Sephora names seven beauty brands for accelerator incubator

Sephora North America has selected seven brands founded by Black, Indigenous, and people of colour (BIPOC) spanning fragrance, make-up, and skincare for its 2023 Accelerate incubator programme.

The accelerator, now in its eighth year, offers founders in the beauty space a foundation, network, and ecosystem for their brands to launch and thrive. The programme features a 360-degree, six-month curriculum with mentorship, merchandising support, grants, and investor connections to all participants.

In addition, this year’s programme 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, including financial, brand strategy and marketing sessions.

Sephora has also teamed up with beauty branding agency School House to provide tailored brand workshops and strategies for each participant.

Priya Venkatesh, senior vice president of global merchandising at Sephora, said in a statement: "We are very excited to welcome all 2023 finalists to the Accelerate programme and into the Sephora family. Our programme 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.”

The 2023 Sephora Accelerate cohort includes Moodeaux, a line of clean fragrances from Brianna Arps; Brown Girl Jane, a wellness-first multicultural beauty and health brand founded by Malaika Jones, Tai Beauchamp, and Nia Jones; and Range Beauty, a plant-powered make-up brand that targets uneven tones and soothes irritated skin for melanin-rich women from Alicia Scott.

The line-up also includes Glosshood, a beauty brand with a speciality in providing niche goods that honour your inner child by Sienna Brown; Seaspire Skincare, which offers products with new ingredients that are safer and more sustainable from Camille Martin; Oui the People, a treatment-driven bodycare brand founded by Karen Young; and Of Other Worlds, a clinically conscious, culturally inclusive beauty brand from Simedar Jackson.