A Sephora or Ulta launch is the make-or-break retail moment for a beauty brand — winning shelf space (and the coveted end-cap or online "New" placement) at the two dominant U.S. beauty retailers, then driving enough velocity to keep it. The PR and marketing playbook wraps the launch in editor coverage, creator seeding, in-store events, and paid support to hit the sell-through targets buyers watch. Programs like Sephora Accelerate and Ulta's emerging-brand initiatives feed the pipeline. Landing the retailer is table stakes; the communications job is manufacturing the demand that makes the launch stick.