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Approaching its 10th anniversary this year, Sephora has updated its Accelerate program to better prepare emerging founders for the realities of building and operating modern beauty brands.<\/p>\nLaunching at Sephora is only the beginning, not the end goal, of building a sustainable beauty brand. In acknowledgment of that reality, the beauty specialty retailer is revamping its Accelerate program for emerging brands to focus less on access and more on operational readiness and long-term viability.<\/p>\n
The updated curriculum for the six-month program features courses on scaling a business as well as brand launch fundamentals, with operations, finance, media training, team building and strategic planning among the areas of focus. Along with the curriculum changes, Accelerate\u2019s timing is shifting, too. For the next cohort, applications opened March 2 and closed March 31 to coincide with Sephora\u2019s annual United States Brand Summit and Impact Summit, a departure from Accelerate\u2019s previous schedule, when applications and cohort announcements typically occurred later in the year. Members of the cohort are slated to be revealed this summer.<\/p>\n
Carolyn Bojanowski, EVP of merchandising at Sephora in the United States, says the refined Accelerate program will take a \u201cholistic view of brand building,\u201d providing founders with a broader support system designed to extend beyond the curriculum. She notes the timing shift integrates the program more deeply into Sephora\u2019s ecosystem and emphasizes the retailer drew heavily from its industry partner network and Accelerate alumni community to shape a program that is more personalized and adaptable.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur updated curriculum recognizes that no two brands or founder journeys are the same. It takes a holistic view of brand building, equipping founders with the tools to define, own, and refine their unique point of view while building toward scale,\u201d she says. \u201cThe reality is it\u2019s incredibly challenging for indie brands to build and sustain momentum, so if we can play a meaningful role in their long-term success, whether at Sephora or beyond, that\u2019s the impact we\u2019re focused on driving.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brands will continue to receive individualized mentorship from Sephora executives, industry leaders and Sephora brand founders during their participation in Accelerate. Beauty industry veterans, including Tatcha founder Vicky Tsai, Tower 28 founder Amy Liu, Caliray founder Wende Zomnir and Briogeo founder Nancy Twine, have served as mentors.<\/p>\n
Approaching its 10th anniversary this year, Sephora has updated its Accelerate program to better prepare emerging founders for the realities of building and operating modern beauty brands.<\/p>\n
The updates to Accelerate are being implemented as emerging beauty brands increasingly have alternative pathways to scale before entering prestige retail. Indie beauty brands account for roughly a third of the U.S. beauty market and continue siphoning share from legacy players as consumers gravitate toward newer, more nimble brands. According to NielsenIQ data<\/a> reported by Beauty Independent earlier this year, indie brands represented about 32% of the $125 billion U.S. beauty and personal care market in the 52-week period ended Nov. 1, 2025.<\/p>\n Amazon and TikTok Shop, in particular, have lowered barriers to entry by allowing brands to launch faster and more cheaply than through traditional brick-and-mortar distribution, where inventory commitments, merchandising expectations and marketing support can require hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars in spending. As a result, specialty retailers are under greater pressure to ensure emerging brands are operationally prepared before rolling out to stores.<\/p>\n Several young brands that launched at Sephora in recent years, including Ami Col\u00e9<\/a>, Community Sixty-Six<\/a> and Sweat Cosmetics, which rebranded as Hustle Beauty<\/a>, have closed, underscoring the challenges indie brands with limited name recognition face in beauty specialty retail, where many competitors are well-capitalized.<\/p>\n Since Accelerate launched in 2016, 41 brands across skincare, makeup, haircare and fragrance have graduated from the program, with more than half launching into Sephora stores and online. The retailer evaluates Accelerate brands on operational readiness, innovation pipelines and consumer alignment before determining whether they\u2019re ready to launch with it. Alumni include Eadem, Kulfi, Bounce Curl, Topicals, The 7 Virtues, Maed, Basma, Fara Homidi, Lion Pose, Inde Wild, 4 AM, Oui The People and Range Beauty.<\/p>\n Bojanowski says,\u00a0\u201cThe high caliber of our applicant pool reflects not only the program\u2019s impact for the founders, but also the demand for brands that reflect today\u2019s dynamic landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf we can play a meaningful role in long-term success, whether at Sephora or beyond, that\u2019s the impact we\u2019re focused on driving.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s no standard rollout strategy for Accelerate brands or any brands breaking into Sephora\u2019s universe, for that matter. However, many are placed online before entering stores.\u00a0Bojanowski explains the online-first approach allows Sephora to move quicker, gather customer insights and refine positioning before taking bigger bets on brick-and-mortar distribution.<\/p>\n She says, \u201cThere is not a one-size-fits-all approach, as launch strategies are tailored to best support each brand\u2019s needs.\u201d<\/p>\n One of Sephora\u2019s most visible launch vehicles is The Next Big Thing assortment, a merchandising display housing products from emerging brands in high-traffic settings. Accelerate brands are also highlighted during key marketing periods like Valentine\u2019s Day, Mother\u2019s Day and holiday campaigns as well as social and category-specific storytelling initiatives.<\/p>\n Sephora previously revamped Accelerate in 2021, when it pivoted its focus exclusively on brands from founders of color as part of its commitment to the Fifteen Percent Pledge. \u00a0Sephora stresses founders from all backgrounds are welcome to apply.<\/p>\n Bojanowski \u00a0says, \u201cSuccess in the next five years looks much like it has previously: finding new voices to make the beauty world a more welcoming place for all.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Sephora, the selection process at Accelerate mirrors the selection process for its assortment: identifying brands with differentiated products, strong brand vision and a unique perspective. Those standards still hold, but Bojanowski says the retailer has become more intentional about embedding that thinking throughout the company to ensure it consistently identifies emerging brands with the greatest potential. \u201cThat consistency is part of the \u2018secret sauce\u2019 behind what makes Sephora, Sephora,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Sephora isn\u2019t the only beauty retailer aiming to nurture emerging brands before they hit the mainstream. Launched in 2022 in partnership with the Fifteen Percent Pledge, Ulta\u2019s MUSE Accelerator has graduated 32 brands from its 10-week retail readiness and mentorship program so far, and awarded over $1.5 million in direct funding to them. Established in 2018, Sally Beauty\u2019s Cultivate program has similarly offered mentorship, funding and potential retail distribution to emerging beauty founders. Walmart and Target have run programs Walmart Start, Target Accelerators and Target Takeoff.<\/p>\n The evolution of Accelerate comes as Sephora continues to outperform much of the luxury market. Selective Retailing, the Louis Vuitton Mo\u00ebt Hennessy division that includes Sephora, DFS and Le Bon March\u00e9, posted 4% organic revenue growth in the first quarter, ahead of the company overall, which grew 1% organically during the period.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Launching at Sephora is only the beginning, not the end goal, of building a sustainable beauty brand. 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