The Sephora brand has superfans like no other. You have probably seen multiple memes that encapsulate this with captions like, “When all you needed was a lip liner and you walk out $500 poorer.”
If you’re a content creator with an audience interested in beauty, you can turn this Sephora superfandom into a lucrative opportunity. The Sephora affiliate program allows you to earn commissions by promoting their beauty products but with so many affiliate programs available, it’s important to do your research.
In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the Sephora affiliate program, from how to apply and commission rates, to affiliate perks and strategies for maximizing your earnings.
Why The Sephora Affiliate Program?
When it comes to beauty, Sephora offers so much more than your local drug store or department store.
The global retailer has cemented its reputation as an industry-leading beauty brand by offering a top-notch shopping experience and an excellent range of products – including makeup, skincare, fragrance, hair care, and bath and body products.
The Sephora Shopping Experience
Superfans praise Sephora stores for their lively music, free samples, helpful staff, and innovative sensory experiences.
The online shopping experience is just as appealing because of features like:
- the easy-to-navigate website and mobile app
- detailed product descriptions and plenty of product reviews
- a forum where shoppers can ask questions and get beauty advice
- Sephora Virtual Artist which allows shoppers to “try on” makeup
In fact, the brand has previously been named the top specialty retail brand in digital.
The Sephora Product Range
Sephora claims to sell the “the largest and most diverse selection of beauty products on the internet… from iconic luxury brands, to niche interest products”.
The company gives affiliates access to a curated selection of over 200 beauty brands and 13k products including their wallet-friendly in-house brand.
Their vast range means there is something for everyone, from women who wear 20 beauty products a day and love luxury brands, to those on a budget who stick to the basics.
With a relatively large average order value of $75-100, it’s possible to generate sizeable commissions as a member of the Sephora affiliate program.
Global Reach
Sephora has 30 e-commerce sites and has over 3k points of sale. This means that, as an affiliate, you have access to lots of potential shoppers all over the world.
Trust
Converting sales is much easier when the prospective customer knows and trusts the companies you are working with. There will be less hesitation to order from a well-known and trusted site like Sephora’s than it would on, say, your own personal website.
What Is the Sephora Affiliate Program?
Affiliate marketing is when brands partner with content creators, websites, and influencers for marketing purposes.
As a member of the Sephora affiliate program, you can promote Sephora products and earn commissions for the sales you generate. For example, if a Sephora affiliate blogger creates a blog ranking the best Sephora concealers, and a reader then buys a concealer on the Sephora website, the affiliate earns a percentage of the sale.
As an affiliate, you’ll be given a unique tracking link that takes your followers to products on the Sephora website. These links use cookies to trace purchases back to your URL.
Sephora Affiliate Program Details
The Sephora affiliate program is run by an affiliate network called Rakuten, which gives affiliates access to multiple programs through the same dashboard.
Commission Structure
The Sephora affiliate program pays a 5% commission on all products, without brand restrictions. This may differ by country.
Payment Terms
Once you start earning commissions and you have money in your affiliate account, you can set a payout threshold. Once that amount builds up in your account, you will automatically be paid. There is a minimum payout threshold of $50. Payments are made via direct deposit or check.
Perks
The Sephora affiliate program offers the following perks:
- Free shipping over $50
- Free samples with every order
- Exclusive newsletters
- Product sneak peeks
- Promotions, banners and creative
- Affiliate-only special offers & promotions
Free samples are one of the best perks for a Sephora affiliate because you can use them to create content like makeup tutorials or pass them on to your followers as part of a promotion.
How to Join the Sephora Affiliate Program
To qualify for the Sephora affiliate program you’ll need a website or social media profile that covers beauty or related themes and generates a good volume of traffic. You’re more likely to be selected if your site looks professional and is free from offensive content.
To join the Sephora affiliate program, go to the Sephora website and scroll to the bottom. Click on “Affiliates”. You’ll be taken to a page with information about the Sephora affiliate program. Click “apply”. You’ll be taken to the Rakuten site.
Fill in your personal information and URL. You will need to include details about the number of unique visitors per month and page views per month for your website. Provide a description of why you are a good choice for the Sephora affiliate program.
Wait a few days to see if your application was successful.
How to Maximize Your Earnings With the Sephora Affiliate Program
- Choose a niche (e.g. teen skincare, fragrance, or budget beauty) and tailor your content strategy accordingly.
- Choose products that will appeal to your particular audience. Make a note of products which go viral or sell out quickly and use that to create urgency when similar products come online.
- Make friends with data. Use tools like Rakuten analytics and TikTok analytics to track your traffic. Use A/B testing with different formats, products, and calls to action to improve your performance.
- Use SEO. Make sure your website is set up to be discoverable. Use the right keywords so you can attract the right people to your content.
- Leverage trends, sales, and seasons (e.g. Black Friday or the Eras Tour) to drive traffic.
