Science-Driven Women Named To Sephora Accelerate Cohort

Sephora has selected its 13 new Sephora Accelerate Cohort members. In its third year, the program has now expanded to include the largest number of entrepreneurs to-date from a total of seven countries, including the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and now, France, Switzerland and China.
 
As an Accelerate cohort in 2018, the female founders will receive months-long programming, allowing them to acquire the necessary skills to create and evolve into successful businesses. Specifically, they will receive in-depth instruction and feedback during a one-week bootcamp with expert guidance from Sephora and program partners. In addition, each entrepreneur will have the opportunity to tackle their business challenges through one-on-one mentoring from Sephora leaders and beauty industry experts, such as Pamela Baxter, former CEO and president of Christian Dior Couture and Nancy Twine, founder and CEO of Briogeo Hair Care, as well as receive monetary grants to support their business endeavors. To conclude the 2018 program later this fall, each member will participate in the Sephora Accelerate Demo Day, giving them a platform to present their companies to industry experts, venture partners and senior Sephora leaders with the goal of future business growth, programming and networking.
 
Here’s a look at just a few of this year's Cohort members:
 
•  Ming Zhao, CEO of Proven, a US-based beauty startup that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to create personalized skin care products for consumers. Customers fill out a simple quiz and receive a unique skin profile based on findings from Proven's skincare database. The database was built using bots to analyze over 8 million customer reviews, 100,000 skin care products, 20,000 ingredients and 2,000 scientific articles.

• Nelly Pitt, CEO of BeautyMix. Based in France, BeautyMix is a DIY multi-functional hardware appliance that creates homemade cosmetics. It can used as standalone device or through a mobile app fautomated recipes are loaded and the products created are recorded for traceability. In addition, BeautyMix sells beauty and care boxes that include basic ingredients to use along with the appliance.
 
• Erika Milczek is CEO of Curie Co, a US-based life life science company that engineers biomaterials to replace chemicals banned by the FDA in consumer products. The firm says its goal is to use “biotechnology to democratize sustainability.”
 
• Laure Bouguen, CEO, Ho Karan. Based in France, the company makes cannabis-infused skincare products that are natural, vegan, and gender-free. With the line, Ho Karan hopes to reveal the natural virtues of organic cannabis and its ability to relieve and sublimate one’s skin and mind.
 
Shuting Hu, CEO of SkinData. This Chinese start-up startup is dedicated to the discovery of naturally-sourced pharmaceutical-grade compounds that maintain and improve skin health.
 
There are 13 cohort members all across three main categories—merchandising, technology and sustainability. You can see the full list here.