Endurance athletes
Athlete-grade sports are drawing participants for the challenges they offer for body and mind – all while creating a sense of community.
Sports beauty
As athletes become beauty icons, brands are developing products designed to move with them.
From statement nails to race-day looks, athletes are putting beauty at the heart of sport.
British sprinter Dina Asher-Smith told Selfridges earlier this year that the closest thing she has to a race-day ritual is doing her makeup. For a Diamond League appearance, she chose an Isamaya palette to create a “really iridescent eye shimmer.” She added that “sometimes you’ve got to speak to the more glam side of female athletes when it comes to products, because we can really test them.”
Fellow athlete Keely Hodgkinson brings the same blend of performance and self-expression to the track. At the European Athletics Championships in August 2026, Hodgkinson had makeup artist Annabel Clark-Clements create a standout navy cat eye.
These looks align with a wider cultural shift: women’s sports are gaining visibility and commercial power. A 2026 Deloitte report forecasts that global revenues in elite women’s sports will reach at least $3 billion for the first time in 2026, a 25% increase on the $2.4 billion generated in 2025.
This growth gives women athletes a bigger platform beyond competition while also creating opportunities for beauty brands to connect with fans. Some are developing products for more active lives; others are partnering with athletes and teams.
Mowe Active Beauty. Lily Smith for Rimmel London. Flau'ja Johnson X e.l.f Beauty.
Mowe is a new makeup line from founder Tatiana Glezer, described as “performance wear” designed to be “breathable, sweat-resistant, and skin-first.” Its Endorphin Skin product uses Sweat-Adaptive Technology™ to create a formula that the brand says delivers a subtle tint while managing sweat, maintaining hydration and calming redness.
Forta Cosmetics, founded by WNBA star Lexie Hull and her former Stanford roommate Sarah Guller, takes a similarly active approach. Its tagline is “you don’t have to sit still to look pretty,” and its Lock & Go Setting Spray is designed for 16-hour wear and tested by professional athletes.
Established beauty brands are also building collaborations. Rimmel London followed up a collaboration with gymnast Lily Smith, by launching its partnership with Chelsea FC Women for the 2026–27 season. Its Match Perfection Foundation campaign features models kicking a ball around, with social content filmed on the sidelines of a Chelsea FC Women match.
In the United States, e.l.f. beauty in March announced a year-long partnership with basketball star, rapper, and philanthropist Flau’jae Johnson. She appears in an episode of the brand’s ‘Show Yourse.l.f.’ series, while e.l.f. has pledged $75,000 to More to 4 Foundation, Johnson’s nonprofit organization.
L’Oréal’s 2026 documentary Meeting the Moment explores beauty in athletic performance across sports and genders, featuring sprinter Noah Lyles, footballer Jules Koundé, as well as lucha libre wrestlers Persephone and La Catalina.
For beauty brands, sport now offers more than sponsorship: it opens a product-development space where performance and self-expression can coexist.
