Photo: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg News Cosmetics retailer Sephora agreed to pay $1.2 million in penalties to California for allegedly failing to comply with the state’s consumer privacy law.

Sephora’s cosmetics empire was built upon its pioneering try-before-you-buy store strategy for beauty products followed by the grab-and-go convenience of paying for them.

Sephora told CNN that it has removed all fragrances – which it said are among the most targeted items for theft – from stores shelves and displays and replaced them with fragrance tester bottles.