Dive Brief:

• Marking its first department store partnership, Tracee Ellis Ross’ haircare line, Pattern Beauty, is teaming up with Macy’s to be sold on the retailer’s website, mobile app and select stores across the country.
• Priced between $9 and $25, the items available in Macy’s include detangling products, curl mousse and edge tools, according to a Wednesday press release. 
• The partnership adds to Pattern’s growing list of retail partners, which also include Sephora, Ulta and Boots.

Dive Insight:

Macy’s said that it has been working to expand beyond skincare, fragrance and cosmetics and into haircare. 

“Tracee Ellis Ross and her brand empower everyone to celebrate their individuality, centered around the celebration of Black beauty and textured hair,” Nicolette Bosco, vice president of beauty at Macy’s, said in a statement. “Through our social purpose platform, Mission Every One, we are committed to amplifying diverse brands to create more choices for our customers. We are eager to expand our offerings in the curl category and continue our haircare evolution with Pattern’s range of products.”

For Pattern, the partnership helps the brand reach a broader audience of customers. Digitally native brands have increasingly seen the importance of inking wholesale partnerships with retailers in order to reach consumers wherever they are shopping. Traditional retailers, like Nordstrom and Target, are also keen to reap the benefits of bringing in newer brands, including driving traffic to stores.

Besides offering celebrity-backed beauty brands, Macy’s is also putting money behind its diversity and sustainability goals. Last March, the retailer announced plans to spend $5 billion by 2025 as part of its Mission Every One initiative, which aims to catalyze social change by supporting people, communities and the environment. That same month, the company unveiled a new brand platform, Own Your Style.

As Macy’s expands further into the beauty space, it faces competition from another major retailer: J.C. Penney. In 2021, the retailer teamed up with Thirteen Lune to introduce J.C. Penney Beauty stations in stores filled with various hair, skincare and other product categories. Last September, the company decided to add J.C. Penney Beauty hubs across 300 stores early this year and in 600 stores by this spring.