Molly Sims had a successful 2025, with her brand Yse Beauty launching exclusively in Sephora.
Now, she is entering 2026 in an even stronger position as Yse closed a $15 million Series A funding round led by investment partner Silas Capital, with participation from L Catterton and existing investors Willow Growth Partners and Halogen Ventures.
The brand is on track to hit nearly $30 million in revenue next year, according to Sims.
Like most of Yse Beauty’s history, the partnership came about organically, when Sims, a mother of three, bumped into Brian Thorne, a partner at Silas Capital, at the school gates. She was already aware of Silas as it just invested in one of her favorite clothing brands, Dôen.
She also saw synergies with Silas’ other investments. “Jenni Kayne, Violette-Fr, Doen, Business and Pleasure — that is my girl,” Sims said. “She knows what she wants. She’s very high low. She likes the efficacy. She still wants to be in the game. She has money, but she’s also not going to waste it.”
The funds will be allocated to fuel forthcoming expansion across all Sephora doors in the U.S., as well as to support continued growth for direct-to-consumer.
“Additional investment into marketing, awareness drivers, team, Sephora build out,” Sims said. “It’s one thing to be in half the stores. It’s another thing to roll out and be in the stores and start that whole DTC process. We will be able meet her where she shops, and then we can meet her virtually.”
In addition, she plans to invest in TikTok Shop, and embark on international expansion, beginning with Canada.
Molly Sims
Elizabeth Weinberg/WWD
For Thorne, he was attracted by the community Sims has built.
“Molly’s approachable, yet authoritative voice has been a key driver in building the loyal and engaged community supporting the incredible momentum for Yse Beauty,” he said. “Leveraging her insider network of dermatologists aestheticians, and makeup artists, she has curated a lineup of multifunctional skin care-meets-makeup essentials that cater to an underserved Gen X customer that demands results-driven beauty. We’re thrilled to partner with Molly for this next chapter, supporting both the brand’s impressive e-commerce momentum, as well as its quickly scaling wholesale expansion with Sephora.”
The idea for Yse — pronounced wise — first came to Sims when she tried and failed to find a solution for her melasma during the pandemic and set about trying to formulate one herself.
After investing in research and development including clinical trials, Sims launched Yse Beauty in 2023 with a collection of six products, priced between $45 and $88 on ysebeauty.com, in partnership with Los Angeles-based brand incubator SOS Beauty. In May of this year, the brand entered 361 Sephora stores nationwide, as well as online, with bestsellers including Your Favorite Ex Exfoliating Pads and Skin Glow SPF primer.
When Yse Beauty launched, it was a time when the market was becoming crowded with celebrity entrants. But Sims believes hers stands out from the crowd due to what it stands for and its target audience.
“This isn’t a celebrity skin care brand. This is a Molly Sims brand. This is a brand for that woman who has felt forgotten. She’s felt kind of overlooked,” Sims said. “You meet a lot of women in their late 30s to early 40s, who want to be in the game. They want to have another chapter. When the Golden Girls were shot they were in their 40s and that’s so wild. This is just not where we are today.”
For Sims, efficacy is key. Investing in clinical trials in the early days cost the same as a small house, she likes to joke, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Efficacy was really important to me. I wanted to be taken seriously, and I didn’t want it to be Molly says she does it every day. OK, I do do it every day, but here are the clinicals to back it up,” Sims said. “I need numbers. I want my girl, my consumer, my community to know this is what it’s going to do in four weeks.”
Yse Beauty isn’t her only involvement in beauty. Sims also has a podcast, “Lipstick on the Rim,” that she cohosts with her best friend Emese Gormley.
“I felt at that time that women weren’t honest, especially in my business [of] entertainment. Actors, actresses, models, they would never tell you what they did, how they did it, but I would. I don’t love gatekeeping, and that is ultimately why I started Lipstick on the Rim,” she said.
Now, there’s crossover between the Yse customer and podcast listener. Sims also has a Substack, and hosts loyalty Zooms, where she answers a host of questions from customers.
“I’ll do 400 of my customers on a Zoom, and we’ll talk, and they’ll ask me questions. I get to ask them questions. I just actually did one for Sephora the day before yesterday, talking about the brand, how I use it, what I do,” she explained. “Building community is probably the most important. How do you reach them? How do you connect with them? And we have a really strong roadmap to do that the next three years.”
For 2026, a big focus will also be on launches. On Jan. 4, Yse will introduce Wide Awake Brightening Eye Cream shade extensions, which is formulated with a brightening blend of ultra-potent vitamin C, niacinamide and white shiitake extract. The cream is designed to be worn like a glowy under-eye highlighter, which also targets dark circles, fine lines and puffiness.
“It makes you moist and dewy. You can add it in the morning, touch up at lunch. If I’m going out, I’ll have it in my purse, and I’ll go to the bathroom because, as the day goes on, you get dry, you get a little cakey,” Sims said.
But at the heart of everything will remain her formulas: “It’s not so much about our launches. It’s just about our formulas. That’s the most important thing for me.”
