MAC Cosmetics will launch in Sephora’s U.S. fleet, marking a major distribution expansion more than 40 years after the brand’s founding.
Beginning March 2, MAC products will be available on Sephora’s website and in 105 “top-performing” standalone Sephora stores, with plans to scale further this year.
The brand will also offer a curated assortment across all 855 Sephora at Kohl’s locations.
The rollout forms part of parent company Estée Lauder’s “Beauty Reimagined” strategy, aimed at accelerating channel expansion after several years of uneven performance.
The group has recently broadened distribution for multiple brands, including selling Origins, Estée Lauder, Clinique, The Ordinary and Too Faced through Amazon Premium Beauty.
Estée Lauder President and CEO Stéphane de La Faverie previously acknowledged the company was slow to expand into new consumer-preferred channels in certain geographies and said the company must be faster to capture where consumers are shopping.
MAC’s initial shipments tied to the Sephora launch helped lift the brand’s net sales in Estée Lauder’s fiscal second quarter ended Dec. 31, offsetting otherwise flat year-over-year performance in the group’s total makeup division.
To support the launch, MAC unveiled a marketing campaign featuring Chappell Roan, Gabbriette and Quenlin Blackwell.
The campaign uses side-by-side imagery to highlight both natural and high-impact looks, reinforcing the brand’s range beyond its historic association with bold, theatrical makeup.
MAC Global Creative Director Nicola Formichetti said the campaign aims to show “the full spectrum” of the brand’s identity.
For Estée Lauder, the Sephora deal signals a broader willingness to diversify distribution and compete more aggressively in high-traffic specialty beauty channels.
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