The beauty world has gone sports-mad. In 2020, Glossier launched its bodycare range with the help of WNBA players, and since then the number of brands tapping athletes for ambassadors and partnerships have come thick and fast. Charlotte Tilbury brought beauty to motorsport, partnering with the all-female F1 Academy as an official sponsor, K18 has gymnast Simone Biles as its face, while Il Makiage sponsors the Arsenal women’s team.

This year, the trend hasn’t slowed down. In January, Urban Decay tapped basketball player Cameron Brink as an ambassador, and the following month CeraVe announced a partnership with Paige Bueckers. In March, e.l.f launched a multi-year collaboration with the National Women’s Soccer League, and this month, Sephora kicked off its partnership deal with the WNBA’s newest team the Golden State Valkyries. To launch the partnership, the brand opened the doors of the Sephora Performance Centre in Oakland, California, which features Sephora-branded elements throughout its spaces, including three basketball courts, conditioning areas and recovery zones. 

These collaborations reflect the rising popularity of women’s sports – “This level of investment from iconic brands signals a fundamental shift in how women’s sports are valued in the marketplace,” Jess Smith, president of Golden State Valkyries, said of the commitment Sephora was making – as well as a change in the kinds of ambassadors beauty brands are looking to to represent them. While in the past models and actresses made up the majority of campaign faces for beauty products, now the focus is on ambassadors at the height of their fields in athleticism, strength and resilience. Even Chanel is getting in on the action, recently hosting 16-year-old skateboarder Sky Brown at their pop-up event in London.

Below, we round up our favourite new beauty products to come out this month.

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VIOLETTE_FR – Bisou BalmVIOLETTE_FR

VIOLETTE_FR – Bisou Balm

VIOLETTE_FR Bisou Balms have become a breakout hit, particularly on social media, where fans are obsessed with the French-girl-just-kissed look that the lip product creates. This month saw the addition of a new shade to the collection: ‘Mon Chéri’, a reddish-brown hue that aims to capture the richness of chocolate-covered cherries. “Mon Chéri is elegant, timeless and bold – reflecting our philosophy of transcending age and style in everything we do,” says founder Violette Serrat.