Beauty brands are signing more sports partnerships, but the category is still early in its investment cycle.

SponsorUnited data shows that beauty brand partnerships across sports, including athlete endorsements, grew from fewer than 3,000 in 2023 to 7,187 in 2025. Estimated annual sponsorship spend remains relatively modest at roughly $65 million to $70 million. Deal volume tells the more revealing story: brands are testing where sports fit in their marketing plans.

For years, that fit was uncertain. Deals with major professional leagues can be expensive, while traditional assets such as signage do little on their own to show someone why they should try a skin care or makeup product. Signage accounts for 59% of estimated spend in SponsorUnited’s selected-league cosmetics and skin care SPND view. That leaves a question for marketers: How can a partnership create an experience beyond visibility?

Growing properties including the WNBA, NWSL and AUSL give beauty marketers more ways to test partnerships built around their customers and the athletes they follow.

The strongest examples make beauty part of the experience. Sephora’s partnership with Unrivaled began with a glam room and a presence in the player arrival space, then expanded to arena naming rights. E.l.f. Cosmetics became the NWSL’s official makeup and skin care partner, presenting partner of the league’s Challenge Cup, and vehicle to amplify the brand’s Empowered.Legendary.Females platform. In each case, the brand has a role beyond appearing beside the game.

Beauty brands also have an established playbook for reaching people through creators. Among their deals with lifestyle influencers, 72% include a TikTok post and 64% include an Instagram post, according to SponsorUnited data. Sports partnerships can connect that familiar content strategy to moments fans experience together: product demonstrations, athlete routines, and stories that continue after the event.

Sampling, tutorials, player-led content, and retail connections can give fans something to do with a partnership. They also give marketers outcomes to evaluate beyond impressions: product trial, awareness, purchase intent and sales.

As SponsorUnited founder and CEO Bob Lynch discussed in a recent JohnWallStreet article, beauty is becoming a growth category in sports. The jump in partnerships shows that brands are ready to enter. The opportunity now is to learn which experiences earn a lasting place in customers’ routines.

Methodology

The 2023–25 beauty partnership count includes athlete endorsements. The signage figure is the share of estimated cosmetics and skin care spend allocated to signage, not the share of deals containing signage. Its SPND view covers these selected competitions and seasons: F1 (2025), FIFA (2026), Group of 5 (2025–26), LaLiga (2024–25), MLB (2025), MLS (2025), NBA (2025–26), NFL (2025–26), NHL (2025–26), NWSL (2025), Power 4 (2025–26), Premier League (2024–25), Serie A (2024–25) and WNBA (2025). The TikTok and Instagram percentages refer to beauty brand deals with lifestyle influencers.

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