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“Nothing bad ever happens at Sephora,” Kate Hudson’s character, Isla Gordon, says while roaming the beauty mecca in episode two of the Netflix hit series “Running Point,” which debuted on February 27.
In another scene, while waiting in line in Sephora near a young girl and her mom wearing Los Angeles Waves merch, Gordon — the Waves’ newly appointed president — has an idea: Sephora should be the Waves’ next big sponsor.
Later, in a meeting with Sephora’s CMO, Gordon says: “Our analysis shows that women make up one-third of all basketball viewers. On any given night, … that’s 2 million women who all want to have glassy skin and a tight eyebrow game, and they’re gonna see your logo. … You have the ability to tap into a market that’s never been touched.” It works; the CMO signs the deal.
Mindy Kaling co-created “Running Point.” According to a Netflix representative, the show topped English TV charts with 12.2 million views during the week of March 3. It has since been renewed for a second season and secured a spot in the streamer’s top 10 in 89 countries.
According to a Sephora representative, the company paid to partner with the Netflix show, but they did not specify the investment required to do so. Executives at Warner Bros. Television, which produced the series, were unable to speak with Glossy in time for this story.
Still, the partnership came to life organically, said Celessa Baker, Sephora’s vp of marketing partnerships. The retailer invited Kaling to its consumer-facing activation, Sephoria, which took place in Atlanta in September. From there, the parties connected, Baker said, and the process was quick — just a few meetings.
“You have to trust the creative process,” Baker said. “We are not filmmakers, producers or writers, so we’re not weighing in on the content that hits the screen or the cutting room floor. We’re saying, ‘Mindy, we believe in what you’re going to pull together, and we would love for Sephora to be involved.'”
For the scene shot in a Sephora, Baker and her team had to manage logistics, but that was the extent of their participation.
As for the scene where a Waves player scratches out Sephora’s logo on his jersey because he didn’t want to wear “girly shit,” Baker said, “I thought it was super funny. … [You don’t want to be] serious all the time.”
What was most important to her was that the integration felt organic, she said. It’s the same goal she has for all of her work. She said the partnerships she lands for Sephora are rooted in shared values and purpose. And, in the end, positive consumer sentiment is more important than a spike in sales, she said.
“I was at an event the other night, [and someone from another] brand was like, ‘How did you guys get into ‘Running Point’? I think our brand would be great because our logo is the same color as the jerseys.’ And I’m like, ‘Hmm, not the same thing.’ We wanted to get in in an authentic way that wasn’t too on-the-nose,” Baker said.
While in “Running Point,” Sephora is sponsoring a men’s basketball team, in real life, the mega-retailer has a number of sponsorships supporting female athletes. “[Women’s sports] make sense for us because it’s about equity and access,” Baker said. “Men’s sports get the lion’s share of endorsements and rev share. … We want to say, ‘You can get the same ROI by being engaged in women’s sports.’ … If we say it’s important that female athletes get paid the same way male athletes do and have the same access, then we actually have to invest in the same way.”
To that end, on January 3, Sephora announced a multi-year partnership with Unrivaled, the off-season women’s basketball league founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. The league was formed as a way to combat the financial challenges players often face during off-season, when they would otherwise resort to overseas contracts to supplement their incomes.
“I hate to say that women’s sports are having a moment, but the fastest growing brand last year was the WNBA,” Baker said. “When we started to peel back the covers [regarding the lack of] pay equity in sports, we were like, ‘How do we change the narrative? How do we make them feel seen? How do we use our platform to amplify them so they can get their fair share?'”
For Unrivaled players, Sephora has provided glam to players for their media days and sponsored the tunnel players walk through to get to the locker room — the carpeting is Sephora branded.
In working with the players, Sephora has learned that some are interested in becoming beauty content creators and even starting their own beauty brands, Baker said. And, for them, Sephora plans to serve as a mentor.
“Before you get to, ‘I want to have my own brand,’ you have to think about the beauty landscape,” Baker said. ‘It’s really hard to own a beauty brand, and it’s even harder to be an entrepreneur. [it’s important to consider,] ‘Do I have the resources, the tools, the knowledge and the team to get there?’ … So, we think about how we can help them.”
Though partnerships with individual Unrivaled players are a possibility, none have been finalized, Baker said. However, players have communicated requests like getting lessons on doing their own makeup or glam services for events they attend — some will attend functions like May’s Met Gala and July’s ESPY awards. “We are combing through the opportunities,” Baker noted.
Sephora is working on other sports partnerships, as well, including some that will come to life in 2026. On January 9, Sephora Canada announced that it was “making history” as the first “founding partner and the official beauty partner of the Toronto Tempo.” The newly formed Canadian women’s basketball team will play in tandem with the 2026 WNBA season and sport Sephora’s logo on its jerseys — like the male players in “Running Point.”
“Sephora decided, ‘There is a team coming. It does not exist today. We do not know who the players are. [But] we are investing. It is the right thing for us to do,'” Baker said, regarding the Tempo partnership. “We’re not in the business of logo-slapping; we want the logo and to make an impact. … When you’re a founding partner, you get to help shape the culture of the team and be a critical part of their success.”
And Sephora is still not done investing in sports. Another partnership will be announced soon, Baker said.
“We want to be aligned with brands, stories and moments that have a shared core value and purpose,” Baker said. “[A partnership] should amplify and increase our awareness in the market, … [as well as customers’] affinity to and love of Sephora.”
The hope is that, as a result, “Sephora becomes top of mind for you when you want to go to make that next purchase,” Baker said. “We hope your core values align so closely to ours that you are tethered to us; we want you to have that emotional connection to who we are as a retailer.”
Trend of the week: Butter Yellow
Pictured from top left clockwise: Freja, Le Monde Beryl, Aligne, Aligne, Leset, Freja
As temperatures slowly creep higher, lighter colors and springtime apparel and accessories are coming to the forefront of our wardrobes — and a pale shade of yellow resembling butter is topping everyone’s shopping carts.
Freja, the popular vegan leather handbag brand, just introduced its Hudson and Mini Chrystie styles in a limited-edition pale yellow hue. “Butter is fresh and fun, yet still a gorgeous neutral,” said Freja founder Jenny Lei.
Lei said, given Freja’s strategy of producing everything in small qualities, she believes the yellow bags will sell out. “We released our first pastel, Pistachio, last year to great success, so we feel confident our community will receive another light pastel really well.”
For some brands, the shade has been in demand since 2024.
“Last year, we introduced the Butter Yellow color to our bestselling Daphne [blazer] and Leo [vest], which went viral and gained a waitlist of over 10,000,” said Ginny Seymour, CEO of Aligne. “We’ve reintroduced [the color] this year, and it continues to be a top seller.”
Sh added, “Yellow evokes happiness, pairs beautifully with denim and, in this pale shade, offers versatility that complements all skin tones.”
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