Sephora North America has revealed the 12 beauty brands selected for its 2026 Accelerate programme.
The incubator is dedicated to helping emerging brand founders navigate growth and build long-term success in prestige beauty.
The cohort was selected from what Sephora described as a competitive pool of spring 2026 applicants from across North America.
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“Since we have launched Accelerate, every year we are introduced to a volume of talented, emerging founders with strong visions, differentiated products, and fresh perspectives that will shape the future of beauty,” said Priya Venkatesh, Global Chief Merchandising Officer at Sephora.
“We are excited to welcome this latest cohort of brand visionaries and help this talented cohort build up the community, confidence, and capabilities needed to successfully navigate the complex journey of growing a brand in the prestige beauty industry.”
This year’s 2026 Sephora Accelerate cohort includes:
- Sarah Guller and Lexie Hull, Forta Cosmetics – Co-founded by WNBA pro Lexie Hull
- Krys (Deal) Lunardo, Dealbodies – Dealbodies delivers clinically-fueled body concentrates
- Tatiana Ramuth Glezer, MOWE Beauty – MOWE is skin-first make-up made for movement
- Kristin Lim Duckworth, BASE-K – BASE-K is a scalp-first hair care brand rooted in Korean head spa tradition
- Elysia Chen, Pepper Pout – Pepper Pout is a beauty brand bringing a modern East-meets-West perspective to beauty
- Christina Eison, Reference – Reference is a fine fragrance and personal beauty brand built on Syncretic Beauty – a combined approach to aesthetics that mixes different ideas and cultures
- Jenna Morales Ledbetter, Omora Beauty Lab – Omora is a clean beauty brand that creates complexion-focused make-up for acne-prone and sensitive skin
- Flavia Zhamo, Everyday Chemist – Everyday Chemist is formulated and handmade by a mother and daughter-founded engineering studio
- Mimi Koné, MORÉ – MORÉ is a science-backed hair care brand built exclusively for textured hair
- Tanya Gonzalez Chandhok and Faye Harris Wood, EAUSO VERT – A female and Latin-owned fine fragrance brand centred on culture and lived experience
- Ye Jin & Nick Burns, Manuscript – Manuscript is a clinical-grade hair longevity brand that treats scalp ageing like prestige skin care treats skin
- Hannah, Innae Beauty – Innae Beauty creates thoughtfully designed beauty products
What is Sephora Accelerate and what can the cohort expect
The scheme, now in its tenth year, launched in 2016 and is designed to “nurture and propel emerging beauty brands” and pivoted in 2021 to focus on brand founders of colour.
The reimagined Sephora Accelerate curriculum focuses on the phases of modern business building: establishing a new brand, scaling at large, and building a long-term, sustainable future.
Participants will receive access to industry experts, seasoned beauty founders, and Sephora executives who will share strategies for global success.
Founders will also receive personalised, one-on-one mentorship tailored to their business needs.
Beyond the programme, cohort members also gain access to extended Sephora initiatives, including the Sephora Impact Summit, which aims to champion the next generation of beauty brands.
As well as monetary opportunities such as applying for the $100,000 Sephora Beauty Grant, awarded in partnership with the Fifteen Percent Pledge.
Sephora Accelerate is said to have helped elevate new and often underrepresented founders across the beauty industry, many of whom have gone on to launch at Sephora and build loyal customer communities.
Alumni brands including EADEM, Kulfi, Topicals, Bounce Curl, and OLIVIAUMMA represent the impact of founder-led innovation.
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