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M.ph by Mary Phillips, the cosmetics label founded by the eponymous makeup artist, has hired Hannah Beals to be its new chief executive.
In the role, Beals will steward the growth of the brand, which launched in Aug. 2025 exclusively through Sephora. “Our priorities are really growing brand awareness in North America, building community among makeup artists, creators and our customers, and strengthening that Sephora relationship,” Beals told The Business of Beauty.
“It was important to bring in a leader who understands both the heart of a brand and the mechanics of scaling one,” said founder Phillips, hailing Beals’ “thoughtful, people-first” approach to business.
While she didn’t share a specific revenue target, Beals said the brand hopes to achieve 200 percent year-on-year growth in 2026 by investing in its Sephora partnership as well as its DTC channel.
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Beals joined the brand in early Jan. 2025 from the haircare label Ouai, where she spent nearly a decade.
After Ouai was acquired by Procter & Gamble in 2021, Beals oversaw the label’s expansion into professional channels and Amazon, as well as its transformation into a lifestyle brand, leaning into fragrance and the “skinification” of hair with Ouai scalp services.
Her role with M.ph offers her the opportunity to start from scratch again. “There’s something really magic in those early moments when you’re assembling the team, and every small win feels like a big one,” Beals said.
In the near term, Beals is focused on building brand awareness for M.ph, and particularly Phillips’ technique of underpainting (applying contour beneath foundation for a diffused finish) that inspired the line. The trajectory reflects a greater emphasis on expert credibility in a crowded beauty market.
Her primary goal, she added, is to help create a brand that doesn’t need a singular professional to drive it forward.
“Mary is one of those founders that has a cool POV and a really strong vision for where the brand can go, but also wants it to exist separately from her,” Beals said.
Learn more:
What It Takes to Get Into Sephora
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Beauty experts like Mary Phillips, Chris McMillan and Alli Webb have specific qualifications that not all new brand founders possess, making the retailer more willing to bet big on their success.
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