FORTA Cosmetics, a performance beauty brand, co-founded by WNBA player Lexie Hull and her Stanford roommate Sarah Guller, launched its hero product, the Lock & Go Setting Spray, with the strategic support of athlete-backed commerce platform Faves.
In partnership with Faves, FORTA is seeding its Lock & Go Setting Spray to a curated group of 30 professional female athletes, including runners, boxers, and pickleball players, to put the product to the test. Faves is giving brands like FORTA unprecedented access to a network of potential brand ambassadors athletes who can authentically trial, create content around, and ultimately partner with the brands they believe in. According to a July 2025 study from Campaign Red, more than half of global consumers find athlete endorsements credible, and Faves exists as a premium distribution channel for brands that understand why: the most valuable form of promotion comes from athletes who are actually using the product.
The partnership reflects a shift in how performance brands reach consumers. Faves gives brands, including athlete-founded companies like FORTA, a direct distribution channel through the athletes their customers already trust and without paid placements or manufactured reach.
“FORTA is exactly the kind of brand Faves was built for. It’s athlete-founded, made for real performance, and reaching its first customers through athletes who are actually using it. When an athlete recommends something, their audience listens, because their performance depends on what they use,” says Luke Katz, Co-Founder of Faves. “That’s more than influence. That’s proof. Lexie knows that better than anyone, and it’s exactly why she built the product.”
Athlete-backed commerce is one of the biggest distribution opportunities in the market, and most brands are missing it. Faves was built to close that gap. FORTA, the first beauty brand to launch through the platform, is proof that the opportunity is broader than anyone has built for: athlete-founded, athlete-seeded, and designed for an audience that has always existed but rarely been served.
The Lock & Go Setting Spray is available now at https://fortacosmetics.com/.
Faves is the first athlete-backed commerce platform connecting brands, athletes, and fans through data-driven, shoppable recommendations. As a two-sided marketplace, Faves enables brands to scale athlete partnerships and gives fans a trusted destination to shop the products athletes actually use. By combining data, storytelling, and commerce, Faves empowers athletes to own their influence and build sustainable businesses beyond traditional sponsorships.
About FORTA
A performance-driven beauty brand created for women who live active, full lives — athletes, professionals, and anyone who needs their beauty routine to keep up. Rooted in movement, confidence, and real-life wear, FORTA bridges the gap between beauty and performance with formulas that are effortless, effective, and designed to move with you.
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