Dive Brief:
- Gen Z-focused beauty brand AF94 launched a new partnership with Ulta Beauty. The beauty brand, which was founded by Halsey, began selling on Ulta’s website on Dec. 24 and will be in a select number of the retailer’s brick-and-mortar stores beginning Jan. 14.
- For the Ulta launch, AF94 has developed four new “made-to-play” products, including Swirl’d, a liquid marble eyeshadow; Lava Lust, a lip stain; It Takes 2, a bronzer and highlighter duo; and Playdate Glow, a cheek and lip color. All products are priced at $10 and under, per a company press release.
- AF94 first launched in July 2022 through an exclusive partnership with Walmart. The brand launched in about 2,900 of the mass merchant’s stores with products for eyes, lips, cheeks and body. It is the second beauty brand launched by Halsey, with the other being About-Face.
Dive Insight:
About a year and a half after launching, AF94 is expanding its reach. The AF94 name is an amalgamation of Halsey's initials (whose given name is Ashley Frangipane) and birth year (1994).
"We are thrilled to partner with Ulta Beauty to further engage 'screenagers' and emerging beauty consumers with our fun, innovative makeup solutions, just as they are experimenting and developing a love for beauty" Jeanne Chavez, AF94’s co-founder and chief innovation officer, said in a statement. "Ulta Beauty offers a welcoming guest experience that embraces this digital generation and how they use makeup to express their individuality, making them the ideal destination to discover AF94."
Several brands headed to Ulta Beauty in 2023 to further expand their channel distribution and reach new customers. BeautyCounter partnered with Ulta at the beginning of the year, Jennifer Aniston’s brand LolaVie launched at the retailer in the spring and Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty entered Ulta in the fall.
