Dive Brief:

• Expanding its physical reach, beauty brand Beautycounter announced Wednesday it will launch on Ulta Beauty’s website on Sunday and in 500 stores March 5, according to a press release.
• Several of Beautycounter’s bestselling skin care and cosmetics products will be available at the mass retailer, including the All Bright C Serum, Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer and Reflect Effect Overnight Resurfacing Peel.
• The expansion arrives during the Beautycounter’s 10-year anniversary, and the company will be included in Ulta’s Conscious Beauty category, which showcases brands “featuring clean ingredients that are cruelty free and sustainably packaged,” per the release.

Dive Insight:

For Beautycounter, the expansion into Ulta means it will provide greater access to customers seeking what the brand calls “clean beauty.”

"Our partnership with Ulta Beauty is an exciting step toward achieving Beautycounter's mission of getting safer products into the hands of everyone," Beautycounter CEO Marc Rey said in a statement. "We're looking forward to introducing new consumers to our award-winning products. We believe that this partnership — and the resulting growth of our community — will allow us to have an even greater impact on the future of beauty as we lead the industry beyond clean where all beauty is uncompromising."

The move follows the appointment of an Amazon veteran to its chief commercial officer role in March, with Kara Trousdale coming on to help scale the brand’s channels. At the time, Trousdale told Retail Dive that physical retail was becoming even more important, noting that she was evaluating how to maintain a strong e-commerce presence while expanding physically, whether that was with DTC stores or through wholesale partnerships.

Ulta has been steadily expanding its brand roster over the past year. Earlier this month it announced that DTC haircare brand Odele would enter its stores, and it’s been showcasing new brands with a specific store section called “Cue the New” that allows customers to more easily discover them.

Other major retailers have also looked at expanding their beauty portfolio. Target recently brought in DTC skin care companies Futurewise and Loops. Meanwhile, Walmart selected five beauty brands in August for its accelerator program, providing them the opportunity to launch their products in stores.

And for Ulta, sales haven’t had quite the impact from inflation that other retailers experienced. The company reported in December that sales, comps and profits all increased by double digits in its third quarter. Ulta even raised its guidance, expecting full-year sales to reach up to $10 billion.