Makeup brand Morphe announced via Twitter on Thursday that it has decided to close all of its U.S. stores. As of Thursday evening, the brand’s website listed 18 U.S. locations.
“We have made the difficult decision to close all Morphe stores in the U.S. We are forever grateful to our store teams for their passion, talent and dedication over the years,” the company’s Twitter account said. The company restricted reply access to the Tweet.
The brand said customers will still be able to shop on its website and at select retailers. Additionally, all non-U.S.-based stores will remain open. Morphe lists Target and Ulta among its retail locations.
“Following a careful evaluation of all aspects of our business, we have made the strategic decision to enhance our focus on the company’s wholesale and e-commerce operations going forward. We believe this shift will position Morphe to better compete in the broader beauty landscape and more efficiently reach our customers where and how they shop,” a Forma Brands spokesperson told Retail Dive in an emailed statement. “Connecting with consumers around the world through beauty stands at the center of everything we do, and while we have loved welcoming customers into our stores, we look forward to focusing on the foundational areas of our business, including our wholesale partnerships, robust e-commerce footprint and innovative brand marketing strategy.”
Morphe sits under the Forma Brands portfolio, which also includes Playa Beauty and Lipstick Queen, among others. Forma Brands previously operated under the name Morphe Holdings, but launched under its current name as a brand accelerator in 2020. In 2019, private equity firm General Atlantic announced it would acquire a controlling stake in the company.
General Atlantic declined to comment.
Last March, Forma Brands announced that Eric Hohl would take over as its chairman and chief executive officer. Hohl had previously worked for over a decade for the makeup brand Too Faced Cosmetics, most recently as its president.
The company was reportedly considering filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October, anonymous sources told Women’s Wear Daily. At the time, a spokesperson for Forma Brands told the publication it was “engaged in constructive discussions with our financial stakeholders regarding ways to strengthen the company financially.”
Several users on social media claiming to be store employees have spoken about the closures. The hashtag #justiceformorpheemployees had around 5.9 million views on TikTok at the time of publication.
