If you're a beauty brand founder, listen up—beginning on September 4th, the Sephora Accelerate 2025 Brand Incubator Program is accepting applications from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color)  beauty founders.

Sephora will choose a small group of beauty entrepreneurs to enter the program and learn how to build and sustain a successful business. During the six-month program, founders will receive mentorship, merchandising support, potential funding, and investor connections.

When they complete the program, participating brand founders will win the opportunity of a lifetime—the chance to launch with the largest beauty retailer in the world as a brand partner. 

Having Sephora's team of mentors by your side is life-changing for an indie brand. Glow Recipe's co-founders and CEOs, Sarah Lee and Christine Chang, who often act as mentors to Sephora Accelerate brands, comment:

"Glow Recipe wouldn't be where it is today if not for our partnership with Sephora. As an indie brand, it meant the world to us that Sephora believed in our vision...having gone through the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, we are incredibly passionate about mentoring...thanks Sephora, for providing this meaningful program!"

Take a look at the 2024 Sephora Accelerate winners here, and in the photo above. The eight BIPOC brand founders who particpated in the program last year are:

• Roz Samimi, banuskin 
• Hannah Diop, Sienna Naturals
• Yasmin Zeinab, ABI AMÉ
• Diipa Buller-Khosla, indē wild
• Katini Yamaoka, Katini Skin 
• Teri Johnson, Harlem Perfume Co. 
• Denise Vasi, MAED Beauty
• Quani Burnett, Soft Rows 

Ensuring Diversity & Inclusion in Beauty

Sephora says that its brand incubation program, which focuses on founders of color, helps to ensure there are brands in the beauty industry representative of all "the colors, races, and ethnicities that make up the Americas." 

The Sephora Accelerate program began in 2016, but was revamped in 2021 to focus on BIPOC brand founders as part of the retailer's its larger commitment to equity across all areas of the business—and meet its 15 Percent Pledge goals.

The 15 Percent Pledge began in 2020 when fashion designer Aurora James posted on Instagram, tagging the world’s largest retail brands, asking them for fair Black representation on their shelves. “We represent 15% of the population and we need to represent 15% of your shelf space,” she wrote. Today, then movement continues with many of the world's largest brands taking the pledge. 

What do you need to apply?

If you're a BIPOC beauty entrepreneur or brand founder with a vision and a mission that will help differentiate your company in the ultra-competitive beauty market, read on.

You'll need either proven consumer interest in your product—or a working prototype or product sample that you have received feedback on from your target customer.

Only "early stage" brands are eligible to apply, without wide distribution. Applicants must also be  North-America-incorporated beauty brands, with founders who are at least 18 years old.    

Here's where to apply for Sephora Accelerate 2025—good luck!