Sephora and TikTok join hands to help founder-led beauty brands

Sephora and TikTok, along with agency Digitas, has launched a partnership designed for new, founder-led beauty brands to navigate the world of creator content. According to a press statement the Sephora x TikTok Incubator Programme will connect TikTok creators to best-in-class beauty brands from the Sephora’s Accelerate programme. Launched in 2016, the Sephora Accelerate programme looks to build a community of innovative, inspirational brand founders in the beauty space and has a six-month curriculum with mentorship, merchandising support, grants and investor connections to all participants.

The new initiative will help them learn impactful social content strategies through a series of educational training modules.

"Brands that have a savvy understanding of creator led social media and creator relations have a clear advantage in not only conceptualising beauty content that resonates with their audience, but also in building genuine connections,” said Brent Mitchell, VP of marketing, social and influencer at Sephora.

"At Sephora, we have long been known as a brand builder in the prestige beauty landscape, and we are thrilled to partner with TikTok to share this unique creator-driven perspective with our brands and build a more inclusive beauty community,” he added.

"The future of brand storytelling lies in the hands of multicultural creators, and by championing diverse creators, brands can unlock their full potential on TikTok," said Soniya Monga, head of US Agency Partnerships, TikTok.

"Our partnership with Sephora and Digitas aims to educate brands on the importance of a DEI-first approach to creator partnerships. Together, we are building a framework that celebrates diversity and intersectionality, ensuring that every brand can accelerate their growth and success on TikTok through inclusive and impactful storytelling."

Topicals, Eadem and Hyper Skin, three brands from the 2021 Sephora Accelerate cohort, will take part in launch of this program, with three additional groups to follow, giving a total of 12 brands the opportunity to create long-lasting partnerships with up-and-coming creator talent on TikTok, which has over one billion monthly active users.

Digitas, a part of Publicis Groupe, brings a wealth of expertise to this initiative and a proven track record of creating innovative campaigns that invest in diversity with client Sephora. The collaboration is also in connection with Publicis Groupe's founding commerce agency partnership with TikTok.

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