Sephora North America has announced this years participants for its 2023 Accelerate brand incubator program, with a cohort of seven BIPOC brand founders spanning fragrance, makeup, and skincare. Sephora's Accelerate program will continue to focus on BIPOC-founded and owned brands as part of its commitment to increasing BIPOC representation in its product assortment.
Now in its eighth year, the Sephora Accelerate program continues to build a community of innovative, inspirational brand founders in the beauty space, and creates a foundation, network, and ecosystem for brands to launch and thrive. This year's program aims to prepare BIPOC-founded beauty brands to launch at Sephora North America via bespoke support from those in the retailer's ecosystem of beauty entrepreneurs and experts.
"We are very excited to welcome all 2023 finalists to the Accelerate program and into the Sephora family," said Priya Venkatesh, Senior Vice President, Global Merchandising. "Our program continues to create spaces for BIPOC-founded and owned brands that represent our clients and the world today, all while providing meaningful support for growing brands to succeed."
With a focus on building community and collaboration across the beauty industry, the program features six months of weekly content and curriculum dedicated to elevating the brands and positioning them for long-term success, with programming such as Nancy Twine's (Briogeo) Financial Readiness Series; Vicky Tsai’s (Tatcha) Brand + Assortment Strategy Sessions; and Marketing Sessions with Amy Liu (Tower 28).
Meet the 2023 Sephora Accelerate Cohort
1. Brianna Arps – Moodeaux
Designed around the connection between scent, memory, and emotion, MOODEAUX's line of clean fragrances turns accessorizing your mood into mindful self-care and luxury into a lifestyle.
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2. Malaika Jones, Tai Beauchamp, Nia Jones – BROWN GIRL Jane
A wellness-first multicultural beauty and health brand focused on solution-oriented, innovative products that boost mood and reduce the appearance and feeling of stress.
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3. Alicia Scott–Range Beauty
Range Beauty is plant-powered makeup that targets uneven tones and soothes irritated skin for melanin-rich women affected by acne and eczema.
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4. Sienna Brown–Glosshood
Glosshood is a beauty brand with a specialty in providing niche goods that honor your inner child.
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5. Camille Martin – Seaspire Skincare
Seaspire is disrupting the skincare industry with new ingredients that are safer for humans and more sustainable for our environment.
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6. Karen Young – OUI the People
OUI the People is a treatment-driven bodycare brand that is redefining the culture of beauty through a lens of inclusivity.
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7. Simedar Jackson – Of Other Worlds
Of Other Worlds is a clinically conscious, culturally-inclusive beauty brand that straddles the line between clean and clinical to develop skincare that doesn't compromise on effectiveness or alienate our community.
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All 2023 participants applied to the program in Fall 2022. Eligible applicants were required to be at least 18 years old, have a North American-incorporated company, and be in the early stages of development (i.e., not yet widely distributed by others). In selecting finalists, Sephora also considered each brand’s vision, innovation, and current stage of product development.
Learn more about Sephora Accelerate at https://sephoraaccelerate.com
