Sephora Affiliate Program 2026: Commission Rates, Requirements And How To Join
Lily Roberts
Senior Marketing Strategist - ReVerb
10.21.2026
Quick answer: Yes, Sephora has an affiliate program in 2026, and in the US it runs through Rakuten Advertising. Sephora does not publish its rate, but third-party reviews commonly report around 5% with a short 24-hour cookie. Social creators have a second route, My Sephora Storefront, which was reported at launch to pay 15%. Joining either one is free and needs approval.
Sephora is one of the most searched beauty retailers in the US, and its shoppers already arrive with intent: they are looking for a specific foundation shade, a skincare routine or a gift set. That makes it an easy brand to write about and link to, as long as you know which of its partner programs fits you.
This guide covers the classic affiliate program, the newer creator Storefront, and the Sephora Squad, and explains how they differ. If you are comparing beauty with other niches, our list of the highest paying affiliate programs puts Sephora in context.
What Is The Sephora Affiliate Program?
The Sephora affiliate program lets approved publishers earn a commission when a visitor clicks their tracked link and buys on Sephora.com. Sephora’s own affiliate page says it has partnered with Rakuten Advertising to provide tracking, links and reporting, and that affiliates can earn on all products without brand restrictions.
Sephora handles ordering, shipping and billing. Your job is to send qualified shoppers. Approved affiliates also get access to banners and creative, a newsletter with product news, and affiliate-only offers you can promote. Sephora lists more than 200 brands and over 13,000 products on its affiliate page, which gives you plenty of material for reviews, comparisons and gift guides.
Since September 2025, Sephora has also run a separate creator program called My Sephora Storefront. It is built for social creators rather than websites, and it works differently, so it gets its own section below.
Sephora Affiliate Program At A Glance
Term
Details
Network
Rakuten Advertising (US program)
Commission rate
Not published by Sephora; commonly reported as about 5%, with some reviews citing up to 10%
Cookie duration
Not published by Sephora; commonly reported as 24 hours
Requirements
A content site or social presence that fits beauty and meets Sephora’s brand standards
Approval
Manual review by Sephora after you join Rakuten Advertising
Payout threshold
Set by Rakuten Advertising, not published by Sephora
Payout methods
Paid by Rakuten Advertising; direct deposit is supported
Countries
US program; other Sephora regions run their own programs
Cost to join
Free
Creator alternative
My Sephora Storefront, US creators, reported at 15% commission
How Sephora Commissions Work
When someone clicks your Rakuten tracking link, a cookie is set in their browser. If they buy on Sephora.com before that cookie expires, the order is credited to you and you earn a percentage of the qualifying sale. Sephora does not publish its rate card publicly. You see the exact terms in the Rakuten dashboard once you are approved.
The short cookie is the term that matters most. A 24-hour window means you earn mainly on shoppers who are ready to buy now. Someone who reads your review on Monday and orders on Thursday will usually not count unless they click your link again.
Like most retail programs, a few things typically reduce or reverse commissions:
Returned or cancelled orders are reversed before payment.
Tax, shipping and gift card purchases are generally excluded from the commissionable amount.
Coupon rules apply: retail programs usually credit only codes they supply to affiliates, so check Sephora’s coupon policy in Rakuten before promoting any code.
Commissions stay pending until the return window closes, then Rakuten pays them on its normal schedule.
How Much Do Sephora Affiliates Make?
Sephora does not share affiliate earnings data, so any number here is a sizing exercise, not a forecast. Here is the simple math using the commonly reported 5% rate.
Say your site sends shoppers who place 200 tracked orders in a month, with an average order of $70. That is $14,000 in sales. At 5%, you would earn about $700 before any returns. If you instead drove the same sales through a My Sephora Storefront at the reported 15% rate, the same volume would be worth about $2,100.
The gap between those two figures explains why creators with an engaged social audience increasingly favor the Storefront, while content sites with search traffic stay on Rakuten. Your real result depends on your approved rate, your conversion rate, and how many readers buy within a day of clicking.
Sephora Affiliate Program Vs My Sephora Storefront Vs Sephora Squad
Sephora now has three separate ways to partner with it. They suit different people.
Affiliate program (Rakuten): best for blogs, review sites, coupon and deal publishers and email newsletters. You use Rakuten links, get Rakuten reporting, and are paid by Rakuten.
My Sephora Storefront: a creator program announced in September 2025 and built with the creator commerce company Motom. Creators build a shoppable storefront that lives inside Sephora.com and the Sephora app, then share it on social. Marketing Brew reported a 15% commission and a minimum of more than 3,000 followers on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube. It is open to US-based creators, and applications go through creators.sephora.com.
