The retailer is committing to all three stages of the pledge, which includes auditing in order to take stock of where it currently is in representation, looking at its existing shelves, boardrooms and receipts, taking inventory of how many Black-owned businesses it is buying from and how many Black women are in its C-suite.
“We were inspired to make the 15% Pledge because we believe it’s the right thing to do, for our clients, our industry and for our community,” says Artemis Patrick, EVP and CMO at Sephora.
“Ultimately, this commitment is about more than the prestige products on our shelves; it starts with a long-term plan diversifying our supply chain and building a system that creates a better platform for Black-owned brands to grow, while ensuring Black voices help shape our industry.
We recognize we can do better and this pledge builds on our ongoing work to use our resources to drive meaningful and long-term change for Sephora and our industry.”
The company had also been called out by consumers just days ago on Sharon Chuter’s Pull Up For Change campaign, which challenged beauty brands to be transparent about how many—or how few—Black employees they have in corporate and leadership positions.