Sephora Affiliate Program

Sephora is the prestige beauty retailer, selling makeup, skincare, haircare and fragrance from more than 200 brands, including many it carries exclusively. It is where beauty readers go for premium and trending brands, and its Beauty Insider loyalty program keeps them coming back.

In the US the affiliate program runs through Rakuten Advertising: you create a Rakuten publisher account and apply to Sephora there. Other countries run separate programs on Awin and other networks, with their own terms. The US commission is around 5 percent per sale, and the cookie varies by network, from as short as 24 hours to 30 days, so check it in your dashboard after approval. Approved affiliates can also build a personal storefront on Sephora.com. Payouts follow the network's monthly schedule.

A short cookie is the main drawback in the US, so Sephora rewards content that sends readers ready to buy, such as reviews of a specific product, rather than broad inspiration.

Sephora converts from reviews of prestige products, fragrance guides, "worth the hype" posts on trending launches, routine guides and coverage of its seasonal Savings Event, when loyalty members get discounts across the store. Gift sets and value sizes around the holidays are another strong moment, when readers buy for others as well as themselves.