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SAN FRANCISCO — Sephora has unveiled its first-ever Black-owned brands campaign, which the company says is designed to spotlight the contributions Black culture and Black innovators have made to the beauty industry.
The campaign, which follows the launch earlier this month of a short statement film called “Black Beauty is Beauty,” highlights such Black-owned brands as PATTERN by Tracee Ellis Ross, Briogeo, adwoa beauty, BREAD BEAUTY SUPPLY, Fenty Beauty, Forvr Mood, PAT McGRATH LABS, LYS Beauty, Danessa Myricks Beauty and Fashion Fair.
“Many of the tools, techniques, iconic looks and trends in beauty exist because of the Black community, driven by Black beauty needs and innovation,” Sephora senior vice president of merchandising Priya Venkatesh said. “However, these contributions have historically been underrecognized or for most, unknown. At Sephora, we want to help move the conversation forward, bringing awareness and education surrounding the impact of Black beauty in our daily lives. This campaign spotlights our Black-owned brands, championing the excellence and efficacy of their innovative products, for all Sephora beauty shoppers. Through this campaign, we aim to make beauty a more welcoming, supportive, and collaborative space, for all.”
Along with the campaign, Sephora announced initiatives that support its DE&I commitments. Among them:
- Sephora Favorites Kit: Sephora will launch a first-ever Sephora Black-Owned Brands Favorites Kit, with proceeds going to the 15 Percent Pledge. Participating brands include, adwoa beauty, BREAD BEAUTY SUPPLY, Briogeo, Fenty Beauty, Fenty Skin, PAT McGRATH LABS and Shani Darden Skin Care.
- Sephora Accelerate 2022: As of today, applications are open for Sephora Accelerate 2022. This program creates a foundation, network, and ecosystem for brands to launch and thrive, and will continue to focus on BIPOC-founded and owned brands as part of Sephora’s commitment to increasing BIPOC representation in its assortment. The program will continue to offer a robust curriculum to Accelerate members, which includes mentorship, merchandising support, potential funding, and investor connections with the goal of providing founders support for their launch and long-term growth at Sephora.
- Black Beauty is Beauty Statement Film: Sephora recently produced the “Black Beauty is Beauty” statement short film to shine a light on the underrecognized contributions of Black influence on the beauty industry. Through the 60-second spot, Sephora aims to educate, drive awareness and spark conversation about the rich history of Black beauty, while also encouraging viewers to join Sephora’s efforts to champion all beauty.
- Sephora Color IQ: Sephora announced it will unveil its new Sephora Color iQ foundation matching service instore, which will feature new AI technology, to provide a best-in-class experience for all clients to find their best foundation match. Current shade matching in the industry only accounts for depth and undertone, while Sephora’s new Color iQ technology accounts for depth, undertone, and saturation to recommend the best products that closely match clients’ skin tones. Sephora’s Color iQ leverages a cutting-edge proprietary algorithm that provides clients with a dataset of 10K+ skin tones, suitable across all shade ranges. Sephora currently offers 8k+ foundation SKUs and with the help of this AI-based tool, our Beauty Advisors can help clients find their perfect match in minutes.
