Dive Brief:

• Target Takeoff, one of several of the retailer's accelerators, is entering its third year with a fresh lineup of 10 emerging beauty brands, according to a company blog post published Wednesday.

• While the program will largely follow last year's model, Target widened the scope of participating brands to include those in the all-natural skincare, wellness remedy and beauty supplements categories. Starting this week, entrepreneurs will learn from more than 70 Target executives and Target Takeoff graduates about how to refine their project pitches and scale to mass retail. On Feb. 28, each brand will showcase its products. 

• Participating brands may one day end up in Target's digital or physical aisles. Past brands that have made the jump include Girl+Hair and YUNI Beauty. Oars + Alps, a natural skincare product line for men, will make its debut in February.

Dive Insight:

Target Takeoff is one of several accelerators the company has developed over the last few years in an effort to incubate brands that will resonate with evolving consumer preferences. Adding new lines that fit into its "cheap chic" persona is a classic page from Target's merchandising playbook, and more recently health, wellness and beauty have become key categories.

Beauty has become a focal point for many of the company's small-format stores, and digital features like virtual try ons make a play for accessibility and convenience. As the company continues to brush up on its beauty offerings, adding more lines from emerging startups is one path to drive consistent foot traffic, much as its new private label lines have been.

For young brands, the opportunity to work with Target has the potential to get their product in front of thousands of mass merchandise shoppers.

This year's Target Takeoff startups include:

• Allyoos, a haircare brand that uses "clean" ingredients.
• Black Chicken Remedies, an Australian brand focused on wellness and recovery for skin, hair and body​.
• Ducalm, a skincare company offering products like balm, facial kits and wipes.
• Everyday for Every Body, an "inclusive and affordable" sunscreen and Australian lifestyle brand infused with superfoods​.
• Olive + M, a skincare brand focused on olive oil-based products​.
• Pholk, a vegan skincare brand inspired by folk beauty and botanicals of the African Diaspora​.
• Sahi Cosmetics, a Midwestern luxury makeup brand for all skin tones​.
• SkinKick, a skincare brand that eliminates harsh chemicals.
• Scotch Porter, a grooming brand for multicultural men and women.
• Terra Origin, a vitamin and powder supplements brand focused on improving mind and body well-being.