Sephora Announces List of BIPOC Brand Founders For 2022 Accelerate Beauty Inclusion Efforts

Sephora announced the participants for its 2022 Accelerate brand incubator program,
with a group of 10 BIPOC brand founders. These entrepreneurs reflect the very best in beauty, with brand offerings spanning the full range of the Sephora product universe, including makeup, skincare, haircare, and for the first time ever – fragrance.

Now in its seventh year, the Sephora Accelerate program continues its focus on supporting founders of color. The shift, instituted earlier this year, reflects Sephora’s commitment to increasing BIPOC representation in prestige beauty and in Sephora’s assortment, making Sephora – and the beauty industry at-large – a place where everyone feels they belong.

“We are committed to ensuring that the brands and products found at Sephora represent all the colors, races, and ethnicities that make up America, effectively building a beauty community to which everyone feels they belong,” said Priya Venkatesh, SVP Merchandising, Skin Care and Hair, Sephora. “To do so, it’s important that brand founders of all backgrounds have the opportunity and resources they need to
grow their businesses and thrive. Through the Accelerate program, Sephora is committed to giving founders the long-term mentorship, access to market and scale they need to truly accelerate growth, with the program serving as a springboard for nascent brands to become visible, viable, stable, and financially solvent.”

This year’s program builds on existing programming to provide a robust curriculum, mentorship, merchandising support, potential funding, and investor connections to all participants, who will have the opportunity to launch at Sephora upon completion of the program.
● A “BIPOC Founder Inspirational Series” will feature stories by notable brand founders of color including Julian Addo (Adwoa
Beauty), Danessa Myricks (Danessa Myricks Beauty), Sarah Lee and Christine Chang (Glow Recipe), Akash Mehta (Fable &
Mane) and Heela Jang (Sol de Janeiro).
● Brand founders including Mazdack Rassi of Milk Makeup, Amy Liu of Tower 28 and Julian Addo of Adwoa will lead a “Founder Panel” discussion around their personal brand stories and their journey with Sephora.
● A group of 2021 Accelerate graduates, including Olamide Olowe (Topicals), Christina Funke Tegbe (54 Thrones) and Marie Kouadio Amouzame and Alice Lin Glover (EADEM), will also share their Accelerate experiences, including post-program success at Sephora.

Meet the 2022 Sephora Accelerate Cohort, demonstrating leadership in beauty:

● Basma Hameed and Parisa Durrani, Founders, BASMA Beauty

● Fara Homidi, Founder, FARA HOMIDI

● Selah Lemon, Founder, House of Foster

● Nisha Phatak and Madhu Punjabi, Co-Founders, Lion Pose

● Rimah Husain, Founder, Kempt

● Sravya Adusumilli, Founder, Mango People

● Carolina Contreras, Founder, Miss Rizos

● Kiku Chaudhuri, Co-Founder, SHAZ & KIKS

● Krys Lunardo, Founder, Sistine

● Scarlett Rocourt, Founder, Wonder Curl

All 2022 participants applied to the program in Fall 2021. 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 (i.e., not yet widely distributed by others). In selecting finalists, Sephora also took into account each brand’s vision, innovation, and current stage of product developments.

“We are thrilled to welcome all 2022 finalists to the Accelerate program and into the Sephora family,” added Venkatesh. “We know that business growth in communities of color creates jobs, opportunity, stability and generational wealth – having the potential for decades of positive impact. With the program’s focus on BIPOC-owned brands, Sephora is committed to making a difference.”

To learn more, please visit sephoraaccelerate.com.