Beauty brands continue to partner with women’s sports leagues and athletes

The GIST: On Friday, Unrivaled debuted an innovative multiyear partnership with popular beauty retailer Sephora. This is the latest beauty partnership in the women’s sports space, as companies have begun to realize women athletes are the ideal brand marketers thanks to their authenticity and reach. No glossing over this.

The details: Sephora will feature in Unrivaled’s on-court signage and programming, along with bringing some unique assets to the table. The company will provide beauty supplies for the league’s new glam room at its purpose-built Miami facility — something Transwestern executive Morgan Bartelstein told The GIST is becoming top of mind for WNBA clubs.

• Sephora will also be the first Unrivaled partner to have its branding in the arrival hall for player entrances, which is becoming increasingly photographed and filmed across numerous sports. Doing it for the gram.

The context: Makeup partnerships are surging in women’s sports, with brands quickly claiming space through exclusive deals. Glossier has linked up with the WNBA and USA Basketball, while NYX Cosmetics has focused on teams like the W’s NY Liberty and the NWSL’s Angel City FC.

• Meanwhile, sports newcomers like E.l.f. Cosmetics have partnered with the PWHL and the Indy 500, while beauty tool brand Shark Beauty sponsored women’s college basketball’s inaugural Shark Beauty™ Women’s Champions Classic last year.

Zooming out: When beauty brands partner with women’s sports leagues, they’re not only reaching fans from their key demographics, but they’re targeting loyal consumers. These leagues also provide companies with crucial access to women athletes, who are proven to be effective brand ambassadors because they are relatable yet aspirational.

• Beauty brands see 14x reach and 3.2x engagement from influencer-led campaigns, but there’s often promotional fatigue with traditional influencers. That’s where women athletes come in: Their fans are more than twice as likely to buy a product promoted by a woman athlete over other types of influencers. Beauty, eh?