What Brands Can Learn From Sephora’s Decision To Drop Beauty Lines by TikTok Stars Addison Rae and Hyram Yarbro

Beauty retailer Sephora has pulled the plug on Item Beauty and Selfless by Hyram, two brands founded by TikTok stars Addison Rae and Hyram Yarbro, last week.

While on the surface, it might sound like a crazy idea to pull brands founded and promoted by two influencers who have a combined following of nearly 10 million users, Sephora made a wise decision — one that other brands and retailers can learn from.

The launch of Item Beauty and Selfless

When Addison launched Item Beauty back in 2020, she marketed it as a “clean, science-backed” direct-to-consumer (DTC) label, free of the chemicals that are typically found in traditional cosmetics lines. Addison was very opportunistic with this launch, as she chose to make her entrepreneurial debut right when she shot to fame, thanks to her TikTok videos. Fast forward to August 2021, Addison signed an exclusive partnership to sell Item Beauty products at Sephora.

Right around the same time, in June 2021, beauty vlogger Hyram Yarbro launched his own…