It took time for women’s sports and cosmetics to develop team chemistry, but addressing the intersecting spaces and faces within the game has produced a winning combination.
The WNBA played its first season in 1997, but didn’t have an official beauty partner until Glossier came aboard in 2020. By the time the league renewed its deal with Glossier last year, the brand was providing Caitlin Clark’s glam for her WNBA Draft night, partnering with league athletes on lip gloss shades, and giving Team USA its first beauty partner at the Paris Olympics.
But that’s just the beginning. Despite slowly introducing itself to women’s sports, the cosmetics industry is making up for lost time by signing an increasing number of deals. And it’s proving to be a major score for athletes, teams, and leagues throughout.
Take the reigning WNBA champion New York Liberty as an example. A founding member of the league in 1997, the Liberty didn’t have a beauty sponsor until it teamed with Hero Cosmetics in 2022—and only then for skin care. The next year, the Liberty made Nyx Professional Makeup its first official makeup partner before eventually breaking its cosmetics sponsorships into silos, bringing on L’Oreal-owned Essie as a nail polish partner and making Liberty mascot Ellie the brand’s first celebrity spokesperson.
Today, Rihanna-founded Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin have made the Liberty the brands’ first WNBA partner, and more brands are trying to get in on the action.
Last year, Urban Decay renewed its sponsorship deal with the Los Angeles Sparks and named then-rookie Cameron Brink its brand ambassador. This year, CoverGirl rode an existing partnership with the Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese into her team’s first cosmetics sponsorship. Sephora, meanwhile, not only backed the WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries during this inaugural season but also put its brand on referees during the Unrivaled 3-on-3 women’s basketball league’s debut. When the WNBA’s expansion Toronto Tempo takes the court in 2026, Sephora will be with them as well.
