Sephora North America has revealed the names of eight BIPOC brands for its 2025 Accelerate program. This program is considered a launchpad for BIPOC-founded and -owned businesses, with the 2025 cohort’s spanning the hair care, makeup, skin care, and fragrance categories.
The Sephora Accelerate program features a six-month curriculum with mentorship, merchandising support, grants, and investor connections for all participants, including the opportunity to launch at Sephora North America upon completion.
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 for consumers to purchase at Sephora.
The 2025 Sephora Accelerate Cohorts include:
- Jade Beguelin & Sabrina Sadeghian, 4AM
- Hye Young Kim, OliviaUmma
- Merian O, Bounce Curl
- Aziza El Wanni, The Potion Studio
- Christal Alert, Tonal Cosmetics
- Funmi Monet, Influxious
- Fatema Raja & Navneet Kaur, Ruhveda
- Judy Koloko, The Steam Bar
As in previous years, the Accelerate program is designed with content and curriculum directly correlated to helping founders succeed at Sephora, including targeted sessions that address many of the specific challenges that early-stage brands often face, including:
- Nancy Twine’s (Briogeo) Financial Readiness
- Christine Chang + Sarah Lee’s (Glow Recipe) Social Media + Community
- Marketing Sessions with Amy Liu (Tower 28)
Participating founders also receive access to 1:1 personalized consulting with Front Row and Clarity Media, including an advisory team made 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)
- Janet Gurwitch (Advent International)
- Brand Founders
- Legacy Partners
- Wende Zomnir (Urban Decay + Caliray)
- Lilli Gordon (First Aid Beauty)
- Lynda Berkowitz (ILIA)
Outside of the program, Sephora offers additional opportunities and partnerships that the Accelerate cohorts can take part in. This includes the Sephora Impact Summit, an event focused on building, supporting, and championing BIPOC brands within Sephora’s network.
There were also monetary opportunities like the Sephora Beauty Grant, which awards $100,000 to a Black beauty business owner to support 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.
All 2025 Accelerate participants applied to the program in Fall 2024. 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.
