Dive Brief:
- Selena Gomez-founded Rare Beauty will be available at Ulta Beauty online and in stores starting Feb. 1, per a Monday press release. Ulta’s rollout with the brand will also feature the retailer’s first customer donation partnership, as in-store shoppers will be able to donate during the month of February to the Ulta Beauty Charitable Foundation and the Rare Impact Fund.
- The launch will include two Ulta-exclusive product kits, custom store fixtures and marketing elements, as well as co-branded gift cards.
- Rare Beauty launched in 2020 with a website and an exclusive deal with Sephora. This move marks the brand’s first retail expansion since that time.
Dive Insight:
The launch of Rare Beauty at Ulta feeds into the retailer’s larger merchandising goals.
"Rare Beauty is a truly one-of-a-kind brand, not only for the products but for the purpose on which the brand was built," Ulta’s Chief Merchandising and Digital Officer Lauren Brindley said in a statement. "That's why we're so proud to bring Rare to Ulta Beauty and drive its impact further. We are very thoughtful about which brands we launch, and as a brand that shares Selena's vision and values, we're thrilled to help propel Rare Beauty to new heights, while enabling even more beauty enthusiasts around the world to see their beautiful possibilities."
Ulta has embarked on an effort over the past year to offer new merchandise to its customers. In 2025, the retailer expanded its efforts in the wellness category and debuted its own e-commerce marketplace allowing companies to sell through its website, which initially added over 100 new brands to Ulta’s offerings.
The retailer’s third quarter earnings in December showed that net sales grew 12.9% year over year to $2.9 billion — helped in part by its July acquisition of Space NK — and comparable sales jumped 6.3% with increases in both average ticket and transactions.
Ulta CEO Kecia Steelman on an earnings call with analysts at the time noted that the retailer added 35 new brands to its roster during the quarter, several of which were exclusive to the company.
“What I will say is that our merchants have been hard at work in developing their plans for fiscal 2026,” Steelman said on the call in December. “We have an exciting pipeline of newness, and I'm pleased with what I see right now. And it's balanced across the portfolio, very similar to how this year was ... the team has done a really nice job, and they have really prioritized newness and innovation because we know how important it is to really drive this business overall.”
