Sephora launches first Black-owned brands campaign

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
Aug 26, 2021

Sephora unveiled on Wednesday its first-ever Black-owned brands campaign highlighting beauty products from Black culture and Black innovators.

The campaign follows the launch of a short statement film called 'Black Beauty is Beauty', which highlights Black-owned brands and founders, including 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,” explained Priya Venkatesh, senior vice president of merchandising, at Sephora. 

“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.”

The campaign coincides with the unveiling of several new initiatives at Sephora including the launch of its first-ever Sephora Black-Owned Brands Favorites Kit, where proceeds will go towards the 15 Percent Pledge, as well as the launch of the Sephora Accelerate 2022 program, which helps brands launch and thrive, and will continue to focus on BIPOC-founded and owned brands. 

Moreover, Sephora announced that it will unveil a new Sephora Color iQ foundation matching service in store, which will feature new AI technology, to provide a best-in-class experience for all clients to find their best foundation match. Color iQ technology accounts for depth, undertone, and saturation to recommend the best products that closely match clients' skin tones.

Sephora has been increasing its support of BIPOC-owned beauty brands since September 2020. The French cosmetics retailer has since revealed a new action plan in the U.S. to help combat racial bias, as well as announced that it was dedicating 15 percent of its shelf space to Black-owned companies, as part of its commitment to the '15 Percent Pledge'.