Sephora announced the names of eight BIPOC brands selected for its 2025 Accelerate program. This year’s cohort spans the haircare, makeup, skincare, and fragrance categories.
This year also marks a decade of the program, which supports emerging talent and remains a vital launchpad for BIPOC-founded and -owned businesses.
Priya Venkatesh, Global Chief Merchandising Officer at Sephora, said,
“We are delighted to celebrate the 2025 Accelerate finalists and recognize their incredible potential to shape the future of beauty. This program has become a proven platform for championing diverse founders and empowering them with the resources, expertise, and community they need to launch and thrive. The continued interest from this year’s applicant pool reflects not only the program’s impact but also the demand for unique, innovative brands that reflect today’s diverse beauty landscape.”
Since the program’s pivot in 2021 to focus on brand founders of color, 33 brands have completed it, and more than half of the brands from the 2021–2023 cohorts are now available at Sephora.
This year also marks a decade of the program, which supports emerging talent and remains a vital launchpad for BIPOC-founded and -owned businesses.
Priya Venkatesh, Global Chief Merchandising Officer at Sephora, said,
“We are delighted to celebrate the 2025 Accelerate finalists and recognize their incredible potential to shape the future of beauty. This program has become a proven platform for championing diverse founders and empowering them with the resources, expertise, and community they need to launch and thrive. The continued interest from this year’s applicant pool reflects not only the program’s impact but also the demand for unique, innovative brands that reflect today’s diverse beauty landscape.”
Since the program’s pivot in 2021 to focus on brand founders of color, 33 brands have completed it, and more than half of the brands from the 2021–2023 cohorts are now available at Sephora.
The 2025 Sephora Accelerate Cohort
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Jade Beguelin & Sabrina Sadeghian, 4AM: 4AM is a research-backed skincare brand that creates luxurious, all-in-one products designed to simplify skincare routines without sacrificing quality. -
Hye Young Kim, OliviaUmma: OliviaUmma is an innovative skincare brand inspired by Korean beauty and designed for cross-generational use. -
Merian O, Bounce Curl: Bounce Curl is a science-backed hair care brand that creates high-performance, patented products designed to enhance and maintain the health and beauty of curly, wavy, and coily hair. -
Aziza El Wanni, The Potion Studio: The Potion Studio crafts clean, climate-adaptive hair care for textured hair that streamlines routines for ‘the lazy natural’ who refuses to compromise on hair health or time. -
Christal Alert, Tonal Cosmetics: Tonal Cosmetics is sun care-first makeup for all skin tones. -
Funmi Monet, Influxious: Influxious is a brand of fine fragrances and scented adornments. -
Fatema Raja & Navneet Kaur, Ruhveda: Ruhveda is a contemporary fragrance brand rooted in South Asian heritage and Ayurveda. -
Judy Koloko, The Steam Bar: The Steam Bar is a combination of Skinification and the Art of Steaming, promoting the regeneration of hair through the groundbreaking delivery system.
The program features a six-month curriculum with mentorship, merchandising support, grants, investor connections for all participants, and the opportunity to launch at Sephora North America.
Participating brands receive 1:1 personalized consulting and a dedicated advisory team.
Apart from the program’s curriculum, brand founders could attend the Sephora Impact Summit, and have a chance to receive money from the Sephora Beauty Grant and Nancy Twine’s Dream Makers Founder Grant.
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