Now Sephora locks up its perfume! Fragrances are removed from store shelves and replaced by testers - after Walgreens and Target implemented similar measures to combat rampant theft

Sephora has become the latest store to lock up its products in a bid to stave off rising theft rates. 

The billion-dollar beauty chain confirmed that all of its fragrances have been removed from store shelves and replaced with tester samples for customers to try.

If a shopper wishes to purchase a bottle, they will have to request staff to bring it to them.

The store is following in the footsteps of Walgreens, CVS and Target which are increasingly locking up products after waves of rampant in-store crime. Retailers lost almost $80 billion to shoplifters last year - an increase of nearly $13 billion compared to the year prior - according to figures from the National Retail Foundation (NRF). 

A Sephora spokesman told CNN: 'The safety and security of our employees and customers is our top priority. 

'To minimize the threats of retail theft and to provide our shoppers with the peace of mind during their experience at Sephora, we’ve increased the presence of Sephora loss prevention investigators across all stores. 

'With that, out of an abundance of caution, Sephora only displays fragrance testers in-stores.'

The retailer initially tested the change in July and August across its stores and found even tester fragrances had been targeted for theft. 

Retail crime expert at K2 Integrity, a Chicago-based global risk firm, told CNN: 'I wouldn’t have guessed that Sephora was the next retail chain locking away products because of theft, but I’m not surprised this is happening.'

The NRF warned back in September that the sector is seeing an 'unprecedented' threat from crime and violence.

Its report found that 'shrink', the total losses incurred by retailers, rose by $20 billion in a year to an eye-watering $112.2 billion in 2022.

And with up to 70 per cent of shrink accounted for by theft, it means retailers lost approximately $78.4 billion to shoplifters.

The phenomenon has led to a rise in businesses taking extreme measures to keep their profits safe. 

Earlier this month it emerged Target had resorted to locking up its underwear in some of its branches including a White Plains location in New York.  Executives cautioned back in May the business was on track to lose $1.3 billion to theft and crime this year. 

Meanwhile Walgreens employees started chaining up freezers overnight in one of its stores in San Francisco - considered to be the heart of the nation's theft problem.

Workers reported thieves were coming into the store as many as 20 times a day to fill their bags with items such as frozen pizza and ice cream. 

Meanwhile CVS will close 900 stores by the end of next year. The retailer is axing 10 per cent of its stores as it pivots to online strategy amid the rampant increase in thefts.

The trend is no longer being driven by teens and substance abusing adults, researchers have said.

Nearly two-thirds of retailers surveyed by the NRF said violence associated with store lefts was being led by organized gangs who steal goods then resell them. 

Law enforcement officials blame the uptick in lessening penalties for shoplifting.

Laura Cooper, head of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, previously told the New York Post: 'Without deterrents and accountability, communities will be victimized, and businesses terrorized.'

According to the NRF, the top five locations worst affected by organized retail crime in 2022 were all Democrat areas.

Los Angeles, CA was the worst affected, followed by San Francisco and Oakland at number two, Houston, TX, New York City and Seattle, WA.

The report added: 'While theft has an undeniable impact on retailer margins and profitability, retailers are highly concerned about the heightened levels of violence and threat of violence associated with theft and crime.'

DailyMail.com reached out to Sephora for comment.