INTERNATIONAL. The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) has launched The Catalysts, a programme created by ELC’s New Incubation Ventures (NIV) and launched with support from TikTok.
The integrated, global initiative is aimed at spotlighting, uplifting and empowering emerging storytellers with fresh visions for the beauty industry. Applicants will have the chance to win up to US$250,000 in financial backing as well as mentorship and project assistance.
A panel of industry luminaries, creative visionaries and TikTok creators will select two winners who will be judged as “reshaping the future of beauty through innovative branding, product development and storytelling”.
NIV is the strategic early-stage investing and incubation arm for The Estée Lauder Companies. It partners with forward-thinking founders and entrepreneurs to create, fund and support the best beauty brands and business models that will shape the future of beauty. Through this, NIV also builds an actionable pipeline of diversified brands and new engines of growth for the ELC portfolio.
According to ELC, The Catalysts programme underscores NIV’s dedication to “championing the trailblazing spirits in beauty, accentuating the influence and impact the beauty industry has and its interconnectedness with wider cultural, social and artistic landscapes”.
ELC noted that TikTok’s beauty community has “helped revolutionise the industry, creating an inclusive space and facilitating new ways of beauty storytelling”. With #Beauty amassing over 45 million posts, TikTok is said to breathe life into new trends. “Beauty on TikTok is rooted in the unique and inclusive beauty community on the platform, a diverse constellation of beauty subcultures, with content for every kind of style one can imagine,” ELC pointed out.
New Incubation Ventures Senior Vice President Shana Randhava said: “Today, founding a beauty brand takes more than traditional business acumen; it’s about crafting narratives, building communities, and shaping not just trends but also broader conversations and movements.
“Founders are storytellers, cultural ambassadors, filmmakers, designers, gamers and artists. Their visions of beauty – expressed via product, retail experiences, films, content – continue to fuel growth in the beauty sector. We set out to create a programme to identify and elevate these visionaries as they continue to drive innovation and push the conversation forward.”
Tik Tok Global Head of Partnerships Vanessa Craft added: “We’ve witnessed the evolution of beauty firsthand on TikTok, not just through how products are shared and discovered, but how they are experienced.
“We’re proud to have created a space where everyone is able to explore the diversity and inclusivity of beauty, driven by our incredible community of creators and brands who enable enthusiasts to be a part of something and see how beauty products perform on people that look like them. We are delighted to be joining The Estée Lauder Companies in finding and nurturing future pioneers of the beauty industry.”
To support applicants, The Catalysts will unveil ten masterclasses providing an overview of what it takes to build the next great brand. Whether applicants dream of revolutionising skincare, cosmetics or fragrance, The Catalysts Masterclass series taps a group of industry-leading founders, storytellers and creatives to share the insights needed to build a next-generation beauty brand.
The Catalysts applicants will be judged by a number of esteemed creative figures, including accomplished entrepreneurs, investors, content creators and experts as well as representatives from The Estée Lauder Companies. Judges include New Incubation Ventures Senior Vice President Shana Randhava; Tik Tok Global Head of Partnerships Vanessa Craft; MAC Cosmetics SVP & Global Creative Director Drew Elliott; and Made by Mitchell Founder Mitchell Halliday.
The full list of judges can be accessed here.
Applications will be accepted until 4 August. Official rules, programme and further details are available here. Winners will be announced in October at a final event in Paris. ✈
