YSE Beauty Launches at Sephora in Major Brand Expansion

Forbes

21-05-2025

Molly Sims
Just over two years after its debut, Molly Sims' beauty brand YSE Beauty is headed onto the shelves of Sephora, taking the company from direct-to-consumer to retail in the process. Sephora—a place Sims calls 'the mothership'—is a place Sims always knew she wanted to take YSE, and now that the day is fast approaching, 'it's definitely a pinch me moment,' she says.
'We've had such a loyal following over the last couple of years, but Sephora is where so many of my customers go, and I need to meet them where they are,' Sims tells me over Zoom. When it comes to YSE (pronounced 'wise') and Sephora, she says, the two companies are very aligned, and 'ultimately, that global expansion is exactly where I want to be.'
Sims launched YSE Beauty in 2023.
After its launch in April 2023, model, actress, podcast host and entrepreneur Sims is entering the Sephora market on June 3, initially on Sephora.com and in 361 stores nationwide beginning June 13.
Billed as an 'essentials-only' skincare brand made for 'women too busy for skincare' and seeking 'dramatic results without all the drama,' YSE will bring products like Your Favorite Ex™ Exfoliating Pads, Skin Glow SPF 30 Primer, Morning Cocktail Vitamin C Serum and Xtremely Rich™ Moisturizer to its in-person store launch.
The exterior of a Sephora store. (Photo by Xavi Lopez/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The product line online will expand beyond the in-store offerings, including the brand's Take It Off Gel-Oil Cleanser, Your Favorite Ex™ Deep-Down Exfoliating Gel, Last Call Retinol Serum, The Problem Solver Brightening Treatment, The Overachiever Brightening Eye Masks, Like A Gloss Hydrating Lip Mask, Like a Glossy Hydrating Lip Tints and its Golden Sculpt Face Roller.
With celebrity beauty brands a dime a dozen, there is just something different about YSE. Sims—who has become a student of skincare over the years through her career spanning over a quarter century—named the brand after her mother, Dorothy, who died five years ago and always encouraged Sims to be wise (get it?) and to always listen, because, in her words, that's where the learning happens.
Some of YSE Beauty's product offerings.
'It was always just something that she evoked in me—if you feel good, you look good, and if you look good, you feel good,' Sims says. 'And she was just such an elegant chic, but she was always sharing information.' Sims is passionate about not gatekeeping information; it was the basis of the launch of her podcast, 'Lipstick on the Rim,' which she co-hosts with her close friend Emese Gormley. YSE, Sims says, represents wisdom—something Dorothy always sought to impart. 'She was literally the best,' Sims tells me of her mom. 'She still lives through this brand every day.'
YSE was created to be age-inclusive, she says, formed because 'I felt like too many women, especially in their thirties or forties or fifties, were being overlooked,' she says. The brand avoids unnecessary SKUs and is what Sims calls a 'hero-driven company': 'You're not going to have to do 15 steps,' she says, adding, 'Maybe more isn't better. Maybe more is just more.'
Sims was adamant that YSE Beauty not offer any unnecessary products.
'We exist for the woman [who is] 35-plus who wants to get their glow back without having to work so hard at it,' Sims says. The line, she adds, comes down to three major steps: exfoliation, brightening and glow—the three essentials Sims has learned matter most after having a masterclass in skincare throughout her career, and even before.
'All my life I've been obsessed with beauty,' she says. When it comes to YSE's products, she tells me, she's formulating products as much for herself as she is anyone else. 'I'm your tester,' she says. 'I'm your guinea pig. Women still want another chapter. This is pro-aging. I'm not trying to look 15 years younger, but I am trying to look the best I can be while having fun doing it.'
This isn't a vanity project or another run of the mill celebrity venture, she assures me. 'It's deeply, deeply personal,' Sims says. 'I want women to feel confident and gorgeous no matter their age, season, stage—great skin shouldn't have an expiration date.'
YSE Beauty will launch in Sephora in June, its first foray into retail after being solely ... More direct-to-consumer heretofore.
YSE joins over 300 brands in Sephora, and Brooke Banwart, SVP Skincare Merchandising at Sephora, said in a release that Sephora is 'thrilled to partner with YSE Beauty as we continue to grow our skincare offerings to meet the evolving needs of our clients across all age groups.'
'We look forward to introducing this brand to our clients and know that their results-driven approach to skincare will be a valuable addition to our assortment,' she added.
In the same release, Sims, who is both YSE's founder and chief creative officer, self-identified as 'a busy woman juggling multiple roles' who 'knew firsthand how overwhelming skincare could be.'
Sims says the Sephora expansion feels like a "pinch me moment."
'I wanted to simplify the process—offering solutions that are not only effective but also effortlessly fit into real lives,' she said. 'I'm excited to expand beyond DTC and bring our high-performance products to Sephora, reaching even more women who deserve skincare that works as hard as they do.'
Sims tells me that expanding into retail has always been the long-term goal and long-term strategy for YSE. YSE's growth is projected to triple this year, and she's not afraid to tell me that 'we are absolutely crushing it. I think we're hitting the woman where she wants to be met at a price point that's affordable, that makes her feel good, that makes her keep coming back.' Sims is particularly proud of her 43 percent customer return rate—and she's also thrilled that YSE is projected to do $2 million to $4 million 'in just the next six months with Sephora,' she says.
Sims says YSE Beauty is firmly pro-aging, and created because she saw a gap in the market for ... More consumers over a certain age.
'Retail is just such an exciting next step, I can't even tell you,' Sims says. 'Just to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the most trusted brands in skincare is incredible.'