Top Beauty and Fashion Internships
Interested in the beauty or fashion industries? This guide highlights the top brands offering internships in areas like marketing, design, product development, and more.
Who is This Guide For?
This guide is for college students interested in pursuing a career in the fashion or beauty industries. Whether you’re just exploring these industries or already have some experience, internships offer the perfect opportunity to gain hands-on experience, develop skills important in the industry, and secure an early edge on future internships or return offers.
| Company | Industry | Careers Page |
|---|---|---|
| Sephora | Beauty | Apply here |
| Ulta Beauty | Beauty | Apply here |
| Estée Lauder Companies | Beauty | Apply here |
| L’Oréal | Beauty | Apply here |
| Tarte Cosmetics | Beauty | Apply here |
| Glossier | Beauty | Apply here |
| e.l.f. Cosmetics | Beauty | Apply here |
| Benefit Cosmetics | Beauty | Apply here |
| Anthropologie | Fashion | Apply here |
| Urban Outfitters | Fashion | Apply here |
| Lululemon | Fashion | Apply here |
| Aritzia | Fashion | Apply here |
| Pacsun | Fashion | Apply here |
| Express | Fashion | Apply here |
| Altar'd State | Fashion | Apply here |
| Abercrombie & Fitch | Fashion | Apply here |
| Nike | Fashion | Apply here |
| Gap Inc. | Fashion | Apply here |
| Free People | Fashion | Apply here |
| Levi Strauss & Co. | Fashion | Apply here |
| Victoria's Secret | Fashion | Apply here |
| Ralph Lauren | Fashion | Apply here |
| Tommy Hilfiger | Fashion | Apply here |
Why Beauty and Fashion?
- Quick Skill Development: You’ll quickly grow in areas like merchandising, marketing, and design.
- Creativity: These industries tend to prioritize more creative roles. You may work on a new marketing campaign for a beauty product, send out PR to influencers, or help design a new fashion line. You’ll be able to flex your creative skills while staying on top of trends.
- Future Industry Growth: The global fashion and beauty markets are growing exponentially, especially in larger cities. If you’re interested in branding, sustainability, and ecommerce, you’ll have ample opportunities to grow in your role.
- Networking: Internships in these industries are offered with the biggest, emerging brands, as well as iconic designers we all know and love.
If building these skills interest you, and you're passionate about fashion or beauty, you’ll want to consider getting some experience. Below is a list of the most established programs! ⬇️
Beauty Internships
Sephora
What is Sephora? 🔍 A global leader in beauty retail, offering a wide range of makeup, skincare, fragrance, and hair products. The brand is recognized for innovation and fostering creativity in the beauty space.
Internship Focus: Marketing, merchandising, product development, and operations
Location: San Francisco, CA (HQ)
Ulta Beauty
What is Ulta? 🔍 The largest beauty retailer in the U.S., combining cosmetics, skincare, and salon services. They emphasize innovation and an inclusive beauty shopping experience
Internship Focus: Marketing, digital, data analytics, supply chain, and corporate functions
Location: Bolingbrook, IL (HQ)
Estée Lauder Companies
What is Estée Lauder? 🔍 A global beauty powerhouse with a portfolio that includes Clinique, MAC, Bobbi Brown, and other luxury brands
Internship Focus: Marketing, brand management, R&D, sustainability, and finance
Location: New York, NY (HQ) and some global offices
L’Oréal
What is L’Oréal? 🔍 he world’s largest cosmetics company, specializing in skincare, hair care, and makeup. They prioritize sustainability and cutting-edge beauty innovation.
Internship Focus: Marketing, supply chain, product development, and sales
Location: New York, NY; Clark, NJ; international opportunities.
Tarte Cosmetics
What is Tarte? 🔍 A cruelty-free cosmetics brand known for its high-performance natural ingredients and eco-friendly packaging. They focus on innovation in product development and customer engagement.
Internship Focus: Marketing, social media, product development, and e-commerce
Location: New York, NY
Glossier
What is Glossier? 🔍 Known for its minimalist aesthetic and direct-to-consumer model, Glossier redefines beauty with customer-centric products.