Using the Marketing Funnel as a Sephora Affiliate
Marketers like to talk about customers moving through a funnel. As a Sephora affiliate, you can increase your sales by creating content that targets customers at different parts of the funnel.
Top of the Funnel (TOFU)
This is where you first grab potential customer’s attention. TOFU content targets a wide range of people and is all about making people aware of Sephora and your website or social media profile.
- Goal: Generate lots of impressions, gain new followers
- Content example: “10 best celebrity makeup looks for summer”
Bottom of the Funnel (BOFU)
BOFU shoppers are already thinking about purchasing a specific product.d These shoppers are looking for practical information like reviews and demos to confirm that this is the right product for them.
- Goal: Persuade the audience to make a purchase using your affiliate link
- Content example: “I’m obsessed with the Hourglass Unreal Liquid Blush from Sephora”
Middle of the Funnel (MOFU)
MOFU content aims to drive traffic to your BOFU content. It targets shoppers who already know about Sephora or have an idea of what they want but have not yet found the right solution.
- Goal: Showcase different products to drive traffic to BOFU content
- Content example: “Bestselling Sephora bath and body products worth trying”
6 Content Ideas For the Sephora Affiliate Program
You should always tailor your content to your own skills and your unique audience, but here are some general ideas. You can’t go wrong trying these:
1. Product Reviews and Demos
Show shoppers exactly how a product works or review and promote different products to establish your expertise and help shoppers make informed decisions. Ideally, you will choose a product that you really like so that your passion and interest in the product helps keep your content authentic and trustworthy.
2. Hauls
Hauls feature a collection of products purchased in a single shopping trip or online order. Share your honest thoughts and cover a variety of products to encourage viewers to help shoppers find things they like. Like product reviews, try to choose products that you like within your preferred niche.
3. Product Advice
Answer common questions with practical advice to help shoppers make informed choices. For example, this video tells shoppers whether certain beauty products are suitable for children.
@abbythebadassmom Replying to @Mia Viral trending skincare products – sephora best sellers yes or no for kids, tweens ans young skin. No issues with your skin stick to the basics cleanser moisturizer and sunscreen #viralskincareproducts #sephoraskincare #sephorabestsellers #simpleskincareroutine #skincareforkids #skincarefortweens #skincarewithabby
4. Humorous and Relatable Content
This kind of content makes your audience feel like part of a community. It is likely not going to generate many sales but it will help you build trust and attract new followers. Feel free to make your socials feel like an insight into your life and not the QVC infomercial channel. It’ll help you seem more authentic and relatable to your audience.
@mynameisrosay TAKE MA MONEY 💸 @sephoracanada @sephora #shopping #sephora #shoppingaddict
5. Makeup Tutorials
Tutorials generate strong engagement because viewers often watch multiple times and ask questions. Tutorials also prove that you are knowledgeable and introduce viewers to new products.
@auroralovestrand Matte neutral eyeshadow tutorial 🖤 let me know if you have any questions or what look you want to see next! All of the products are on my LTKit, it’s linked in my bio 🥰 #ltkit #ltkbeauty #sephora #sephoracanada #makeuptutorial #eyeshadowtutorial #matteeyeshadow #softglam #makeuplesson #makeupbymario
6. Shop With Me
Film yourself picking out products in a Sephora store. This is an opportunity to show your followers your personality as well as your expertise. These videos allow shoppers to enjoy the packaging and in-store displays that make Sephora products so appealing – which might help you make sales.
Pros of the Sephora Affiliate Program
- Sephora content is popular (e.g. this video and many others have attracted millions of views)
- Perks like newsletters, free samples, and affiliate-only promotions
- Relatively high average order value
- Free everyday shipping over $50
- All products are eligible for commission, with no brand restrictions
Cons of the Sephora Affiliate Program
- 5% commission rate (on the low end but not too bad for Sephora’s more pricey products)
- Crowded content category
Alternatives to the Sephora Affiliate Program
Here are some rival programs, along with their commission rates:
- Amazon affiliate program: 3- 10%
- Kiehl’s affiliate program: 5%
- The Body Shop affiliate program: up to 8%
- L’occitane affiliate program: up to 8%
- Estee Lauder affiliate program: 10%
- Elemis affiliate program: 10%
- Charlotte Tilbury affiliate program: 10% on average
- Ulta affiliate program: 16%
Is the Sephora Affiliate Program Worth It?
The Sephora affiliate program is an exciting opportunity to monetize your content. What’s most appealing about the program is the popularity of the retailer, the demand for content in this category, and the product quality. You can leverage perks like free samples and affiliate-only promos to drive traffic.
The downsides of the Sephora affiliate program are the relatively low commission rate and the fact that this content category is crowded.
If you can create standout content, you can take advantage of Sephora’s loyal customer base to build a successful affiliate business, but it’s worth investigating alternatives with higher commission rates.