The world of beauty retail is experiencing a major shake up right now. 

Not only are high street stalwarts like Boots and The Body Shop super-charging their offerings with concept stores filled with DIY refill stations, mask bars and water refill points, but luxury department stores are rethinking the way they present high-end brands, too. The new Harrods beauty floor looks more like a stately home than a beauty hall, and Selfridges’ new Beauty Workshop space is full of cool, under-the-radar brands not usually found in such an established retail haven. The digital space is also undergoing a makeover, with retailers like SustBeauty demystifying the world of sustainable beauty, and making shopping according to your personal ethos a far easier feat.

The newest name on the list of beauty retail innovators? AFTERBeauty, the brand new beauty concept store that has just opened in London’s Piccadilly.

A self-described beauty playhouse, the three-story townhouse is designed to encourage experimentation. Amongst the shelves and shelves of mega beauty products are multiple application stations, where you can try out different makeup items and skincare formulas under tweakable mirror lights, as well as ask the expert in-store advisers for recommendations specific to your needs.

Among its 140 brands hailing from all corners of the globe, you’ll find classics like Skinceuticals, Dermalogica, Real Techniques and Tangle Teezer, as well as newer, indie brands like Physicians Formula, Holika Holika and Patchology. AFTERBeauty also stocks some brands exclusively, meaning it’s the only place you’ll find super-food skincare brand Likami and niche perfume brand Notebook.

Unlike more established retailers, which tend to stock entire product ranges, AFTERBeauty hand picks the best bits from each brand to offer shoppers a curated edit that will change often, meaning every time you go in, there will be something new to discover.

The store also offers a full menu of treatments, from manicures to lash lifts, facials to body wraps, all bookable through Treatwell.

While the team behind AFTERBeauty aren’t drawing any parallels with other retailers, having already shopped the store, we’d say it’s the closest we’re going to get to a UK Sephora for now.

And if that wasn’t reason enough to visit, just take one step into the teddy bear-lined lift - trust us, it’s a sight to behold.

AFTERBeauty is open now, at 189 Piccadilly, but you’ll also be able to shop the store virtually when the new website launches on 13 November.

Images courtesy of AFTERBeauty.