A relationship with Sephora is a dream for many start-up brands that symbolizes business credibility in the industry, while giving access to an engaged consumer base. However, single-handedly navigating the path to acknowledgment from such a competitive retailer can often be hard, especially with no external help. Sephora’s Accelerate Program, now in its tenth year, was designed to help streamline the journey from start-up to success, nurturing and propelling the emerging brands in today's industry, with a particular focus on BIPOC brands, making their dreams more attainable than ever.

Recently, Sephora North America unveiled the names of the eight brands selected for its 2025 Accelerate Program, with this year's cohort covering categories including haircare, makeup, skincare, and fragrance. The program falls under the Fifteen Percent Pledge—an initiative founded in 2020 by fashion designer Aurora James that encourages retailers to dedicate at least 15% of their shelf space to products created by Black-owned businesses. The figure 15 was significantly chosen because Black individuals make up 15% of the US population.

“We are delighted to celebrate the 2025 Accelerate finalists and recognize their incredible potential to shape the future of  beauty,” shares Priya Venkatesh, Global Chief Merchandising Officer at Sephora. “This program has become a proven platform for championing diverse founders and empowering them with the resources, expertise, and community they need to launch and thrive.”

The 2025 cohort includes:

• Jade Beguelin and Sabrina Sadeghian, 4AM—a research-backed skincare brand that creates luxurious, all-in-one products designed to simplify your skincare routine without sacrificing life’s guilty pleasures.
• Hye Young Kim, Oliviaumma—an innovative skincare brand inspired by Korean beauty and designed for cross-generational use.
• Merian O, Bounce Curl—a science-backed haircare brand that creates high-performance, patented products designed to enhance and maintain the health and beauty of curly, wavy, and coily hair.
• Aziza El Wanni, The Potion Studio—a clean, climate-adaptive haircare brand for textured hair, streamlining routines for "the lazy natural" who refuses to compromise on hair health or time.
• Christal Alert, TONAL Cosmetics— a suncare-first makeup brand for all skin tones.
• Funmi Monet, INFLUXIOUS—an overflow of luxury through fine fragrance and scented adornments.
• Fatema Raja and Navneet Kaur, RUHVEDA—a contemporary fragrance brand rooted in South Asian heritage and Ayurveda.
• Judy Koloko, The Steam Bar—a skinification meets steaming brand, promoting the regeneration of hair through an innovative delivery system for all. 

BeautyMatter sends special congratulations to Judy Koloko founder of The Steam Bar and Christal Alert, TONAL Cosmetics who were also BeautyMatter NEXT 2024 Grant Winners. 

In selecting finalists, Sephora considered each brand’s vision, innovation, and current stage of product development. “The continued interest from this year’s applicant pool reflects not only the program’s impact but also the demand for unique, innovative brands that reflect today’s diverse beauty landscape. At Sephora, we are proud to stand alongside these founders, ensuring they have the tools and support to succeed far beyond the program,” Venkatesh adds.

The selected brands will embark on a six-month curriculum featuring mentorship, merchandising support, as well as grants and investor connections. The initiative also offers the chance for brands to launch at Sephora North America upon completion of the program. Since the program’s pivot in 2021 to focus on brand founders of color, 33 brands have completed the program and more than half of the brands from the 2021–2023 cohorts are now available to shop at Sephora, including  Topicals and OUI The People.

Through the mentorship, brands unlock the necessary skills and valuable relationships to build and sustain their businesses with consistent, cohesive, and ongoing check-ins from Sephora using both digital and in-person resources. Targeted sessions for common start-up pain points will be hosted by recognizable names from respected brands including Nancy Twine’s (Briogeo) Financial Readiness, Christine Chang and Sarah Lee’s (Glow Recipe) Social Media and Community, as well as Marketing Sessions with Amy Liu (Tower 28).

The cohort will also receive one-to-one personalized consulting sessions with Front Row and Clarity Media, as well as a dedicated advisory board made up of beauty industry partners, legacy founders from within the Sephora portfolio, and financial professionals. Investment experts include Alicia Sontag (Prelude Growth Partners), Alisa Carmichael (VMG Partners), and Janet Gurwitch (Advent International). Brand founders and legacy partners include Wende Zomnir (Urban Decay + Caliray), Lilli Gordon (First Aid Beauty), and Lynda Berkowitz (ILIA).

Aside from Sephora Accelerate, the retailer will offer the 2025 cohort a range of additional opportunities and partnerships. These include the Sephora Impact Summit, which focuses on building, supporting, and championing BIPOC brands within Sephora’s network, as well as monetary benefits including the Sephora Beauty Grants, which awards $100,000 to a Black beauty business owner to propel brand growth, in partnership with the Fifteen Percent Pledge, as well as Nancy Twine’s Dream Makers Founder Grant, supporting underrepresented female founders in the consumer space.

Programs like Sephora Accelerate and the BeautyMatter NEXT Grant Program are leveling the playing field for start-up founders, offering access to critical industry networks and mentorship. The future of beauty is bright for aspiring entrepreneurs as access to opportunities becomes more attainable each day.