• A true “free” redemption with no purchase required.
• Immediate gratification (and zero shipping drama).
• A quick way to check multiple gift options by asking what’s in stock.

Choose online if you want…

• Convenience (especially if you live far from a store).
• Access to certain online-exclusive options (often tier-based).
• To bundle your birthday gift with an order you already planned to place.

Conclusion: Claim the Gift, Skip the Stress

Getting your Sephora birthday gift is easy once you know the rules: join Beauty Insider, make sure your birthday is correct, then redeem
in-store for free or online with a qualifying $25+ merchandise purchase. The only real enemies are procrastination and inventory.

If you want the smoothest experience, redeem early in your birthday month, keep your account info consistent, and decide whether you’re
going for the physical gift or the points option. Your birthday is already doing enoughyour checkout process shouldn’t add drama.

Bonus: of Real-World Experiences (Online & In-Store)

Here’s what birthday gift redemption tends to look like in the wildbased on common shopper scenarios and the little “aha” moments that
don’t always show up in official FAQs.

Experience #1: The in-store speed run. A lot of people redeem in store because it’s the cleanest deal: no minimum purchase,
no cart math, no “why is my subtotal different after coupon codes?” You walk in, ask a Beauty Advisor for your birthday gift, share your
email (or scan your Beauty Insider barcode), and pick from what’s available. The surprise is that selection can be very “day-by-day.”
One store might have three options left; another location five miles away might have a totally different mix. If you’re picky, you learn
quickly to redeem earlyespecially if you’ve seen a particular set trending.

Experience #2: The online cart puzzle. Online redemption is convenient, but it’s also where people get tripped up. The most common
frustration is thinking, “My cart is over $25, so why can’t I add the gift?” Then you realize your total includes shipping, tax, or an item that
doesn’t count toward the minimumor you applied a discount that quietly dropped your qualifying merchandise subtotal under $25. The easiest fix is
adding a small eligible item you’ll actually use (like cotton swabs, a mini hand cream, or a simple skincare staple) rather than throwing random
clutter into your cart just to “make it work.” The best online experience usually happens when you’re already placing an order and the birthday gift
is simply the cherry on top.

Experience #3: The “sold out” emotional roller coaster. If you wait until the end of your birthday month, you might find your first
choice gone. This is where flexibility saves the day: pick a gift that fits your routine rather than chasing only the highest “value.” Many shoppers
end up happier when they choose something practical (a mini cleanser or hair product they’ll finish) rather than a hyped item that doesn’t match their
skin type or style. And sometimes the points option feels like the calm, grown-up choiceespecially if the physical gifts don’t excite you.

Experience #4: Sephora at Kohl’s as the low-stress alternative. People who don’t want the $25 online minimum often redeem at Sephora at
Kohl’s. It can be faster, easier, and genuinely purchase-free. The trade-off is that the available options may differ from Sephora.com. If you’re okay
being flexible on selection, it’s a smart workaround that still stays within the rules.

Overall, the best “real life” strategy is simple: redeem early, keep your profile accurate, and choose the redemption method that matches your
personalitywhether you’re an in-store minimalist, an online convenience shopper, or a points hoarder with a long-term plan.