Takealot, South Africa’s leading online retailer, has announced an exclusive strategic partnership with US-based beauty discovery platform Thirteen Lune, marking the brand’s first international expansion.
The partnership will bring a curated selection of founder-led, premium global beauty brands to South African consumers through Takealot, strengthening the retailer’s growing presence in the beauty category.
For Takealot, the collaboration represents more than the introduction of new international brands. It forms part of a broader ambition to establish South Africa’s leading beauty destination, combining global brand discovery with trusted local fulfilment, content and experiences.
“This is far more than the launch of new beauty brands. It represents another important step in our ambition to build South Africa’s most trusted beauty destination,” says Ryan Ferreira, head of retail at Takealot.
“We are incredibly proud that Thirteen Lune selected Takealot as its exclusive South African partner. Together, we’re introducing some of the world’s most exciting beauty brands locally while laying the foundation for a beauty ecosystem that will continue to grow for years to come.”
A new era for beauty in South Africa
Rather than simply expanding its beauty assortment, Takealot views the partnership as an important step towards creating a more comprehensive beauty ecosystem in South Africa.
The vision brings together exclusive global brands, nationwide fulfilment, expert beauty content and experiences, while creating future opportunities to support and connect with local beauty entrepreneurs.
Beauty has become a strategic growth category for Takealot and an increasingly important way for the retailer to attract and engage consumers. The category also presents an opportunity to move beyond traditional eCommerce by connecting digital discovery and convenience with content, community and physical experiences.
The result is a beauty proposition designed not only around what consumers can buy, but also around how they discover, explore and experience beauty.
Thirteen Lune: a global platform for beauty discovery
Founded in 2020 by Nyakio Grieco, Thirteen Lune has established itself as an influential beauty discovery platform, championing innovative, founder-led brands and celebrating diverse stories within the beauty industry.
Under Grieco’s leadership, the business has evolved from a digital marketplace into a recognised retail platform. Between 2021 and 2025, Thirteen Lune operated a shop-in-shop partnership across more than 600 JCPenney stores in the United States, helping introduce emerging and independent beauty brands to a broader audience.
Its approach has earned the platform a reputation for discovering and supporting some of the beauty industry’s most exciting emerging brands.
For Grieco, the move into South Africa is significant on both a professional and personal level. Her Kenyan heritage has shaped her entrepreneurial journey and her perspective on beauty, making the company’s first international expansion particularly meaningful.
“Expanding Thirteen Lune internationally through South Africa is an exciting business milestone and a deeply personal moment for me. My family’s roots are on the African continent, and returning to Africa through a partnership with Takealot feels incredibly meaningful,” says Grieco.
“We were looking for more than a retailer – a partner whose values aligned with ours. Takealot’s commitment to innovation, entrepreneurship and creating opportunities for local communities made it the clear choice for us.”
Shared values, shared vision
The partnership reflects the growing ambition surrounding beauty within Takealot, with the company positioning the category as an important part of its future retail strategy.
Karla Levick, chief marketing officer of Takealot Group, says the partnership is about redefining how consumers interact with beauty.
“We want to play a leading role in shaping the future of beauty retail in South Africa, giving customers access to the world’s most exciting brands while creating a destination where beauty can be discovered and experienced in entirely new ways.”
The collaboration strengthens Takealot’s premium and luxury beauty proposition while creating further opportunities to bring the category to life through content, creators and experiences that extend beyond the digital shopping journey.
“For us, this is about building something much bigger than an online beauty store. It’s about building a beauty destination,” adds Levick.
With Thirteen Lune’s founder-led global portfolio and Takealot’s established South African retail infrastructure coming together, the partnership signals a new chapter for beauty discovery in the local market — one where access, storytelling, entrepreneurship and experience increasingly sit alongside the traditional shopping experience.
