Dive Brief:
- Adding to its growing roster of DTC brands, Sephora will add hair health brand Nutrafol and personalized skincare brand Proven to its lineup.
- Nutrafol will offer its full assortment of hair supplements and other products on Sephora’s website and select stores beginning in February, according to a company press release. The brand is also debuting its first women’s vegan hair growth nutraceutical in Sephora this spring before offering it on Nutrafol’s website, according to the announcement.
- Proven, which will also be available on Sephora’s website and stores, will introduce in-store interactive displays for customers later this year at select U.S. locations, per the press release.
Dive Insight:
With the addition of Nutrafol and Proven, Sephora is continuing its big bet on DTC brands.
Proven’s partnership with Sephora builds upon its relationship with the beauty retailer, which began in 2018 when it participated in the Sephora Accelerate program. Following the brand’s participation in the program, Sephora and Proven started to map out their in-store and digital collaboration in August 2021, according to the announcement.
“I have long believed that personalization is the future of skincare, and this groundbreaking partnership is the clearest evidence yet,” Proven co-founder and CEO Ming Zhao said in a statement. “Bringing personalization to retail is not an easy task, but with the strength and savvy of Sephora, combined with our amazing team and leading technology, we are able to bring our innovative approach and beloved products to customers in a way they crave.”
In addition to Proven, Sephora has spotted and supported other brands as part of its incubator program. In December, the beauty retailer selected seven new participants and offered them mentorship, grants, investor connections, merchandising support, and the chance to distribute their products in Sephora stores.
Nutrafol’s collaboration with Sephora comes after Unilever acquired a majority stake in the brand last May. The company said its DTC sales doubled in 2021, and it has sustained its growth, according to the announcement.
“This partnership with Sephora, the most trusted prestige beauty retailer, is just the beginning, and an important next step in providing more value and support for our customers along every step of their hair health journeys,” Giorgos Tsetis, Nutrafol co-founder and CEO, said in a statement.
Proven and Nutrafol are among other brands that have partnered with Sephora to sell their items in brick-and-mortar stores. In July, Glossier entered a similar deal with Sephora to sell its products in Sephora’s U.S. and Canada locations and on the retailer’s website and mobile app. More DTC brands are turning to physical retail — either through their own stores or through wholesale partnerships — to broaden their reach and overcome the limitations of selling goods primarily online.