Internship Focus: Marketing, social media, and creative design
Location: New York, NY
e.l.f. Cosmetics
What is e.l.f? 🔍 An affordable, high-quality beauty brand committed to cruelty-free and vegan products
Internship Focus: Product development, digital marketing, and R&D
Location: New York, NY and Oakland, CA
Benefit Cosmetics
What is Benefit? 🔍 A quirky and fun beauty brand known for its brow products and playful packaging
Internship Focus: Brand marketing, PR, and product innovation
Location: San Francisco, CA
Fashion Internships
Anthropologie
What is Anthropologie? 🔍 A lifestyle retailer known for its bohemian and chic designs in apparel, accessories, and home décor
Internship Focus: Buying, design, and visual merchandising
Location: Philadelphia, PA (HQ)
Urban Outfitters
What is Urban Outfitters? 🔍 A leading lifestyle brand for edgy, youthful apparel and accessories
Internship Focus: Product design, social media, marketing, and e-commerce
Location: Philadelphia, PA (HQ)
Lululemon
What is Lululemon? 🔍 A premium activewear company focusing on performance and lifestyle apparel
Internship Focus: Product design, innovation, marketing, and retail operations
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Aritzia
What is Aritzia? 🔍 A Canadian fashion retailer offering modern and trendy women’s clothing
Internship Focus: Design, merchandising, and corporate functions
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Pacsun
What is Pacsun? 🔍 A casual, California-inspired lifestyle with apparel and accessories for young adults
Internship Focus: Marketing, merchandising, and digital media
Location: Anaheim, CA (HQ)
Express
What is Express? 🔍 A fashion forward retailer specializing in versatile workwear and casual styles
Internship Focus: Fashion design, marketing, and e-commerce
Location: Columbus, OH
Altar'd State
What is Altar'd State? 🔍 A boutique retailer known for its feminine and boho-inspired fashion
Internship Focus: Merchandising, visual design, and retail operations
Location: Maryville, TN (HQ)
Abercrombie & Fitch
What is Abercrombie? 🔍 A classic American retailer offering casual fashion for young adults
Internship Focus: Marketing, supply chain, and brand management
Location: Columbus, OH
Nike
What is Nike? 🔍 A global leader in sportswear, footwear, and athletic innovation
Internship Focus: Design, innovation, marketing, and sportswear engineering
Location: Beaverton, OR
Gap Inc. (Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic)
What is Gap? 🔍 A multinational retail company offering apparel and accessories for all ages through its iconic brands
Internship Focus: Merchandising, marketing, and corporate operations
Location: San Francisco, CA
Free People
What is Free People? 🔍 A brand under Urban Outfitters offering bohemian inspired clothing and accessories
Internship Focus: Design, styling, and marketing
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Levi Strauss & Co
What is Levi's? 🔍 An iconic American brand known for its denim and casual apparel
Internship Focus: Product design, marketing, and supply chain
Location: San Francisco, CA
Victoria's Secret
What is Victoria's Secret? 🔍 Specialty retailer of women’s lingerie, apparel, and beauty products, known for its focus on luxury and elegance
Internship Focus: Design, marketing, merchandising, and digital commerce
Location: Reynoldsburg, OH (HQ)
Ralph Lauren
What is Ralph Lauren? 🔍 A global leader in luxury lifestyle fashion with a timeless aesthetic
Internship Focus: Design, marketing, merchandising, and sustainability
Location: New York, NY
Tommy Hilfiger
What is Tommy Hilfiger? 🔍 A globally recognized brand known for its classic American-inspired apparel
Internship Focus: Marketing, design, and e-commerce
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands, and New York, NY
How Should I Prepare for the Application Process?
To have a successful application process, you'll first want to tailor your resume. Companies love seeing quantified impact, (especially if you led a brand strategy, for example), and one popular resume format (first popularized by Google!) is the X-Y-Z resume format.
In addition to this, you can continue preparing for the interview process through:
Researching the company and office: By doing coffee chats or researching, understand the firm’s values and any recent projects or news.
Preparing behavioral answers: Be ready to discuss your leadership experiences, teamwork, problem-solving skills, and any other traits that are important to the company. You can use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for impactful answers.
To read all of our tips on some of the most common behavioral interview questions and how to answer them, go here!
Get Started with Simplify Today
Exploring fashion and beauty internships programs are great ways to build awareness of what is happening in the industry, sharpen your creative skills, and build a strong foundation for long-term career growth. Many top companies offer these programs as a direct pipeline to their post-grad roles.
One drawback to the beauty and fashion recruiting process is its length—like most internship roles, these applications are long, and ask for information you've probably entered 100+ times while applying to different roles. Don't worry though, we've got your back – save some time with our free browser extension, which helps you autofill your applications (Aritzia and 100,000+ other roles). Best of luck with the job search!