Female Athletes Are the Next Generation of Brand Ambassadors
The viewership and buzz surrounding women’s sports is at an all-time high. Meera Estrada dives into some of the beauty brands that are partnering with female athletes.
“I’ve always showcased different hairstyles on the court,” says American tennis pro Coco Gauff. The 20-year-old, who has won seven Women’s Tennis Association singles titles, including the 2023 US Open, and nine doubles titles, certainly has a lot on her plate. And earlier this spring, she added one more title to her impressive resumé: beauty-brand ambassador.
Gauff teamed up with natural-hair-care brand Carol’s Daughter in a partnership that she calls a perfect fit. “I’ve been using the products for years, and I want to inspire women — especially women of colour — to embrace and celebrate their natural beauty and feel confident and proud in their own skin,” she says.
Carol’s Daughter and Gauff are hardly the only sports-and-beauty pairing of late. In fact, the two industries have become a match made in heaven, as brands like NYX Professional Makeup, Charlotte Tilbury, Kiss and La Roche-Posay (to name just a few) have all gotten in on the game.
“It’s the intersection of beauty, culture and entertainment,” says Yasmin Dastmalchi, general manager for NYX Professional Makeup USA. “Athletes are influencing our community, and as a brand, we need to pay attention to that. They are shaping culture, and we want to connect with them and be part of shaping it, too. Brands have a role to play in supporting athletes and giving them a platform to express themselves in their own way.”
With the viewership and buzz around women’s sports at a fever pitch, these partnerships are no-brainers. This past April, the women’s NCAA basketball championship game was the most-watched basketball game — surpassing men’s, both college and professional — since 2019. 2024 marked the inaugural season for the Professional Women’s Hockey League. Nearly two million fans attended the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament in person, making it the most-attended event in the history of the Women’s World Cup. And women’s elite sports will generate $1.75 billion this year — a 300 per cent increase from the industry’s evaluation in 2020, according to Deloitte forecasts.
But numbers aside, on a deeper level, these beauty-brand partnerships also mark a new era of beauty — one that is changing the narrative around what it means to be beautiful. Women’s sports help expand the scope of beauty to something that is more than surface-level — and certainly more than one-note. Beauty’s alignment with sports fosters a more holistic, inclusive vision that encompasses strength, determination and resilience. And so female athletes are fast becoming the beauty industry’s new MVPs.
The collision of beauty and sports is indeed a big win for diversity. With the variations in physiques and cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, the presence of female athletes in beauty campaigns promotes an empowering vision of beauty.
Last year, Mielle became the first textured-hair-care partner of the WNBA. In a league with approximately 70 per cent Black players, the partnership put a spotlight on the beauty of Black women’s hair. Since then, the brand has signed endorsement deals with players A’ja Wilson and Angel Reese as well as college-basketball star Juju Watkins.
For professional gymnast Shilese Jones, who was recently announced as NYX Professional Makeup’s new ambassador, the partnership is about more than the products themselves. “What makes this partnership extra special is how NYX is championing women athletes and showing off how fearless, strong and fierce we are,” she says. “Expressing ourselves with makeup only adds to our power.”
These partnerships extend beyond the worlds of hair and makeup. Kiss has teamed up with gymnast Sunisa Lee (Suni) for its Salon X-tend range of press-on nails. Kristin Giarrusso, global marketing director for Kiss, says that the partnership is about confidence. “Suni is an inspiration, and her grace, determination and undeniable talent will motivate beauty lovers everywhere to embrace their own strengths and shine in every endeavour they pursue.”
There has even been a rise in sports-centred brands — those created for athletes and active people. Canadian skincare brand Lontreau was developed with athletes in mind, to keep their skin protected from the elements when they are training and playing outdoors, which leaves skin susceptible to daily exposure to sun, wind and cold. Skincare brand Medalist, co-founded by rugby player and body-positive influencer Ilona Maher, launched in July, coinciding with the Olympics, where Maher competed for Team USA. And Naomi Osaka’s Kinlò and Wyn Beauty by Serena Williams are just some of the other sports-focused beauty brands founded by athletes that have launched in recent years.
The merging of these two lucrative worlds offers this previously untapped market a win-win scenario. No matter which way you look at it, it’s game, set, match for beauty and sports pairings.
Lontreau Most Valuable Player 15% Vitamin C in Squalane
This article first appeared in FASHION’s October 2024 issue. Find out more here.
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