Jennifer Cohen

Senior Vice President of Merchandising for Makeup and Global Initiatives Sephora

Jennifer Cohen is the Senior Vice President of Merchandising for Makeup and Global Initiatives at Sephora. In her role, Jennifer and her team are responsible for driving Sephora’s makeup business strategy across its portfolio of prestige brands; leading innovation, curation, and category growth to deliver an exceptional experience for clients. She also oversees Sephora’s global merchandising initiatives for makeup, collaborating across markets to align on strategy, share insights, and scale best practices that strengthen Sephora’s leadership in the global beauty landscape.

Since joining Sephora in 2008, Jennifer has played a pivotal role in shaping the retailer’s makeup portfolio and nurturing brands from infancy to become top performers across the U.S. and beyond. She doesn’t just launch brands – she helps incubate legends, having partnered to build powerhouses like Fenty Beauty and Rare Beauty, while cultivating the next generation of artistry-driven brands including Makeup by Mario, Patrick Ta, and Danessa Myricks. With an unparalleled eye for the next big thing in beauty, Jennifer continues to champion new voices through Sephora’s Accelerate brand incubation program, mentoring emerging founders who are shaping the future of the industry. She has also helped bring to life iconic storytelling moments like the retailer’s Makeup Experts campaign, which celebrates the artistry, creativity, and influencer of some of today’s most influential voices in beauty.

Prior to her role at Sephora, Jennifer started her beauty career at Nordstrom, selling makeup and skincare behind the Clinique counter. Jennifer earned her B.A. in Sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles and currently lives in Clayton, California.