Sephora Squad: a selective, year-long creator cohort that has run since 2019, with more than 250 members and alumni. It is not a commission program. Recent coverage describes it as a paid partnership with mentorship, brand access and campaign appearances. Sephora Canada runs its own version, which opened applications for 10 spots in January 2026.
In short, the affiliate program pays on clicks from your content, the Storefront pays creators a higher reported rate on sales through a Sephora-hosted page, and the Squad is a competitive brand partnership you apply for once a year.
Who Should Join The Sephora Affiliate Program?
Beauty and skincare blogs that publish reviews, dupes, routines and ingredient explainers
Gift guide and shopping sites that cover holidays, birthdays and Mother’s Day
Deal and coupon publishers who can work within Sephora’s coupon rules
Email newsletters about beauty launches and sales
Fashion and lifestyle magazines with a beauty section
YouTube and TikTok creators who prefer Rakuten links over a storefront, or who are under the Storefront follower bar
How To Join The Sephora Affiliate Program
Create a Rakuten Advertising publisher account. Add your website or social profiles, audience details and payment information.
Find Sephora in the Rakuten advertiser directory and apply. Sephora’s affiliate page also lists a Rakuten contact address (ra-join-sephora@mail.rakuten.com) you can use to request to join.
Explain how you will promote Sephora. Be specific about your content types, traffic sources and audience. Beauty relevance and content quality are what reviewers look for.
Wait for review. Reviews are manual and can take from a few days to a few weeks.
Generate links and check your terms. Once approved, your exact commission, cookie and coupon rules appear in the Rakuten dashboard.
For My Sephora Storefront, skip Rakuten and apply directly on the Sephora creators site.
Tips To Earn More With The Sephora Affiliate Program
Plan around the Sephora Savings Event. Sephora usually runs it in spring and fall with tiered Beauty Insider discounts. Publish and refresh sale guides before it starts, because the 24-hour cookie rewards readers who buy right away.
Write for ready-to-buy searches. Shade matches, “best X for oily skin” lists and product comparisons convert faster than general trend posts.
Cover gift sets in Q4. Holiday value sets and stocking stuffers sell heavily from November through December.
Use Sephora exclusives. Brands sold only at Sephora give readers a reason to click your link rather than shop elsewhere.
Repeat links near the buying moment. With a short cookie, place a link next to every product mention and in a summary table, not just at the top.
Promote affiliate-only offers. Sephora’s newsletter to affiliates flags exclusive offers that are easy wins for deal pages.
Sephora Affiliate Program Alternatives
Ulta Beauty: the closest US beauty competitor, with a wide drugstore to prestige range. Check its network listing for current terms.
Target: strong for mass-market and drugstore beauty alongside household shopping. See our Target affiliate program guide.
Amazon Associates: huge selection and a familiar checkout, though beauty rates vary by category.
Brand-direct programs: many beauty brands run their own programs on Rakuten, Impact or Awin, often with longer cookies than retailers.
If your audience also shops activewear, the Lululemon affiliate program pairs well with beauty and wellness content.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Sephora have an affiliate program?
Yes. In the US, Sephora’s affiliate program runs through Rakuten Advertising. Sephora also runs a separate creator program, My Sephora Storefront, for social creators.
How much does the Sephora affiliate program pay?
Sephora does not publish its rate. Third-party reviews commonly report about 5%, and some cite up to 10%. Your approved rate is shown in Rakuten after you join.
How long is the Sephora affiliate cookie?
It is commonly reported as 24 hours. That is short, so most of your commissions will come from shoppers who buy soon after clicking.
How many followers do you need for My Sephora Storefront?
Marketing Brew reported a bar of more than 3,000 followers on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube. Sephora also reviews fit and content quality, and the program is for US-based creators.
Is the Sephora Squad paid?
Recent coverage describes the Squad as a year-long paid partnership. It is a selective cohort with mentorship and campaign work, not an open commission program, and applications open once a year.
Can I join the Sephora affiliate program without a website?
You can apply to Rakuten with social profiles, but creators without a site will usually find My Sephora Storefront a better fit, provided they meet its follower requirement.
Conclusion
The Sephora affiliate program is a solid, well-known option for beauty publishers, but the short cookie and modest reported rate mean it works best with high-intent content and sale-event timing. Creators with a real social following should look hard at My Sephora Storefront, where the reported 15% rate changes the math.
