A fortuitous partnership?
Since launching at Sephora on March 2 for the first time in its 41-year history, MAC Cosmetics has both welcomed new customers to its ranks and driven new foot traffic to Sephora stores, market research firm YipitData has found.
At launch, the makeup brand entered roughly 100 stand-alone Sephora doors in the U.S. and more than 850 Sephora at Kohl’s locations. It subsequently broke through more via the latter, ranking as the number-five makeup brand at Sephora at Kohl’s during its first month, and the number-19 makeup brand at Sephora.
These ranks are inclusive of both online and brick-and-mortar sales, according to YipitData’s assessment of receipt, web-scraped and credit and debit card data.
Roughly 73 percent of customers who shopped the MAC at Sephora debut were new to the brand, while 33 percent were new to Sephora, indicating a mutual benefit.
MAC also drew a more diverse purchaser than is the standard for Sephora’s makeup category. For instance, Black shoppers were 59 percent more represented among MAC buyers than Sephora’s overall makeup category. The brand overindexed among Hispanic, Asian and, incrementally, male shoppers, too.
MAC also drove more makeup customers ages 45 and up than is Sephora’s norm.
Those above age 65, in particular, were 22 percent more represented among MAC buyers. Given the recent rise of beauty-obsessed “Sephora kids,” plus Sephora’s own direct efforts to reach the cohort by launching Gen Alpha brands like Sincerely, Yours and Evereden, the MAC partnership could help the retailer curry favor with mature beauty shoppers.
From a products point of view, MAC’s top Month One performers at Sephora were:
- Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation with 24HR Oil Control, $39
- Lip Pencil Creamy Lip Liner, $25
- Macximal Silky Matte 12HR Wear Lipstick, $25
- Glow Play Cushiony Lightweight Buildable Blurring Blush, $34
- Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 24HR Buildable Soft-Matte Foundation, $39
At Sephora at Kohl’s, MAC shot to the number-one position in lips, beating out Fenty Beauty and Summer Fridays, which ranked number two and three in the category, respectively.
MAC is a key brand in the Estée Lauder Cos.’ portfolio, which could potentially soon merge with that of Spanish beauty conglomerate Puig. Talks are ongoing, according to the most recent update, though if confirmed, a combined Lauder-Puig entity would have just over $20 billion in estimated combined sales, making it the largest premium beauty player worldwide.
