Beauty Brands are Scoring in Sports Sponsorship
From Lipstick to Lockerroom
For decades, beauty brands have owned the runway, the red carpet, and the glossy magazine spread. But now, a new stage is stealing the spotlight: the sports arena.
This isn’t about a halftime ad or a product placement. It’s about full-fledged sponsorships — team partnerships, league deals, and athlete collaborations that put beauty brands front and center in a world once considered far from cosmetics.
And at the heart of this shift? The meteoric rise of women’s sports.
1. Reaching New, Engaged Audiences Through Women’s Sports
Women’s sports are in a growth sprint. The WNBA’s 2024 season averaged 1.19M viewers on ESPN platforms — a 170% increase year-on-year. And it’s not just about viewership. Women’s sports foster tight-knit, value-driven communities that brands can authentically tap into.
Fans aren’t just watching; they’re showing up, engaging, and building culture around their teams. For beauty brands, this means a chance to tell authentic, human stories — stories about confidence, resilience, and self-expression — alongside athletes who embody those values.
2. Why Sports Sponsorship Delivers More Than Awareness
Unlike one-off ads, sponsorship offers repeated exposure and emotional association. Nielsen data shows:
Women’s sports sponsorship delivers double the brand recall compared to men’s sports.
Athlete-backed partnerships lift purchase intent by an average of 10% among exposed audiences.
Female fans are 25% more likely to purchase from a brand sponsoring their favorite sport.
For beauty brands, that’s the sweet spot: visibility that converts.
3. Who’s Playing
Fenty Beauty × New York Liberty (WNBA) – Official beauty partner, branding on warm-up gear, in-arena fan activations, and mascot-led product drops.
Glossier × USA Women’s Basketball & WNBA – Sponsoring the Paris Olympics and league partnerships, merging sport and style.
e.l.f. Cosmetics × NWSL & Indy 500 – From soccer to motorsport, connecting with diverse, cross-interest audiences.
Maybelline × Naomi Osaka / Ilona Maher / Women’s Lacrosse League – Athlete sponsorship plus league presence for multi-touch visibility.
Clinique × England Premier Women’s Rugby – Game Face Ambassador Holly Aitchison brings skincare into the rugby conversation.
Unilever (Dove, Rexona, Lux, Lifebuoy) × FIFA Women’s World Cup – Multi-brand global sponsorship, uniting personal care with the world’s biggest women’s sporting event.
Wella Professionals × Aston Martin Formula 1 – Haircare activations in the F1 paddock, bringing styling services to the racing world and tapping into a growing female fan base.
4. Watch-Outs
How Sponsorships Can Miss the Goal
Not every beauty-sports partnership is a win. Common pitfalls include:
Checkbook-Only Sponsorships – Paying for a logo on a shirt or a board without any activation, fan engagement, or content. This usually results in low recall and minimal brand lift.
Poor Cultural Fit – Pairing with a sport or athlete that doesn’t align with your brand values can feel forced and alienate both fans and customers.
Short-Term “One and Done” Deals – Single-season sponsorships rarely build enough equity to shift perception or behaviour.
Overreliance on One Star – When a sponsorship rests on a single athlete, the brand risks losing relevance if that athlete’s visibility fades.
5. Beyond Traditional Sports
Beauty sponsorships are no longer limited to tennis or figure skating. Brands are moving into rugby, volleyball, cricket, and lacrosse — sports gaining traction with a different, and younger audiences globally. The message is clear: beauty belongs wherever performance, passion, and personality meet.
6. Why This Works for Beauty Brands
Strategic Fit – Beauty partnerships with sports tap into narratives of empowerment, resilience, and diversity.
New Audiences – Access to GenZ and Millenials respond positively to brands championing representation.
Community Access – Women’s sports deliver highly engaged communities where brands can be part of the audience’s passion and conversation, not just the ad break.
The Takeaway
Sports sponsorship is no longer a side play for beauty brands — it’s becoming a core brand-building strategy. It offers a rare combination of reach, relevance, and resonance, particularly with Gen Z and Millennial audiences who value authenticity and representation.
That’s exactly the kind of shift I help businesses navigate —turning brand and marketing into true growth engines — from growth strategy to innovation sprints, brand positioning and digital marketing and selling. If this is a challenge you’re facing, I’d be glad to exchange perspectives.
This newsletter was sparked by Russ James, a commercial and marketing strategist specialising in sport. He is helping rights holders, brands, and investors unlock growth through sponsorship, audience engagement, and purposeful activation. If this is something you’re looking to explore, Russ is the person to follow and connect with.