How to make it in Sephora, with Ilia Beauty founder Sasha Plavsic

In many ways, Ilia Beauty is a case study on success in America’s biggest specialty beauty retailer. The brand has thrived within Sephora for a decade and makes the retailer’s No. 1 mascara, and Ilia founder Sasha Plavsic helped to architect the industry-leading “Clean at Sephora” program. 

“Going into Sephora was really a game changer [for Ilia],” Plavsic told Glossy. “That’s when the business really took off.” 

But that doesn’t mean it’s been easy. “You have one shot, more or less, to prove that you can do what they need you to do,” Plavsic told Glossy. “If they’re investing in you and giving up space for you to use, you do have to perform. … You have to be ready for the opportunity.” 

Plavsic launched Ilia in 2011 in direct-to-consumer e-commerce and small beauty boutiques. In 2016, the brand entered Sephora and quickly became the “guinea pig” for Sephora’s industry-changing Clean at Sephora assortment, Plavsic told Glossy. In 2022, Ilia was acquired by Famille C, the Courtin-Clarins family holding company and owner of the Clarins brand.

Between launch and today, Ilia has also diversified its retailer presence to include Amazon, Credo, Mecca, Revolve, Nordstrom and, as of 2025, Ulta Beauty, which Plavsic sees as a separate customer from Sephora. 

Cumulatively, Plavsic and her team have successfully navigated the challenges of a diversified retail presence and an expanding clean beauty landscape, all while maintaining their stronghold within Sephora. She sat down with Glossy Beauty Podcast host Lexy Lebsack to share Clean at Sephora’s origin story, advice for brands looking to make it in Sephora and her perspective on diversified retail channels.

“Growth can be painful, and I think, with [Sephora], it can be the most painful because they can probably grow you faster than anybody out there,” Plavsic said. “That is an opportunity that you cannot pass up.” 

On the power of a slow-and-steady start 

“I have all these moments where I look back, and there are different milestones, and there are different challenges and different celebrations, different pitfalls. There are so many things, I think, that make it what it is. … It’s a huge thread of my life. Over the years, what’s kind of kept it going is a belief in me loving what I do. … When I started this company, the idea came about in 2008, 2009, and there wasn’t really anything on the market. … It was such a huge, wide-open opportunity, and I think to be able to really have years to play with that [was crucial because] we didn’t really get going until 2018. I had pretty much almost a decade of time to screw up, make mistakes, run things in a tight manner [because], operationally, budgets were small because there was no fundraising, and it was still an era when you didn’t necessarily need to do that. … A passion for it and a curiosity still remain today, and I think those two things are very important in order to have longevity within a brand.”

On surviving and thriving within Sephora

“It can be a snake pit, … if you’re not careful. For yourself, too, [you have to think about] what you are able to commit to as a brand. If they really want you to run, you have to be ready to run. … They’re giving you an opportunity, and you have to be ready for the opportunity. …

I don’t mean [snake pit] in a negative connotation. … People can get really scared about the opportunity if it’s in front of them, and at the end of the day, you kind of have one shot, more or less, to prove that you can do what they need you to do. Because if they’re investing in you and giving up space for you to use, you do have to perform, and you do have to find a way to make it work, and hopefully listen to what they know and best practices. [You must] have somebody on your team that works with them to [determine] the plan to get to where we need to go. … Some founders of companies say, ‘Oh, they asked for this, they asked for too much.’ … But did they? Or did you not really have the conversation with them on how to do it? … Growth can be painful, and I think, with them, it can be the most painful because they can probably grow you faster than anybody out there. … That is an opportunity that you cannot pass up.” 

On making the top-selling mascara at Sephora

“We have our Limitless Lash Mascara, which is the best-selling mascara at Sephora. I think we launched it in 2017 or 2018. It took us three or four years to get the No. 1 spot, and we’ve held that for three or four years now. So that’s a real celebration. It’s a mascara that was unknown, and we were able to break into the ranks of the greats. Not only is it No. 1 at Sephora, I think it’s No. 4 in the country as a mascara overall, which is wild. You know, we’re sitting amongst these giants and these huge names, and little Ilia made it up there. … It is a point of difference from the other mascaras and something that the customer was looking for that was not being offered at the time. We’ve really created a lot of loyalty with that product for a few reasons, and a lot of our brand values and core DNA are in that product.” 

On helping to build the Clean at Sephora program

“We were in a lot of boutiques to start out, and we didn’t go to Sephora for the first several years. So, going to Sephora was really a game changer, and when we went there, that’s when the business really took off. We also got funding at the same time, so the timing of everything was great. We did help them launch the clean category. When I was in that initial meeting, I think it was 2015 or 2016, they were like, “We’re going to create this category called ‘clean’. You fit the DNA profile for that, and we want you to help us build out the makeup category. You’re the guinea pig, and you’re going to go first.’ So we actually worked together on the list, and we were considered to be in the category that was launched. It was 2016 or 2017, whenever they launched it.”