The internet just won’t leave Sephora alone this year. Throughout the year, the company received heat for all of the tweens treating its aisles like a Saturday hangout spot while rummaging through Drunk Elephant, earlier this month it was falsely accused of supporting the Trump campaign, and this week influencers are upset that they weren’t chosen to be a part of its Sephora Squad for 2025. Here’s what’s going on since it announced its new class of beauty ambassadors.
First of all, what is Sephora Squad?
Sephora Squad is a yearlong paid brand-ambassador program that launched in 2019 between Sephora and beauty influencers to build community and give their voices a larger platform. Throughout the year, influencers travel with Sephora for events, meet industry experts, work on major campaigns and marketing initiatives with Sephora brands from La Mer to Sol de Janeiro, and more.
An application process includes a form and requires influencers to collect testimonials from their community. There is no minimum-follower count to apply, but applicants do have to be active on a social-media platform, whether it’s TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube. “We welcome influencers of all races, ethnicities, religions, gender identities, body types, sexual orientations, and abilities to apply to be a part of the Sephora Squad,” the retailer says on its website. Both emerging and established influencers have always been encouraged to apply to the program.
Who is in the Sephora Squad?
Past influencers who have become alumni of the Sephora Squad program throughout the years include Nabela Noor, Shalom Blac, Eni Popoola, Shay Regis, Funmi Monet, Cynthia Victor, and Jorge Gutierrez. Past classes have consisted of diverse groups: makeup artists, emerging influencers, longtime OG influencers, and more.
Who won the Sephora Squad in 2024?
The most recent Sephora Squad winners were announced this week. The class has a total of 53 influencers, some micro and some macro. A few of this year’s winners include Allure’s special-projects manager, Talia Gutierrez; beloved style influencer, Jenee Naylor; model Broderick Hunter; and other beauty influencers such as Symphani Soto and makeup artist Emani Irvine.
Why is there drama about who won?
There are a lot of opinions on the internet about this year’s winners versus ones from previous years, mostly complaining that Sephora opted for people with big followings rather than talent alone. “Can I ask a question? Sephora, what y’all looking for? Because I could’ve sworn a few years back, y’all were really trying to discover raw talent, people who were [up and coming] … this year y’all just decided to pick a bunch of influencers with big followings that are already tied to talent-management agencies,” one creator asked in a TikTok video.
“Raise your hand if you’ve been personally victimized by Sephora Squad 2024,” a beauty influencer, Casey Joe, said, raising her hand before adding, “I think we’ve been kind of misled this year.” The list does look a bit different this year than it has in the past years, but there are still a handful of smaller creators on the list and some who may have built more significant followings from fashion-based content but are looking to grow more in the beauty industry.
Exactly how many influencers apply per year to be a part of the program is unclear, but there are certainly thousands. While winners excitedly announced that they were chosen, some influencers who weren’t chosen also made their announcements. Some were direct and others were a bit emotional. One influencer, Kenya Broadnax, went on TikTok to thank her community for testimonials, noting that she received almost 1,400 testimonials. Another influencer, Christi Rose, posted a video on TikTok crying while simultaneously doing her makeup, announcing that she didn’t make the Squad. “Reminding myself that rejection is redirection,” she captioned the video. There are hundreds of videos circulating TikToks of people who are disappointed that they were not selected.
Beauty influencer Oyin Edogi posted a more upbeat note: “Although Sephora Squad is impactful, there are other programs you can apply to within and outside of the beauty space,” she wrote on Threads. She shared a handful of programs for creators to keep their eyes out for in 2025 including Ulta Beauty Collective, Pinterest Creator, Paula’s Choice Program, Tower 28 Clean Beauty Summer School, and more. Sephora Squad is just one of many ambassador platforms that champions building community among influencers.
And let’s not forget that the Sephora Squad isn’t the only community the retailer has. It also has a Sephora Accelerate program, a brand incubation program dedicated to bringing together innovative beauty founders, most of them being people of color. (The founders have a six-month period of learning skills and gaining support and they launch on Sephora shelves.)
Another creator pointed out in a TikTok video that macro beloved beauty influencers like Monet McMichael and Uche Natori were never in the Sephora Squad, “so why are you questioning whether or not this is the path for you just because you’re not in the Sephora Squad?”
